It’s the middle of summer, 35 degrees here in Kelowna today — that’s 95 Fahrenheit for our American friends — and I’m thinking about hockey and the World Juniors, not golfing or boating or even bikinis by the pool.
Gavin McKenna can have that effect on a guy. He is starring at the Summer Showcase in Minneapolis this week and will be the face of Canada’s roster when they return to Minnesota for the 2026 tournament midway through his draft year.
McKenna is the consensus top prospect for that 2026 draft and considered a generational talent as he transitions from Medicine Hat to Penn State among that WHL to NCAA movement.
Not to take anything away from his cousin Connor Bedard’s gold-medal winning teams in 2022 and 2023, they were impressive too, with those prospects now coming into their own in the NHL, but this year’s squad looks to be on another level led by McKenna.
Not since Connor McDavid’s golden group in 2015 has Canada been this stacked for the World Juniors. And I would argue, top to bottom, the 2026 roster is shaping up to be even better. And thus should be even more dominant as the favourite for gold.
That may sound overly confident with Canada coming off consecutive fifth-place finishes, but this is by far the best collection of talent over the last decade.
With the Hunter brothers now at the helm and Gardiner MacDougall also behind the bench, Canada is in good hands this year. And what a time for them to take over again, with an embarrassment of riches auditioning at this showcase and a dozen legitimate roster contenders as absentees.
As always, from summer to fall to winter, the NHL will have an impact on Canada’s makeup. Who will make the jump to the show and who will be loaned back to represent their country?
The defence could certainly be impacted. Sam Dickinson and Zayne Parekh are strong candidates to start the season with San Jose and Calgary, respectively. This year’s first overall pick Matthew Schaefer could crack the Islanders but isn’t a lock after missing so much time to injuries during his draft year.
That trio is in Minneapolis but might not be back in Minnesota. If not, the next men up could include McKenna’s new Penn State teammate Jackson Smith (Columbus), Keaton Verhoeff (2026) and Landon DuPont (2027), so the back end promises to be a force for Canada.
Up front, Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia), Berkly Catton (Seattle), Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim) and maybe Michael Misa (San Jose), this year’s second overall pick, will compete for NHL jobs at training camp but could still be available for Canada.
College commitments ensure the availability of Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus) and Porter Martone (Philadelphia) as Michigan State teammates and potential linemates there. They will bring plenty of size for Canada’s forward group.
There will be more NCAA players than usual on this roster with Michael Hage (Montreal) and Sacha Boisvert (Chicago) as sophomores in serious consideration, while that freshman wave also features Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota), Cole Reschny (Calgary) and Malcolm Spence (New York Rangers) as longer shots to make the cut.
The CHL will still be well represented too. Tij Iginla (Utah) should be sporting the Maple Leaf, expected to captain WHL Kelowna with the Rockets hosting the Memorial Cup in 2026. He is still rehabbing from a hip surgery that cost him much of last season, so the Mammoth will likely leave Iginla in junior.
And the Hunters are very familiar with the OHLers in the mix, including Brady Martin (Nashville) as this year’s fifth overall pick who might remind Dale of his younger self. Cole Beaudoin (Utah) and Marek Vanacker (Chicago) could wreak havoc on a checking line with Martin, while Vanacker’s teammate Jake O’Brien (Seattle) may factor in — especially if Catton sticks with the Kraken as a fellow eighth overall selection for Seattle. Not to mention their London boy Sam O’Reilly (Tampa Bay), who can be pencilled in based on that connection, and Liam Greentree (Los Angeles), who finished third in OHL scoring last season. The aforementioned Luchanko and Sennecke too, if they are available or loaned.
Dickinson is done in London, leaving as a Memorial Cup champion, and Parekh likely won’t be back after leading OHL defenders in scoring for two years running now. And fellow Flames prospect Henry Mews is opting for NCAA Michigan rather than returning to the OHL, but Kashawn Aitcheson (New York Islanders), Ben Danford (Toronto), Owen Protz (Montreal) and Cameron Reid (Nashville) will push for duty on defence.
Biased or partial as they may be, rest assured the Hunters will pick the best team available, which could also include QMJHLer Caleb Desnoyers (Utah) and WHLers Roger McQueen (Anaheim) and Carter Bear (Detroit) among this year’s first-round forwards.
As I was saying, an embarrassment of riches, and all three goaltenders are returning from last year in Carter George (Los Angeles, OHL), Jack Ivankovic (Nashville, OHL to NCAA) and Joshua Ravensbergen (Columbus, WHL). That position will be the least of Canada’s concerns this year and should be a strength for a change at this tournament.
It’s often said that Canada could ice two medal-contending teams for the World Juniors and that really rings true for 2026. Their best-case scenario roster would crush the competition en route to gold. Their worst-case scenario roster would still be the betting favourite. And anything in between will obviously have the bookies on their side.
Best Case Roster
FORWARDS
Gavin McKenna – Michael Misa – Tij Iginla
Berkly Catton – Beckett Sennecke – Liam Greentree
Michael Hage – Cayden Lindstrom – Porter Martone
Sam O’Reilly – Cole Beaudoin – Brady Martin
NOTES: That leaves OHLers Jett Luchanko, Marek Vanacker and Jake O’Brien competing to be the extra forward. It’s possible they are in the lineup ahead of Hage, Martin or O’Reilly, depending on their development and performances through the first half of this season. But I like that all-Michigan line as well as the all-OHL line. Those are three stellar scoring lines and a very strong shutdown line. This would be a bigger, more physical group than Canada has rostered in recent years.
DEFENSEMEN
Sam Dickinson – Zayne Parekh
Matthew Schaefer – Harrison Brunicke
Kashawn Aitcheson – Henry Mews
Ben Danford
NOTES: This seems pretty set if the Big 3 are available — that is going to be a big IF — but if any or all of them aren’t, it’ll be interesting to see who suits up in their place. There will be older options such as Spencer Gill and Charlie Elick as righties but my money would be on Verhoeff on that side, while Tarin Smith, Owen Protz and Cameron Reid are the leftover lefties at this showcase but Jackson Smith and the young phenom DuPont, who will be on Canada’s Hlinka squad with Verhoeff, are capable of playing their way onto this roster. If those were the pairings, it could make sense to bring Reid or even Verhoeff as the extra for their upside, rather than defensive-minded Danford despite his first-round pedigree from 2024.
GOALTENDERS
Carter George
Jack Ivankovic
Joshua Ravensbergen
NOTES: No surprises between the pipes and I expect that to be the pecking order again, with George as their go-to guy from the OHL.
Worst Case Roster
FORWARDS
Gavin McKenna – Tij Iginla – Liam Greentree
Michael Hage – Cayden Lindstrom – Porter Martone
Jett Luchanko – Sam O’Reilly – Jake O’Brien
Marek Vanacker – Cole Beaudoin – Brady Martin
NOTES: This is without Misa, Catton and Sennecke, replaced by the OHL trio of Luchanko, Vanacker and O’Brien, with Iginla shifting to centre on the top line. O’Brien’s spot would be the most contentious here, making a case for him as the most skilled option, along with the OHL familiarity, but Terik Parascak and Sacha Boisvert are older as first-rounders from 2024. They could fit there but Carter Bear might fill that role better alongside Luchanko and O’Reilly. Caleb Desnoyers and Roger McQueen would also enter the conversation as additional centre depth for this roster.
DEFENSEMEN
Jackson Smith – Harrison Brunicke
Kashawn Aitcheson – Henry Mews
Landon DuPont – Keaton Verhoeff
Ben Danford
NOTES: This is without the Big 3 in Dickinson, Parekh and Schaefer, replaced by the Next 3 in Jackson Smith, Verhoeff and DuPont, who would be overtaking Tarin Smith, Protz, Gill and Elick from this Summer Showcase. I would still have time for Cameron Reid in this scenario, whether he makes it over DuPont or Danford.
GOALTENDERS
Carter George
Jack Ivankovic
Joshua Ravensbergen
On The Radar
Cole Reschny
Braeden Cootes
Justin Carbonneau
Ryder Ritchie
Malcolm Spence
Carson Wetsch
Ollie Josephson
Ben Kindel
NOTES: These forwards weren’t mentioned in either scenario but are attending the Summer Showcase for experience and could turn enough heads to get invited back for selection camp in December, along with goaltender Evan Gardner if there is an injury ahead of him on the depth chart. Reschny and Cootes will likely have key roles on next year’s team for the 2027 World Juniors when Canada should be hosting as the defending champion, with that tournament taking place in Alberta.
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