Hockey Canada announces men's junior team roster

Team Canada named its roster for the 2021 World Juniors after holding its selection camp in Red Deer. (Photo: Hockey Canada)

RED DEER, Alta. — Hockey Canada has named the 25 players who will represent the host country at the world junior men's hockey championship in Edmonton.

Three goalies, eight defencemen and 14 forwards were chosen for tournament Dec. 25 to Jan. 5 from a selection camp roster of 46 invited players.

The roster includes four players from Alberta, all of whom haven't been to the World Juniors before: defencemen Kirby Dach from Fort Saskatchewan and Kaiden Guhle of Sherwood Park; and forwards Dylan Holloway from Bragg Creek and Peyton Krebs from Okotoks.

Dach, 19, posted a successful season in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and was picked third overall for the Team Canada camp.

Guhle recorded 40 points in 46 games in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders last season. His older brother, Brendan Guhle, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the 2015 NHL draft.

Holloway current plays in the NCAA with the Wisconsin Badgers. He was selected 14th overall in the 2020 NHL draft by the Edmonton Oilers.

Krebs was Team Canada's captain at the under-18 World Champtionships in Sweden the previous April. He had been invited to last year's World Juniors camp but didn't make the team while recovering from a partially torn achilles. He was named to the Vegas Gold Knights' postseason roster.

The roster also includes assistant coach Michael Dyck originally from Lethbridge.

The selection camp in Red Deer, Alta., was interrupted by a two-week quarantine because two players tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

The Canadian team includes six veterans of the squad that won gold at the 2020 under-20 championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

The Canadian team and nine other countries are scheduled to enter Edmonton's “bubble” on Sunday.

Canada opens the tournament Christmas Day against Germany.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2020.