Eight players ranked among the top 30 North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking for the 2016 NHL Draft will take part in Canada's National Junior Team Summer Development Camp.
The camp will be held July 30 to Aug. 6 in Toronto and Plymouth, Mich., and include games against the United States, Finland and Sweden at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.
It's the first step in picking the team that will play for Canada at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held in Toronto and Montreal from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5, 2017.
Canada invites 41 players to junior development camp
2016 NHL Draft prospects Gauthier, Dubois among attendees
© Ben Nelms/Getty Images
Among the 41 players invited to the camp is Julien Gauthier of Val-d'Or in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Gauthier was the only 2016 draft-eligible player on Canada's team at the 2016 WJC; he had two assists and four shots on goal in five games. The 6-foot-3, 231-pound right wing is No. 12 in Central Scouting's ranking.
Other top prospects for the 2016 draft invited to the camp are forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois of Cape Breton of the QMJHL (No. 1), Michael McLeod of Mississauga of the Ontario Hockey League (No. 13), Tyson Jost of Penticton of the British Columbia Hockey League (No. 16) and Brett Howden of Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League (No. 22), as well as defensemen Jakob Chychrun of Sarnia of the OHL (No. 4), Jake Bean of Calgary of the WHL (No. 15) and Dante Fabbro of Penticton of the BCHL (No. 18).
Carter Hart of Everett in the WHL, No. 2 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goaltenders, is one of four goalies who will take part in the camp.
Ten players invited to the camp were picked in the first round of the 2015 draft: Forwards Dylan Strome (No. 3, Arizona Coyotes), Mitchell Marner (No. 4, Toronto Maple Leafs), Lawson Crouse (No. 11, Florida Panthers); Zach Senyshyn (No. 15, Boston Bruins), Mathew Barzal (No. 16, New York Islanders), Travis Konecny (No. 24, Philadelphia Flyers), Anthony Beauvillier (No. 28, Islanders) and Nicholas Merkley (No. 30, Coyotes), and defensemen Thomas Chabot (No. 18, Ottawa Senators) and Noah Juulsen (No. 26, Montreal Canadiens).
Strome, Marner, Crouse, Barzal, Beauvillier and Chabot played for Canada at the 2016 WJC.
Two players eligible for the 2017 NHL Draft also were invited to the camp: Forward Nolan Patrick of Brandon of the WHL, who could be the first player picked, and defenseman Cal Foote of Kelowna of the WHL. He's the son of former Colorado Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote.
Coaching Canada will be Dominique Ducharme, coach of Drummondville of the QMJHL. Canada will be in Group B along with Latvia, Russia, Slovakia and the United States, and play its preliminary round games at Air Canada Centre on Toronto. Defending champion Finland is in Group A, along with Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, and will play its preliminary-round games at Bell Centre in Montreal.
CANADA NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM SUMMER EVALUATION CAMP ROSTER
GOALTENDERS: Evan Cormier, Saginaw, OHL (2016 draft eligible); Carter Hart, Everett, WHL (2016 draft eligible); Connor Ingram, Kamloops, WHL (2016 draft eligible); Zachary Sawchenko, Moose Jaw, WHL (2016 draft eligible)
DEFENSEMEN: Jake Bean, Calgary, WHL (2016 draft eligible); Guillaume Brisebois, Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL (Vancouver Canucks); Thomas Chabot, Saint John, QMJHL (Ottawa Senators); Jakob Chychrun, Sarnia, OHL (2016 draft eligible); Dante Fabbro, Penticton, BCHL (2016 draft eligible); Cal Foote, Kelowna, WHL (2017 draft eligible); Samuel Girard, Shawinigan, QMJHL (2016 draft eligible); Connor Hobbs, Regina, WHL (Washington Capitals); Noah Juulsen, Everett, WHL (Montreal Canadiens); Jeremy Lauzon, Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL (Boston Bruins); Philippe Myers, Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL (Philadelphia Flyers); Jeremy Roy, Sherbrooke, QMJHL (San Jose Sharks); Matthew Spencer, Peterborough, OHL (Tampa Bay Lightning); Mitchell Vande Sompel, Oshawa, OHL (New York Islanders)
FORWARDS: Mathew Barzal, Seattle, WHL (New York Islanders); Anthony Beauvillier, Shawinigan, QMJHL (New York Islanders); Anthony Cirelli, Oshawa, OHL (Tampa Bay Lightning); Lawson Crouse, Kingston, OHL (Florida Panthers); Dillon Dube, Kelowna, WHL (2016 draft eligible); Pierre-Luc Dubois, Cape Breton, QMJHL (2016 draft eligible); Julien Gauthier, Val-d'Or, QMJHL (2016 draft eligible); Brett Howden, Moose Jaw, WHL (2016 draft eligible); Mathieu Joseph, Saint John, QMJHL (Tampa Bay Lightning); Tyson Jost, Penticton, BCHL (2016 draft eligible); Graham Knott, Niagara, OHL (Chicago Blackhawks); Keegan Kolesar, Seattle, WHL (Columbus Blue Jackets); Travis Konecny, Sarnia, OHL (Philadelphia Flyers); Mitchell Marner, London, OHL (Toronto Maple Leafs); Michael McLeod, Mississauga, OHL (2016 draft eligible); Nicholas Merkley, Kelowna, WHL (Arizona Coyotes); Nolan Patrick, Brandon, WHL (2017 draft eligible); Nicolas Roy, Chicoutimi, QMJHL (Carolina Hurricanes); Zach Senyshyn, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL (Boston Bruins); Deven Sideroff, Kamloops, WHL (Anaheim Ducks); Tyler Soy, Victoria, WHL (2016 draft eligible); Mitchell Stephens, Saginaw, OHL (Tampa Bay Lightning); Dylan Strome, Erie, OHL (Arizona Coyotes)
