Martone, Schaefer lead Canada 2025 World Junior camp roster

Porter Martone and Matthew Schaefer, expected to be top five picks at the 2025 NHL Draft, are among the 32 players that will take part in Canada's selection camp for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The camp will be held Dec. 10-13 at TD Place in Ottawa and includes two games against a team of U Sports all-stars on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13.

"This is a talented group of young players that is determined to represent Canada with pride over the holidays," Canada WJC head scout Al Murray said, "and we expect a highly competitive camp with several difficult decisions when determining our final roster."

The 2025 WJC will be held in Ottawa from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. Canada is in Group A with Finland, Germany, Latvia and the United States, and will play its preliminary-round games at Canadian Tire Centre. Czechia, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland are in Group B, and will play preliminary-round games at TD Place.

Martone (6-foot-3, 196 pounds), who received an A rating from NHL Central Scouting in its preliminary players to watch list, is second in the Ontario Hockey League with 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 23 games with Brampton.

"Porter Martone is a beast," Central Scouting's Nick Smith said. "He is a game breaker with some bite. He has soft hands with a knack for scoring goals. He sees the ice extremely well and makes the guys he plays with better. He goes to the hard areas to score goals with his physical presence and can back it up as well. He's a leader and the guy you want on the ice when the game is on the line."

Schaefer (6-1, 170) has 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 14 games with Erie of the OHL. He also scored an end-to-end goal for the Canadian Hockey League against the United States in Game 1 of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge in London, Ontario on Nov. 26.

"I think he's next level," CHL coach Kris Mallette said. "I was fortunate to coach him in the summer (2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup). The tournament that he had at the Hlinka was phenomenal for our group (six points in five games as Canada won a gold medal). ... If he makes a mistake, he can find another level to make it better. The calmness that he's got, the ability to turn it from just a subtle stride into full steam is very impressive. He's a really, really special player that I've been fortunate to get to coach."

The selection camp also includes seven players from the roster Canada had for its fifth-place finish at the 2024 WJC: goalie Scott Ratzlaff (Buffalo Sabres); defensemen Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) and Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators), and forwards Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs), Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken), Matthew Wood (Predators) and Brayden Yager (Winnipeg Jets). Molendyk was held out of the 2024 WJC with a wrist injury sustained in a pre-tournament game.

The camp roster also includes forward Gavin McKenna from Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League. The 16-year-old leads the WHL with 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 27 games and is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.

McKenna has a chance to become the eighth 16-year-old to play for Canada at the WJC, joining Wayne Gretzky (1978), Eric Lindros (1989), Jason Spezza (2000), Jay Bouwmeester (2000), Sidney Crosby (2004), Connor McDavid (2014) and Connor Bedard (2022).

The United States named its 28-player selection camp Monday.

CANADA WJC SELECTION CAMP ROSTER

GOALIES: Carson Bjarnason, Brandon, WHL (Philadelphia Flyers); Carter George, Owen Sound, OHL (Los Angeles Kings); Jack Ivankovic, Brampton, OHL (2025 draft eligible); Scott Ratzlaff, Seattle, WHL (Buffalo Sabres)

DEFENSEMEN: Cam Allen, Guelph, OHL (Washington Capitals); Beau Akey, Barrie, OHL (Edmonton Oilers); Oliver Bonk, London, OHL (Flyers); Harrison Brunicke, Kamloops, WHL (Pittsburgh Penguins); Sam Dickinson, London, OHL (San Jose Sharks); Andrew Gibson, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL (Nashville Predators); Tanner Molendyk, Saskatoon, WHL (Nashville Predators); Sawyer Mynio, Seattle, WHL (Vancouver Canucks); Caden Price, Kelowna, WHL (Seattle Kraken); Matthew Schaefer, Erie, OHL (2025 draft eligible)

FORWARDS: Denver Barkey, London, OHL (Flyers); Cole Beaudoin, Barrie, OHL (Utah Hockey Club); Mathieu Cataford, Rimouski, QMJHL (Vegas Golden Knights); Berkly Catton, Spokane, WHL (Kraken); Easton Cowan, London, OHL (Toronto Maple Leafs); Andrew Cristall, Kelowna, WHL (Washington Capitals); Ethan Gauthier, Drummondville, QMJHL (Tampa Bay Lightning); Riley Heidt, Prince George, WHL (Minnesota Wild); Tanner Howe, Calgary, WHL (Penguins); Jett Luchanko, Guelph, OHL (Flyers); Porter Martone, Brampton, OHL (2025 draft eligible); Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat, WHL (2026 draft eligible); Bradly Nadeau, Chicago, AHL (Carolina Hurricanes); Luca Pinelli, Ottawa, OHL (Columbus Blue Jackets); Carson Rehkopf, Brampton, OHL (Seattle Kraken); Calum Ritchie, Oshawa, OHL (Colorado Avalanche); Matthew Wood, Minnesota, NCAA (Predators); Brayden Yager, Moose Jaw, WHL (Winnipeg Jets)