The Canadian men's national under 18 ice hockey team is part of a three-stage Program of Excellence beginning with the Under-17 regional teams and ending with the National Junior Team. The primary objectives of the Under-18 program are to identify, evaluate, and condition players to the rigors of international competition by giving first exposure to off-shore officiating, ice-surfaces, and travel.
The Under-18 squad traditionally competes in the month of August, during the off season, to allow players to further develop skills with their respective junior teams in the winter following a week-long camp. A 22-player roster is chosen by scouts and coaches from Hockey Canada to represent Canada on the international stage.
The first National Men's Under-18 Team was created in 1981 with the development of the Program of Excellence and has since competed in many international competitions. For the first 10 years of the program, the National Men's Under-18 Team participated in exchange camps with the United States to provide both countries the opportunity to refine the skills of their most gifted young players against top caliber international competition. It was not until the Japanese Ice Hockey Federation introduced the Phoenix Cup, a four-nation tournament designed to improve Japan's international hockey program, in 1991 that Canada took part in an international tournament.
The Phoenix Cup (later the Pacific Cup and La Copa Mexico) was a single round robin competition between the national under-18 teams of Canada, Russia, Japan, and the United States. It was competed for between 1991 and 1996, with tournaments in Japan, Mexico City, and Nelson, B.C. In its six-year history, Canada took home three gold medals, two silver and one bronze.
In 1997, the National Men's Under-18 Team competed against Slovakia and the Czech Republic in a three-nation tournament in the Czech Republic. Canada captured gold and repeated their performance the following year in Slovakia against Belarus, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
Since 2002, Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team has taken part in the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, winning four gold medals (2003, 2008, 2013 and 2021), one silver medal (2005), and three bronze medals (2012, 2014, and 2015).
Roster
IIHF U18 World Championships roster Roster for the 2025 IIHF World U18 Championships.
Head coach: Cory Stillman
No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team 1 G Jack Ivankovic Brampton Steelheads 2 D Xavier Villeneuve Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 3 D Jackson Smith Tri-City Americans 4 D Ryan Lin Vancouver Giants 5 D Carson Carels Prince George Cougars 6 D Alex Huang Chicoutimi Saguenéens 7 F Cole Reschny – A Victoria Royals 10 D Quinn Beauchesne Guelph Storm 11 F Alessandro Di Iorio Sarnia Sting 12 F Ethan Czata Niagara Ice Dogs 13 F Tyler Hopkins Kingston Frontenacs 14 F Liam Kilfoil Halifax Mooseheads 15 F Lukas Sawchyn Edmonton Oil Kings 16 F Lev Katsin Guelph Storm 18 F Beckham Edwards Sarnia Sting 19 F Cameron Schmidt Vancouver Giants 20 D Keaton Verhoeff Victoria Royals 22 F Jack Nesbitt Windsor Spitfires 24 F Braeden Cootes – C Seattle Thunderbirds 25 D Daxon Rudolph Prince Albert Raiders 26 F Ryan Roobroeck Niagara Ice Dogs 27 F Matthew Gard Red Deer Rebels 28 F Brady Martin – A Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 29 G Lucas Beckman Baie-Comeau Drakkar 30 G Burke Hood Vancouver Giants
Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster Roster for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Head coach: Mathieu Turcotte
No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team 1 G Jason Schaubel Kitchener Rangers 2 D Cameron Chartrand Saint John Sea Dogs 3 D Keaton Verhoeff – C University of North Dakota 4 D Ryan Lin Vancouver Giants 5 D Carson Carels Prince George Cougars 7 D Giorgos Pantelas Brandon Wheat Kings 8 D Callum Croskery Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 9 D Landon DuPont – A Everett Silvertips 11 F Tynan Lawrence Muskegon Lumberjacks 12 F Liam Ruck Medicine Hat Tigers 14 F Mathis Preston Spokane Chiefs 15 F Cooper Williams Saskatoon Blades 16 F Ethan Belchetz Windsor Spitfires 17 F Alessandro Di Iorio – A Sarnia Sting 18 F Beckham Edwards Sarnia Sting 19 F Adam Valentini – A Kitchener Rangers 21 F Pierce Mbuyi Owen Sound Attack 22 F Jean-Cristoph Lemieux Windsor Spitfires 24 F Dimian Zhilkin Saginaw Spirit 25 D Daxon Rudolph – A Prince Albert Raiders 26 F Markus Ruck Medicine Hat Tigers 27 F Colin Fitzgerald Peterborough Petes 29 F Thomas Rousseau Sherbrooke Phoenix 30 G Carter Esler Spokane Chiefs 31 G Gavin Betts Kingston Frontenacs
International competitions IIHF World U18 Championships
1999: Did not compete 2000: Did not compete 2001: Did not compete 2002: 6th place 2003: Gold 2004: 4th place 2005: Silver 2006: 4th place 2007: 4th place 2008: Gold 2009: 4th place 2010: 7th place 2011: 4th place 2012: Bronze
2013: Gold 2014: Bronze 2015: Bronze 2016: 4th place 2017: 5th place 2018: 5th place 2019: 4th place 2020:Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021: Gold 2022: 5th place 2023: Bronze 2024: Gold 2025: Gold 2026: 6th place
Hlinka Gretzky Cup
1991: Silver 1992: Gold 1993: Bronze 1994: Gold 1995: Silver 1996: Gold 1997: Gold 1998: Gold 1999: Gold 2000: Gold 2001: Gold 2002: Gold 2003: 4th place 2004: Gold 2005: Gold 2006: Gold
2007: 4th place 2008: Gold 2009: Gold 2010: Gold 2011: Gold 2012: Gold 2013: Gold 2014: Gold 2015: Gold 2016: 5th place 2017: Gold 2018: Gold 2019: Silver 2021: Did not compete 2022: Gold 2023: Gold 2024: Gold 2025: Bronze
References
External links Team Canada all time scoring leaders in IIHF U18 World Championships Hockey Canada U18 home page