Gauthier earns the nod to wear Canadian colors

Twenty-two of the nation’s best under-18 players, including Taylor Gauthier of the Prince George Cougars, have earned the opportunity to represent their country on home ice at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton and Red Deer August 6th to 11th.

Hockey Canada finalized its roster today following a five-day selection camp that saw 44 players take part.

Gauthier is one of two goaltenders on Team Canada .

There are also seven defencemen, and 13 forwards, including three players who were part of Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team that competed at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship in Russia last April (Bowen Byram, Alexis Lafrenière, Matthew Robertson).

Half of Canada’s squad come from the WHL:

Goaltenders
Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars / Calgary, Alta.)
Nolan Maier (Saskatoon Blades / Yorkton, Sask.)

Defencemen
Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings / Sherwood Park, Alta.)
Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants / Cranbrook, B.C.)
Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets / Yorkton, Sask.)
Braden Schneider (Brandon Wheat Kings / Prince Albert, Sask.)

Forwards
Sasha Mutala (Tri-City Americans / Vancouver, B.C.)
Josh Williams (Medicine Hat Tigers / Langley, B.C.)
Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades / Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.)
Peyton Krebs (Kootenay ICE / Okotoks, Alta.)
Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes / Whitehorse, Yukon)

Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team will play the Czech Republic in pre-competition action on Saturday in Red Deer before moving on to Edmonton, where they open the Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Monday, August 6th, at 6PM Pacific.

Canada won last year’s edition of the event in Breclav, Czech Republic, its 21st gold medal in 27 years of summer under-18 competition.

ROSTER | 22 @HC_Men selected to represent Canada at the 2018 #HlinkaGretzkyCup, starting August 6 in Edmonton/Red Deer. https://t.co/KSlFOgTWMd pic.twitter.com/KGLwi4D0e8

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 1, 2018