Eleven W-H-Lers are among the 25 players named to the roster for Team Canada that will take part in the upcoming Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in 10 days from now in Czechia.
Among the 11 players from the W-H-L are Saskatoon Blades centre Cooper Williams (pictured) and Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph. Canada will go after a fourth straight Hlinka-Gretzky Cup title when the tournament runs August 11-16. Following are news releases from the Saskatoon Blades, the W-H-L and Hockey Canada…..
Blades forward Williams named to Canada’s 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster
Saskatoon, SK – Saskatoon Blades forward Cooper Williams has been named to Hockey Canada’s 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster. This marks the first time the pending Western Hockey League (WHL) sophomore will represent the maple leaf on an international stage.
Williams was invited to Team Canada’s selection camp that took place between July 31 and August 1. The WHL Rookie of the Year finalist led Team Canada Red to a 6-4 victory over Team Canada White yesterday with a pair of goals. Williams potted another goal on Friday in a 4-3 loss to Team Canada White.
Williams was at the forefront of the Blades’ young core this past campaign, helping the Bridge City Bunch qualify for a sixth consecutive postseason. The Calgary, AB native finished second in WHL rookie scoring with 21 goals and 36 assists for 57 points. Williams was the only Blade besides 20-year-old defenceman Grayden Siepmann to appear in all 68 games and finished with the second-best +/- on the team at +19. The 6-foot forward’s point total was the third-most by a Blades rookie in the last 25 years and led all 2008-born WHL players.
The left-handed shot set the tone early with a seven-game point streak to begin his WHL career. Williams scored four goals and six assists through that span, helping the Blades to a 5-1-1-0 start. Fans got a glimpse of what was to come for the 16-year-old forward in the team’s home opener on September 21 at SaskTel Centre, scoring his first career WHL goal along with two assists in a 9-3 win against the Swift Current Broncos.
In 37 games following the Christmas break, Williams led the way offensively with 15 goals and 20 assists in 37 games. The rookie’s efforts helped the Blades be within one win of the East Division championship in the final game of the regular season. Williams was named WHL Rookie of the Week on two separate occasions in 2024-25 and was named the league’s top rookie in March.
Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will practice at MET Arena in Szekesfehervar, HUN, from Sunday, August 3 – Wednesday, August 6. The team will take on Hungary’s national under-20 team on Thursday, August 7 in Budapest and Slovakia on Saturday, August 9 at Easton Arena in Piestany as part of its pre-tournament schedule.
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is scheduled to take place August 11 – August 16 in Brno, CZE and Trenčín, SVK.
ELEVEN WHL PLAYERS NAMED TO ROSTER FOR CANADA’S NATIONAL MEN’S SUMMER UNDER-18 TEAM FOR HLINKA GRETZKY CUP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2025
Hockey Canada unveiled the 25-player roster, including three goaltenders, eight defencemen, and 14 forwards, Friday afternoon.
Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team – WHL Players
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Esler | Carter | Spokane Chiefs | Okotoks, Alta. | 5’10” | 157 | G |
| Carels | Carson | Prince George Cougars | Cypress River, Man. | 6’1” | 189 | D |
| DuPont | Landon | Everett Silvertips | Calgary, Alta. | 5’11” | 180 | D |
| Lin | Ryan | Vancouver Giants | Richmond, B.C. | 5’11” | 170 | D |
| Pantelas | Giorgos | Brandon Wheat Kings | Victoria, B.C. | 6’2” | 196 | D |
| Rudolph | Daxon | Prince Albert Raiders | Lacombe, Alta. | 6’2” | 196 | D |
| Verhoeff | Keaton | Victoria Royals | Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. | 6’4” | 207 | D |
| Preston | Mathis | Spokane Chiefs | Penticton, B.C. | 5’11” | 167 | F |
| Ruck | Liam | Medicine Hat Tigers | Osoyoos, B.C. | 6’0” | 172 | F |
| Ruck | Markus | Medicine Hat Tigers | Osoyoos, B.C. | 5’11” | 165 | F |
| Williams | Cooper | Saskatoon Blades | Calgary, Alta. | 6’0” | 155 | F |
DuPont, who hails from Calgary, Alta., led all WHL rookies in scoring during the 2024-25 campaign, registering 60 points (17G-43A) in 64 games.
The 17-year-old Rudolph, who hails from Lacombe, Alta., helped the Prince Albert Raiders claim the East Division title in 2024-25, recording 41 points (7G-34A) in 64 games to lead all Raiders rookies.
The reining WHL Champion Medicine Hat Tigers will be represented by a pair of players as twin brothers Liam and Markus Ruck will bring their championship experience to Canada’s roster.
Liam led all WHL rookies in goals during the 2024-25 season, representing the only rookie to reach the 25-goal plateau during the campaign. In 61 outings, he collected 41 points (25G-16A).
Markus enjoyed a quality season of his own, recording 29 points (8G-21A) in 62 games.
The Spokane Chiefs will see two members of the Club’s 2025 Western Conference Championship team represent Canada, including forward Mathis Preston and goaltender Carter Esler.
Preston, who hails from Penticton, B.C., enjoyed an impressive campaign, notching 45 points (23G-22A) in 54 regular season games, while Esler served capably in a backup role, going 10-6-1-0 in 18 regular season appearances between the pipes.
Canada’s blueline will be buoyed by six WHL defencemen. Joining Rudolph and DuPont are Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars), Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants), Giorgos Pantelas (Brandon Wheat Kings), and Keaton Verhoeff (Victoria Royals).
The 17-year-old Carels was a force on the Cougars backend, tallying 35 points (6G-29A) in 60 games.
Only two WHL rookie defencemen surpassed the 50-point plateau in 2024-25 – DuPont and Lin. For Lin, the 17-year-old product of Richmond, B.C., tallied 53 points (5G-48A) in 60 games.
The 17-year-old Pantelas was a steady presence on the backend in Brandon, securing 10 points (4G-6A) in 61 games, along with a plus-11 rating.
Saskatoon Blades forward Cooper Williams, 17, led all WHL rookie forwards in scoring with 57 points (21G-36A) in 68 games, joins Canada’s forward corps.
Victoria Royals defenceman Keaton Verhoeff, 17, rounds out the WHL representation on the roster, having scored 45 points (21G-24A) in 63 games this past season.
Four WHL players won gold with Canada at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, including Carels, Lin, Rudolph, and Verhoeff.
Seven WHL players won gold with Canada White at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, including Lin, Pantelas, Preston, the Ruck brothers, Rudolph, and Verhoeff.
Three WHL players earned silver with Canada Red at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, including Carels, DuPont, and Esler.
The roster was selected by Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), General Manager of the Program of Excellence, with support from Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, Que.), the U18 lead with the POE Management Group, Head Scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, Alta.), Benoit Roy (Sudbury, Ont.), Director of Hockey Operations, and Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), Senior Vice-President of High Performance and Hockey Operations.
“We are excited to unveil the 25 players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as we believe this is an elite group that brings international experience and a determination to continue our success at the tournament,” Millar said. “Our selection camp was highly competitive and provided an opportunity for our players to showcase themselves against the top talent in the country, and we believe we have assembled a roster that will compete for gold and wear the Maple Leaf with pride in Czechia and Slovakia.”
Canada will open the preliminary round of the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Finland on August 11 at 9:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. MT. Canada will also take on Switzerland and Czechia on August 12 and 13, respectively, before the tournament concludes with the medal games on August 16.
Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will play pre-tournament games in Budapest against Hungary’s national under-20 team on August 7 and Piestany against Slovakia on August 9.
August 1, 2025
NR.052.25
NATIONAL MEN’S SUMMER UNDER-18 TEAM ROSTER NAMED FOR 2025 HLINKA GRETZKY CUP
25 players to wear Maple Leaf to defend gold in Brno and Trencin
OAKVILLE, Ontario – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 25 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team as it looks to capture a fourth-straight gold medal at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, set for Aug. 11-16 in Brno, Czechia and Trencin, Slovakia.
Three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 14 forwards were selected by Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), general manager of the Program of Excellence, with support from Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL), the U18 lead with the POE management group, head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, and Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations.
“We are excited to unveil the 25 players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as we believe this is an elite group that brings international experience and a determination to continue our success at the tournament,” said Millar. “Our selection camp was highly competitive and provided an opportunity for our players to showcase themselves against the top talent in the country, and we believe we have assembled a roster that will compete for gold and wear the Maple Leaf with pride in Czechia and Slovakia.”
Among the 25 players are six who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship (Carels, Di Iorio, Edwards, Lin, Rudolph, Verhoeff) and 21 who suited up at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, including 14 who won gold with Canada White (Betts, Belchetz, Croskery, Edwards, Lawrence, Lemieux, Lin, Pantelas, Preston, Liam Ruck, Markus Ruck, Rudolph, Valentini, Verhoeff). The roster also includes four players who will make their international debut (Rousseau, Schaubel, Williams, Zhilkin).
Canada will open the preliminary round of the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Finland on Aug. 11 at 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT. It will also take on Switzerland and Czechia on Aug. 12 and Aug. 13, respectively, before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 16. Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will play pre-tournament games in Budapest against Hungary’s national under-20 team on Aug. 7 and in Piestany against Slovakia on Aug. 9.
TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast select tournament games, including all Team Canada games; please check local listings for more details.
Canada has won 25 gold medals in 32 years of summer under-18 competition, along with three silver medals and one bronze.
