Almost a month after first convening in Red Deer, and following an impromptu two-week quarantine after positive tests were found at camp, Hockey Canada has selected its 25-man roster for the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship.
Six returnees from last winter’s gold medal-winning squad will headline the team, including forwards Quinton Byfield, Dylan Cozens, Connor McMichael and Dawson Mercer, as well as defencemen Bowen Byram and Jamie Drysdale.
Kirby Dach, on loan from the Chicago Blackhawks, leads a team made up entirely of NHL draft selections, with the exception of undrafted overage netminder Taylor Gauthier. Of the 24 NHL prospects named to the team, 19 were selected in the first round.