TORONTO, ON – A dozen past and present Ontario Hockey League (OHL) players have been invited to represent Canada at the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, running July 26 to Aug. 1 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ont.
The seven-day camp marks the first step on the road to the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, being held Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, AB.
Eleven OHL players will take part in on-ice sessions, scrimmages and a trio of exhibition games against Sweden, Finland and the United States: goaltender Jack Ivankovic (formerly of the Brampton Steelheads); defenceman Cameron Reid (Kitchener Rangers); and forwards Ethan Czata (Guelph Storm), Caleb Malhotra (Brantford Bulldogs), Tyler Hopkins (Guelph Storm), Dimian Zhilkin (Saginaw Spirit), Jimmy Lombardi (Flint Firebirds), Ryan Roobroeck (Guelph Storm), Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires), Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds) and Jack Nesbitt (Windsor Spitfires).
Brantford Bulldogs forward Jake O’Brien was also invited to attend but is unable to participate.
The player selection process was led by Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), general manager of the National Junior Team, alongside Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), Program of Excellence (POE) head scout, and Dave Brown (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON/Erie Otters), assistant general manager of the National Junior Team. Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), Hockey Canada’s senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, also provided input.
Other OHL representatives included on this year’s National Junior Team hockey operations staff include assistant coach Drew Bannister (Soo Greyhounds) while former London Knights and Ottawa 67’s assistant coach Misha Donskov serves as this year’s National Junior Team head coach.
The National Junior Team will practice July 27 and 28 before facing Sweden on July 29, Finland on July 30 and the United States on Aug. 1. All games will be livestreamed at HNLive.ca (subscription required).
Tickets for the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase are on sale now starting at $18 plus applicable fees, with full event and team-specific packages available at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.
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