Cory Stillman (Guelph Storm / OHL) has been named Team Canada’s head coach and will work alongside associate coach Travis Crickard (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL) & assistant coach Mathieu Turcotte (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL) at the tournament
With less than two weeks until the puck drops at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is pleased to announce the first 18 CHL players (see complete list below) who have been invited to attend Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team pre-tournament camp, set for April 12-15 in Oakville, Ontario.
Three goaltenders, six defencemen, and nine forwards from the CHL were selected by the team’s General Manager Scott Walker (Guelph Storm / OHL) and head scout Byron Bonora, with support from Kyle Turris, Benoit Roy, and goaltending consultant Dan DePalma (Kamloops Blazers / WHL). Among the 18 players chosen, there are 11 players from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), five players from the Western Hockey League (WHL), and two from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
Within the U18 camp roster, there are a total of eight players eligible for this summer’s 2025 NHL Draft, including five (Ivankovic, Beauchesne, Smith, Cootes, Martin) who helped Team CHL defeat the U.S. National Under-18 Team last November at the inaugural 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada.
In terms of international experience, there is one player who won a gold medal at the 2024 U18 Men’s Worlds (Ivankovic) and six who have won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Beauchesne, Cootes, Czata, Ivankovic, Martin, Smith). The roster also includes 17 players who have represented Canada at the U17 World Challenge (Beauchesne, Carels, Chartrand, Cootes, Czata, Di Iorio, Edwards, Ellsworth, Ivankovic, Katzin, Lin, Martin, Mbuyi, Roobroeck, Smith, Villeneuve, Wassilyn) and six who played for Canada at the 2023 Youth Olympic Winter Games (Chartrand, Di Iorio, Edwards, Ellsworth, Lin, Wassilyn).
“We are excited to unveil the 18 players who will attend camp in Oakville ahead of U18 Men’s Worlds, as we believe this is a talented group that brings important international experience and success on the international stage,” Walker said. “We believe we have a great staff in place to help our players be successful, and while we continue to follow the Canadian Hockey League playoffs, we are excited to begin our journey to defend gold in Texas later this month.”
Roster additions will be announced in the coming weeks following the conclusion of the second round of the playoffs across the CHL, while the final roster for the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship will be announced before the start of the tournament.
On top of the announcement of the camp roster, two-time Stanley Cup champion Cory Stillman (Guelph Storm / OHL) has been named the team’s head coach, and will work alongside associate coach Travis Crickard (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL), assistant coach Mathieu Turcotte (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL), and goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops Blazers / WHL).
Stillman recently finished his first season as head coach of the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after spending four seasons (2020-24) as an assistant coach with the Arizona Coyotes. He was also the head coach of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves for three seasons (2017-20), was the director of player development with the Carolina Hurricanes (2012-13), and was a player development coach with the Florida Panthers (2011-12). As a player, he played in 1,025 NHL games, winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2004) and Carolina (2006), and represented Canada at the 1999 IIHF World Championship.
Crickard recently completed his third season as head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, following one season as an assistant. This past November, he won a silver medal as head coach of Canada Red at the 2024 U17 World Challenge. Crickard has previously won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship and as a video coach at the same tournament in 2021. Crickard was an assistant coach for Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, finishing fourth, and was a video coach (2016) and an assistant coach (2017) with Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, winning a silver medal in 2016. Crickard won a Memorial Cup as an assistant coach with the Sea Dogs in 2022. He also previously worked as an assistant coach with the Ottawa 67s of the OHL and the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. In 2015, he won the Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Rockets, who were Memorial Cup finalists that same year.
Turcotte just wrapped up his second season as head coach of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Prior to joining the Armada, he served as head coach of the Blizzard du Séminaire Saint-François of the Ligue de hockey M18 AAA du Québec, winning gold at the 2023 Men’s U18 National Club Championship. He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs (2019-22), six seasons with the LHM18AAAQ’s Chevaliers de Lévis as assistant coach (2008-10) and GM/Head Coach (2015-19), and stints as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs (2010-12) and Chicoutimi Saguenéens (2012-14). Internationally, Turcotte won a gold medal as head coach of Canada White at the 2024 U17 World Challenge.
In addition to Walker and the coaching staff, there are several support staff from across the CHL that will work with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, including:
- Video coach Matthew Smith (Acadie-Bathurst Titan / QMJHL)
- Athletic therapists Andy Brown (Owen Sound Attack / OHL) and Terence Robertson (Red Deer Rebels / WHL)
- Team physician Dr. Nolan Rau (Kelowna Rockets / WHL)
- Strength and conditioning coach Sean Young (Ottawa 67’s / OHL)
Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team will gather at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville before travelling to Texas. It will take on Germany on April 19 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT and Sweden on April 21 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT in pre-tournament action at the Children’s Health StarCenter in Farmers Branch, Texas.
The 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship kicks off on April 23, with Canada taking on Slovakia, Latvia, Finland, and Norway in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 3. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 16 tournament games, including all Team Canada preliminary-round games, as well as the quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal games.
For more information on the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, please visit the official tournament website at IIHF.com.
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
18 CHL PLAYERS NAMED TO CANADA’S NATIONAL MEN’S U18 TEAM TRAINING CAMP
Goaltenders (3)
Colin Ellsworth (Guelph Storm / OHL)
Burke Hood (Vancouver Giants / WHL)
Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads / OHL)
Defencemen (6)
Quinn Beauchesne (Guelph Storm / OHL)
Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars / WHL)
Cameron Chartrand (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL)
Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants / WHL)
Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans / WHL)
Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL)
Forwards (9)
Braeden Cootes (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)
Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)
Alessandro Di Iorio (Sarnia Sting / OHL)
Beckham Edwards (Sarnia Sting / OHL)
Lev Katzin (Guelph Storm / OHL)
Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)
Pierce Mbuyi (Owen Sound Attack / OHL)
Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)
Braidy Wassilyn (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)
Michael Misa (Saginaw Spirit / OHL) was invited but is unable to participate
