Calgary, Alta. – Nine Western Hockey League players have been named to the roster for Canada’s Summer Under-18 Team for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Hockey Canada announced Friday.
The WHL will be represented by five forwards, three defencemen, and one goaltender on the Canadian roster at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which is scheduled for Monday, August 3, through Saturday, August 8, in Edmonton, Alta.
Canada’s 22-player roster features nine players from the WHL, eight players from the Ontario Hockey League, and five players from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team – WHL Players
| Last Name | First Name | WHL Club | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Oaten | Leif | Lethbridge Hurricanes | Calgary, Alta. | 6’3” | 185 | G |
| Tait | Boston | Wenatchee Wild | Estevan, Sask. | 6’1” | 198 | D |
| DuPont | Landon | Everett Silvertips | Calgary, Alta. | 5’11” | 192 | D |
| Cripps | Brock | Prince Albert Raiders | Victoria, B.C. | 5’11” | 166 | D |
| England | Brock | Seattle Thunderbirds | Red Deer, Alta. | 5’11” | 175 | F |
| Schultz | Maddox | Regina Pats | Regina, Sask. | 5’10” | 183 | F |
| Harvey | Ben | Prince Albert Raiders | Edmonton, Alta. | 5’11” | 187 | F |
| Stroeder | Kayden | Edmonton Oil Kings | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’0” | 165 | F |
| Pue | Liam | Regina Pats | Langley, B.C. | 6’1” | 188 | F |
Canada’s roster was selected by Program of Excellence (POE) general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), alongside POE head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, Alta.) and U18 assistant general manager Yanick Lemay (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL; Drummondville, Que.), with input from Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, Ont.), director of hockey operations.
“After a competitive training camp and pre-tournament game against Sweden, we are excited to announce the 22 players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup on home ice in Edmonton,” Millar said. “This is a highly skilled group of young players that is motivated to accomplish our goal of winning a gold medal, and we know our players are excited to wear the Maple Leaf and play in front of Canadian fans.”
DuPont is the lone returner to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team – in 2025, he helped his country claim bronze at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Also representing Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team are assistant coaches Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL; Prince Albert, Sask.) and Kyle Chipchura (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL; Westlock, Alta.), goaltending coach Jeff Harvey (Saskatoon Blades / WHL; St. Albert, Alta.) and athletic therapist Taylor Cochrane (Kamloops Blazers / WHL; Elk Point, Alta.).
Canada opens the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Monday, August 3 at 5 p.m. MT. Canada then faces Slovakia on Tuesday, August 4 and Sweden on Wednesday, August 5 to close out preliminary action before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Saturday, August 8.
Canada has one pre-tournament game remaining Saturday, August 1, at 5 p.m. MT, when they play Czechia at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Leif Oaten, Lethbridge Hurricanes
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Oaten made his WHL debut during the 2025-26 campaign, dressing in 31 games for the Hurricanes. Selected in the third round (58th overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, the Calgary product went 6-19-2-0 and recorded one shutout in his first season with the Hurricanes.
Oaten’s first career WHL shutout came February 27, 2026, on home ice, when he made 21 saves to backstop the Hurricanes to a 6-0 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. He made a career high 41 saves on December 28, 2025, as the Hurricanes dropped a 5-2 road decision to the Edmonton Oil Kings. On six occasions last season, Oaten faced 40+ shots while turning in performances of 35+ saves in six outings.
Boston Tait, Wenatchee Wild
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Tait made his WHL debut during the 2024-25 season, appearing in six games for the Wild. He joined Wenatchee on a full-time basis in 2025-26, dressing in 62 games and logging 23 points (5G-18A). Over 68 career WHL regular season games, the product of Estevan, Sask., has collected 25 points (5G-20A). Tait was selected by the Wild in the first round (12th overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft.
Tait recorded his first career WHL goal December 7, 2025, in a 3-2 road win over the Calgary Hitmen. He was named Sandman WHL Rookie of the Week for the week of December 1-8, 2025.
Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips
The 5-foot-11, 192-pound DuPont is the first defenceman to be granted Exceptional Player status in WHL history. He earned the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL Rookie of the Year in 2024-25 after securing 60 points (17G-43A) in 64 games. He was also named CHL Rookie of the Year for his outstanding performance as a 15-year-old. During the 2025-26 season, he posted 73 points (18G-55A) in 63 games and was named to the WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team. He played a key role in helping the Everett Silvertips claim the franchise’s first WHL Championship in 2026.
Selected by the Silvertips with the first-overall pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, DuPont tallied 133 points (35G-98A) over 127 career WHL regular season appearances from 2024-25 through 2025-26. He added another 38 points (10G-28A) in 28 career WHL Playoff games.
Though the Silvertips fell in the Memorial Cup finale to the Kitchener Rangers, DuPont was named to the tournament all-star team.
Brock Cripps, Prince Albert Raiders
The 5-foot-11, 166-pound Cripps enjoyed an outstanding 2025-26 season with the Prince Albert Raiders, registering 37 points (6G-31A) in 62 games. Selected by the Raiders in the first round (second overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, Cripps made his WHL debut during the 2024-25 season, appearing in four contests.
In 2025-26, the product of Victoria, B.C., was named a finalist for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL Rookie of the Year. On three occasions this past season, Cripps was named Sandman WHL Rookie of the Week.
He helped the Raiders claim the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship, advancing to the 2026 WHL Championship Series. Cripps posted an impressive 21 points (4G-17A) in 20 post-season appearances to boost the Raiders.
Brock England, Seattle Thunderbirds
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound England made his WHL debut during the 2024-25 season, recording three points (2G-1A) in three games with the Thunderbirds. The 2025-26 season saw the product of Red Deer, Alta., collect 51 points (21G-30A) in 64 outings. His 21 goals ranked first among all 16-year-old rookies in the WHL.
Selected by the Thunderbirds in the first round (11th overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, England registered 17 multi-point performances during the 2025-26 season. He was named Sandman WHL Rookie of the Week for the week of November 10-18, 2025. In 67 career WHL regular season games, he has secured 54 points (23G-31A).
Maddox Schultz, Regina Pats
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound Schultz is one of only two 2010-born players on Canada’s roster, joining Pats teammate Liam Pue. Schultz appeared in 34 regular season games with the Pats under the Western Canadian Development Model, and tallied 29 points (15G-14A) during the 2025-26 season.
Selected by the Pats with the first-overall pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, Schultz’s coming out party was arguably February 11, 2026, when he secured his first career WHL hat trick in a thrilling 7-6 overtime win at Saskatoon. In total, Schultz notched seven multi-point performances during the 2025-26 season. He also dressed in two playoff games for the Pats, notching one assist.
Ben Harvey, Prince Albert Raiders
The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Harvey posted 27 points (14G-13A) in 45 games for the Raiders last season, after making his WHL debut with the Club during the 2024-25 campaign. Hailing from Edmonton, Alta., Harvey also helped the Raiders advance to the 2026 WHL Championship Series by adding another six points (4G-2A) in 19 post-season appearances.
Selected by the Raiders in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, Harvey was named Sandman WHL Rookie of the Week for the week of March 9-15. That week, he enjoyed a career-best six-point performance (3G-3A) in a resounding 11-0 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors on March 13.
Kayden Stroeder, Edmonton Oil Kings
The 6-foot, 165-pound Stroeder recorded 32 points (13G-19A) in 55 games during the 2025-26 season with Edmonton. Selected by the Oil Kings in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, Stroeder debuted during the 2024-25 campaign, appearing in 16 games and securing eight points (5G-3A). Over 71 career WHL regular season outings, the native of Saskatoon, Sask., has 40 points (18G-22A).
Stroeder made his WHL debut December 14, 2024, securing one assist in a 7-3 home win over the Swift Current Broncos. He followed up with his first career WHL goal and a multi-point performance (2G-1A) in a 5-1 road win at Red Deer on December 27, 2024. On March 18, 2026, Stroeder collected his first career WHL hat trick in a 5-1 home win over the Calgary Hitmen.
Liam Pue, Regina Pats
The 6-foot-1, 188-pound Pue is the one of only two 2010-born players on Canada’s roster, joining Pats teammate Maddox Schultz. Pue appeared in 34 regular season games with the Pats under the Western Canadian Development Model, and secured 16 points (6G-10A) during the 2025-26 season.
Selected by the Pats in the first round (third overall) of the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, the product of Langley, B.C., scored one goal in two playoff games for Regina this past spring. He scored his first career WHL goal in his first career WHL game on September 19, 2025, at Swift Current. His first career multi-point performance (1G-1A) came December 5, 2025, on home ice against the Brandon Wheat Kings.
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
