42 Players invited to Canadas U18 Selection Camp

The roster includes four goaltenders, 14 defencemen and 24 forwards.

GOALTENDERS:

Julio Billia Chicoutimi Sagueneens)

Payton Lee (Vancouver Giants)

Mason McDonald (Acadie-Bathurst Titan)

Brent Moran (Niagara IceDogs)

DEFENCEMEN:

Alexandre Carrier (Gatineau Olympiques) Eligible 2015

Aaron Ekblad (Barrie Colts)

Haydn Fleury (Red Deer Rebels)

Joe Hicketts (Victoria Royals)

Olivier LeBlanc (Saint John Sea Dogs)

Brycen Martin (Swift Current Broncos)

Dysin Mayo (Edmonton Oil Kings)

Roland McKeown (Kingston Frontenacs)

Jacob Middleton (Ottawa 67's)

Carl Neill (Sherbrooke Phoenix)

Nelson Nogier (Saskatoon Blades)

Alex Peters (Plymouth Whalers)

Ryan Pilon (Lethbridge Hurricanes) Eligible 2015

Jordan Thomson (Kamloops Blazers)

FORWARDS:

Nick Aube-Kubel (Val-d'Or Foreurs)

Daniel Audette (Sherbrooke Phoenix)

Sam Bennett (Kingston Frontenacs)

Clark Bishop (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)

Conner Bleackley (Red Deer Rebels)

Damian Bourne (Mississauga Steelheads)

Rourke Chartier (Kelowna Rockets)

Eric Cornel (Peterborough Petes)

Michael DalColle (Oshawa Generals)

Robby Fabbri (Guelph Storm)

Ryan Gropp (Penticton/BCHL) Eligible 2015

Jayce Hawryluk (Brandon Wheat Kings)

Brendan Lemieux (Barrie Colts) BORN USA

Jaden Lindo (Owen Sound Attack)

Tanner MacMaster (Camrose/AJHL)

Jared McCann (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)

Julien Nantel (Laval-Montreal/LHMAA)

Brendan Perlini (Niagara IceDogs)

Alexis Pepin (Charlottetown Islanders)

Brayden Point (Moose Jaw Warriors)

Reid Duke (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

Collin Shirley (Kootenay Ice)

Jake Virtanen (Calgary Hitmen)

Spencer Watson (Kingston Frontenacs)

The players, born in 1996, were selected by Ryan Jankowski, head scout for the men's Program of Excellence, in consultation with head coach Dale Hunter (Petrolia, Ont./London, OHL), assistant coaches Dominique Ducharme (Joliette, Que./Halifax, QMJHL) and D.J. Smith (Windsor, Ont./Oshawa, OHL), and the Program of Excellence management group, including Mark Hunter (Petrolia, Ont./London, OHL).

"These players are the cream of the crop of under-18 talent in Canada, and it's going to be exciting to see them battle for 22 roster spots," Jankowski said. "As it is every year, there were some tough decisions to get down to 42, and they will be even tougher decisions to finalize the roster."

The camp roster includes 15 players from the Ontario Hockey League, 15 from the Western Hockey League and nine from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In total, 39 players (four goaltenders, 13 defencemen and 22 forwards) competed at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and two players (Sam Bennett and Roland McKeown) helped Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team win a gold medal as underagers at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Sochi, Russia.

Of the 42 players who have been invited to the selection camp, 22 will be selected for Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team, which will play in the 2013 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, scheduled for Aug. 5-10 in Piestany, Slovakia and Breclav, Czech Republic, a tournament Canada has won five years in a row.