A member of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has received a special honour going into the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Forward Brayden Yager will serve as Team Canada’s captain for the annual tournament, which starts on Boxing Day in Ottawa, Ontario.
READ MORE: Lethbridge Hurricanes represented at World Juniors
Tanner Molendyk of the Saskatoon Blades will serve as an alternate captain, along with Calum Ritchie of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals.
“I am honoured to be named captain of Team Canada for the World Juniors on a team with so many great leaders, and I am excited for our group to take the ice in Ottawa and continue working towards our goal of winning a gold medal on home ice,” Yager stated in a news release. “Tanner and Calum are great players and teammates that are deserving of this honour, and I look forward to serving on the leadership group with them and wearing the maple leaf with pride in front of Canadian fans.”
Yager, who previously played for the Moose Jaw Warriors and was acquired by Lethbridge earlier this month, is one of four returnees from last year’s Team Canada roster.
READ MORE: Hurricanes acquire Yager, Unger from Warriors
During the 2023-24 season, the 19-year-old from Saskatoon helped lead the Warriors to their first WHL title. So far this season, he has scored 12 goals and dished out 22 assists in 23 games split between Moose Jaw and Lethbridge.
The Winnipeg Jets prospect has earned a WHL award every year in his career thus far, first taking home the 2021-22 WHL Rookie of the Year, then the WHL’s Sportsmanlike Player of the Year in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Additionally, Yager is the reigning CHL Sportsman Player of the Year, and won the CHL Rookie of the Year award in 2021-22.
TANNER MOLENDYK
Saskatoon Blades defenceman Tanner Molendyk was chosen for Team Canada’s World Juniors roster last year but had to miss the 2024 tournament due to a wrist injury. For the 2023-24 season, the 19-year-old from McBride, British Columbia scored a career high in goals with 10, dished out a career high 46 assists and secured a career high in points with 56 and plus/minus rating of plus-40 across 50 games. Molendyk was selected in the first round (24th overall) by the Nashville Predators in the 2023 NHL Draft.
CALUM RITCHIE
Calum Ritchie of the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals will represent Canada at the World Juniors for the first time in his career. The forward has eight goals and 34 points in 18 games this season. During the 2023-24 campaign, the Oakville, Ontario player helped lead the Generals to an OHL Eastern Conference title. He produced a team-high 80 points with 28 goals and 52 assists in 50 games. In 21 playoff games, he led the team in points with 30 (eight goals, 22 assists).
Ritchie was voted the Eastern Conference’s best playmaker in last year’s OHL Coaches Poll and was a first-round selection (27th overall) by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2023 NHL Draft. Additionally, the 19-year-old brings international experience to the team.
He won gold playing alongside both Yager and Molendyk at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and won a bronze medal playing for Canada at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship.
The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship is set for Thursday, December 26 to Sunday, January 5. On Boxing Day, Canada will face Finland.
The Canadians will take on Switzerland on Thursday, December 19, Sweden on Saturday, December 21 and Czechia on Monday, December 23 in pre-tournament games.
The full tournament schedule is available at the Hockey Canada website.
