Lafreniere leads Canada’s finalized 2020 World Junior Championship roster

canadas-alexis-lafreniere

Team Canada's Alexis Lafreniere checks Team Switzerland's Dario Wuthrich during third period action in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, December 19, 2018. Canada won 5-3. (Chad Hipolito/CP)

Team Canada announced its final 23-player roster on Saturday, five days ahead of its opening game in the 2020 World Junior Championship tournament.

The roster features 18 NHL draftees — including 10 first-round selections — as well as five players eligible for the 2020 NHL draft. There are also five returnees from last year’s team, which lost in overtime in the quarterfinals to Finland.

Highlighting the group is forward Alexis Lafreniere, who leads the QMJHL with 70 points in 32 games, and goalie Nico Daws, who leads the OHL with a .939 save percentage and 2.06 GAA in 20 games.

Canada’s roster sat at 24 players entering its pre-tournament game against Switzerland on Thursday (a 3-0 win for Canada). Benoit-Olivier Groulx, a forward with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, was the final cut.

Canada plays its final pre-tournament game on Monday against Finland before opening pool play on Boxing Day against the United States.

Here’s Team Canada’s 2020 world juniors roster:

FORWARDS

Liam Foudy
Joe Veleno
Raphael Lavoie
Alexis Lafreniere
Akil Thomas
Connor McMichael
Ty Dellandrea
Quinton Byfield
Dawson Mercer
Dylan Cozens
Aidan Dudas
Barrett Hayton
Nolan Foote

DEFENCEMEN

Kevin Bahl
Calen Addison
Bowen Byram
Jacob Bernard-Docker
Jamie Drysdale
Jared McIsaac
Ty Smith

GOALIES

Nico Daws
Joel Hofer
Olivier Rodrigue

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