Canada will lean on young stars McKenna, Schaefer at World Juniors
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Team Canada finalized its roster for the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa on Friday.
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Gavin McKenna is set to become the eighth youngest player to suit up for Team Canada at the World Juniors.
"This is kind of the biggest accomplishment for me yet," said the Medicine Hat Tigers forward, who will celebrate his 17th birthday next week. "It's obviously going to be one I remember for the rest of my life, and to be notched in the history there, it's pretty cool."
Only Jay Bouwmeester, Sidney Crosby, Connor Bedard, Jason Spezza, Eric Lindros, Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid debuted at a younger age.
Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Schaefer, who turned 17 in September, is poised to become the 16th youngest player to debut for Canada at the under-20 event.
"It's an honour," he said. "Growing up, it's always your dream. You always watch the World Juniors at Christmas and, yeah, it's such a surreal feeling."
McKenna, who isn't eligible to be picked until the 2026 NHL draft, and Schaefer, who is a contender to be picked first overall in 2025, aren't just on the team. They both project to play significant roles.
"They're just special players," said Hockey Canada management group lead Peter Anholt. "Special players make special plays and we like those two guys a lot. They're going to be good for us."
"Everybody says it's a 19-year-old tournament," said Team Canada head coach Dave Cameron. "But it's not strictly a 19-year-old tournament. There's young guys. We don't check birth certificates or anything like that when we play them."
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McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, is the second player from the Yukon territory to make it to the World Juniors. He drew inspiration from watching Dylan Cozens win gold as part of the 2020 team.
"I'm really tight with that family, best friends with his younger brother, so to see what he did and make his mark, that was amazing," McKenna said. "He influences us all and especially me. It pushes me to do what he did."
McKenna already has an impressive track record on the international scene. He led Canada to a gold medal at the under-18 World Championship in the spring by piling up 20 points in seven games, which was a new Canadian record. And he has high expectations for what he can deliver at the World Juniors.
"I want to bring lots of offence," he said. "I want to be the hardest worker out there."
McKenna is leading the Canadian Hockey League in scoring this season with 60 points in 30 games. He's never been intimidated by facing older competition.
"There's a lot of things that make Gav special," said Lethbridge Hurricanes centre Brayden Yager, who is one of four returning players on Team Canada this year. "The biggest thing that I notice right away, playing him in the Dub, is just how hard he is to check. He's not the biggest guy [6-foot, 165 pounds], but it's so hard to close on him. His tight turns, he's so quick to get out of it, and his creative mind is something else. He's a great skater and makes plays that most guys don't see."
Despite his youth, it already feels like he's been in the spotlight for a while. Pressure doesn't seem to be an issue for McKenna.
"I've learned to deal with it a lot over these last few years and just kind of embrace it, honestly," he said. "I think when you're on the ice it's pretty easy to just shut all that stuff out and focus on the game. I play hockey every single day. It's the sport that I love and grew up playing so you're just focused on that. Outside of the rink, do your best to stay off social media for sure. I always have my parents and lots of people to lean on if I'm every going through something. I've got all the support I need."
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Schaefer is dedicating his World Junior performance to his mother, Jennifer, who he lost to cancer in February, and Erie Otters owner Jim Waters, who died suddenly on Friday.
"My mom passed away and she's always wanted me to do that," the Stoney Creek, Ont. native said. "Obviously it's for my mom. And I just found out the news that the owner from my team passed away so it's obviously going to be for him. He's going to be a big part of this tournament. I got to see him the other day and he's always been there for me, and wanted nothing but the best for me. So, this tournament's going to be for my mom and him."
Schaefer recalled his last conversation with Waters on the eve of Canada's selection camp.
"He said, 'It's going to be tough losing you,' because he wants me to play on the team," Schaefer recalled. "We were laughing."
Schaefer credits his mom for helping stoke his passion for the sport.
"She would always put on the pads and go in the net with me and my brother. She'd be in the net and we'd go 1v1. As a family, we'd always want to watch the World Juniors together and that was a big thing. She loved hockey."
Dealing with tragedy off the ice – Schaefer's billet mom in Erie, Emily Matson, passed away during his rookie season in the Ontario Hockey League in what was ruled a suicide – has changed his perspective.
"I feel like I look at life a lot different," he said. "I'm just happy to be here each and every day. A lot of people worry about all these little things, but I'm just happy to be here playing the sport I love with a lot of great guys."
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Schaefer is a top contender to go first overall in the next NHL draft. So is Brampton Steelheads winger Porter Martone, who also made Team Canada.
"I texted my parents right away," the 18-year-old said. "My dad sent a text back and it was funny because he was actually on our outdoor pond and shovelling it off with my sister. I have lots of memories back there ... It's pretty surreal to think about how much time I was skating back there with my dad and just thinking about playing on Team Canada one day, and now the day has finally come."
Martone wore the 'C' for Canada at the under-18 World Championship in the spring. He racked up 17 points in seven games to finish just behind McKenna on the team scoring list.
Like McKenna with Cozens, Martone is inspired by a hometown hero. Barrett Hayton, who is also from Peterborough, Ont., captained Canada to a gold medal in 2020. Hayton scored the game-tying goal in the third period of the championship game against Russia despite playing through a shoulder injury.
"I get to train with him in the summer," Martone noted. "I get to bounce things off him. He went through a lot of adversity there and came out and brought that team together."
Martone is second in OHL scoring with 54 points in 26 games.
"He plays in the fabric of every game he's in," Anholt observed. "He's a Corey Perry, Ryan Smyth kind of a player. He plays in the blue paint. He's hard to play against. He can play up and down the lineup."
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Rimouski Oceanic centre Mathieu Cataford sustained a knee injury during a game against Chicoutimi right before Hockey Canada's selection camp.
"I don't even know how it happened," the 19-year-old from Saint-Constant, Que. said. "It was just a weird movement. It was stressful for a couple days, but I'm just glad to have at least played a game here."
Cataford sat out Wednesday's controlled scrimmage and Thursday's game against U Sports players before getting into Friday's final game against U Sports.
"I just had to get used to it a little bit, the first few shifts, not having played a game all week," he said before the final cuts were announced. "But once I got used to it, I felt completely fine. I really liked the way I played. I think I played my identity and the way Hockey Canada wanted me to play."
Cataford said the U Sports game reminded him a bit of the American Hockey League level. The Vegas prospect got into four games with the Henderson Silver Knights at the end of last season.
In the end, Cataford didn't have anything to worry about. On Friday afternoon, his spot on Team Canada was confirmed.
"He can play in all positions up and down the lineup," said Anholt. "His flexibility and versatility is important for us, and he's so good on faceoffs."
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Canada's roster for the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa:
FORWARDS
Cole Beaudoin
Mathieu Cataford
Berkly Catton
Easton Cowan
Ethan Gauthier
Tanner Howe
Jett Luchanko
Porter Martone
Gavin McKenna
Bradly Nadeau
Luca Pinelli
Carson Rehkopf
Calum Ritchie
Brayden Yager
DEFENCE
Beau Akey
Oliver Bonk
Sam Dickinson
Andrew Gibson
Tanner Molendyk
Sawyer Mynio
Caden Price
Matthew Schaefer
GOALIES
Carson Bjarnason
Carter George
Jack Ivankovic
FINAL CUTS
FORWARDS
Denver Barkey
Andrew Cristall
Riley Heidt
Beckett Sennecke
Mathew Wood
DEFENCE
Cam Allen
Zayne Parekh
GOALIE
Scott Ratzlaff