REGINA, SK – Hockey Canada has announced the roster for Team Canada West ahead of the 2025 Junior A World Challenge in Quebec, Dec. 7-13.
Six Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League players received the call. They will join Melfort Mustangs’ head coach Trevor Blevins, who is also Canada West’s head coach, Flin Flon equipment manager Jason Savill, Humboldt Broncos assistant coach Carter Hansen, and Emma Galloway, the Nipawin Hawks’ athletic therapist, at the event.
Defenders Jaxon Herchak (Kindersley Klippers), Thomas Ries (Yorkton Terriers), and Tao Flory (Melfort Mustangs), forwards Rylan Hue (Humboldt Broncos), and Wyatt Stinton (Flin Flon Bombers), and goaltender Taye Timmerman (Warman Wolverines) will don the red and white in Trois-Rivieres when Can West opens their tournament Dec. 7 vs. Sweden.
FIND THE FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE HERE.
Herchak, 18, is the one SJHL returnee from last year’s bronze-medal winning Canada West squad. A native of Waldheim, Herchak is committed to Colorado College of NCAA Division I. He played in five games at last year’s tournament, earning a +2 rating. The defenceman has nine points through 12 games for the Klippers so far this season.
Ries, 19, hails from Humboldt, SK, and has posted six goals and 19 points in 20 games for the Yorkton Terriers so far this campaign. Between 86 regular and post-season SJHL contests, the tough two-way defender has 54 points, all for Yorkton. His 24:47/game ice-time average ranks sixth among all SJHL skaters.
Flory, 18, of Saskatoon, SK, has played in each of the last two Junior A National Championships and was part of both of the Melfort Mustangs’ consecutive Canterra Seeds Cups. He was Melfort’s first-round pick in the 2023 SJHL draft.
Hue, 18, has seven points in 18 games so far this year for his Humboldt Broncos. A native of Saskatoon, SK, he was selected in the first round of the 2023 SJHL Draft by the Broncos.
Stinton, 18, has already played in 64 games for his hometown Flin Flon Bombers. Through 17 contests on the year so far, he has 17 goals, which is already a career high, up five from last year’s season-long total. He is a gritty, two-way, physical centreman.
Timmerman, 18, is one of two goaltenders selected for Canada West and hails from Winnipeg, MB. He has appeared in 11 games for the Warman Wolverines thus far this year, and was the Manitoba Junior Hockey League Playoff Most Valuable Player a season ago with the league champion and Centennial Cup participant NorMan Blizzard.
FIND CANADA WEST’S FULL ROSTER HERE.
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Find Hockey Canada’s release here:
CANADIAN ROSTERS NAMED FOR 2025 JUNIOR A WORLD CHALLENGE
Forty-four players to represent Canada East and Canada West in Trois-Rivières, Québec
CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 44 players from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada East and Canada West at the 2025 Junior A World Challenge, set for Dec. 7-13 in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.
The 22 players representing Canada East were selected from the CJHL’s five eastern leagues – the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec (LHJAAAQ) and Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL).
The 22 players representing Canada West come from the CJHL’s four western leagues – the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).
“We are thrilled to unveil 44 of the top Junior A players from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League that will represent Canada at the Junior A Challenge in Trois-Rivières,” said Kurt Keats (Winnipeg, MB), manager of hockey operations with Hockey Canada. “We believe we have assembled two strong teams, and we know all 44 players, as well as the coaching and support staffs of both teams, are excited to wear the Maple Leaf next month in Québec.”
Hockey Canada has also announced the support staff that will work with Canada East and Canada West at the event – equipment manager Stéphane Gauthier (Lasalle, QC/Longueuil, LHJAAAQ) and athletic therapists Kamille Thivierge (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC/Valleyfield, LHJAAAQ) and Jenn Vaicunas (Newmarket, ON/Aurora, OJHL) have been named to the Canada East staff, while equipment manager Jason Savill (Leduc, AB/Flin Flon, MJHL) and athletic therapists Logan Blackmore (Calgary, AB/Calgary, AJHL) and Emma Galloway (Trenton, ON/Nipawin, SJHL) will work with Canada West.
“We’d like to extend our congratulations to the players selected to represent Canada East and Canada West at next month’s Junior A World Challenge,” said CJHL president Andy Harkness. “They are to be commended for earning the opportunity to compete on the ice for their country at the international level, and at such a prestigious event.”
The 2025 Junior A World Challenge gets underway at Colisée Vidéotron on Dec. 7 when Canada East opens the tournament against the United States at 3 p.m. ET, followed by 2024 bronze medallist Canada West taking on Sweden at 7 p.m. ET. The tournament concludes with the medal games on Dec. 13.
Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada East and Canada West will face-off in pre-tournament action on Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. ET at Colisée Vidéotron. Canada East will also take on Sweden on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. ET at Colisée Jean-Béliveau in Longueuil, Québec, while Canada West will play the United States on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. ET at Aréna de Montmagny in Montmagny, Québec.
Fans looking to secure their seats can purchase a variety of ticket options at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets, including a full-event ticket packages for as low as $145 or individual-game tickets starting at $20 per game.
All tournament games will be available via livestream on HNLive.ca, while the gold medal game will also be available on TSN+.
Of the 17 gold medal games at the Junior A World Challenge, 13 have featured at least one Canadian team. Canada East will look to earn its first gold medal, having won silver eight times (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023) and bronze once (2008), while Canada West has won gold six times (2006, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2023), silver three times (2008, 2009, 2012) and bronze three times (2013, 2018, 2024).
For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2025 Junior A World Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
