Canada’s bid for a three-peat at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s under-18 male world championship will hinge in part on the contributions of Regina Pats forward Zach Lansard and Humboldt product Beckett Hamilton.
The pair of right-shot forwards were publicly named to this year’s team in a Hockey Canada announcement Monday morning.
Lansard recently finished his second Western Hockey League season with 24 goals and 32 assists for 56 points in 68 games, good for third in team scoring.
Hamilton has also wrapped his second full year of major junior, leading the Red Deer Rebels this season with 62 points in 67 games.
"He’s a really good kid, comes from a hockey family, so he knows a lot about the game within the game," Rebels head coach Marc Habscheid told Red Deer broadcaster Troy Gillard in a pre-game interview earlier this season. "He’s a smart player, skilled guy. We’ve asked a lot of him this year. He’s a marquee guy who we count on for points, and on top of that was part of the leadership group from the start."
The pair were selected to the U18 squad by Canada general manager Al Millar, who’s previously held the same title with both the Pats and Moose Jaw Warriors.
They’re also highly regarded by the NHL’s Central Scouting bureau, with Lansard ranked 72nd among North American skaters and Hamilton 75th in the service’s mid-season update that was released in January.
Adding to the Saskatchewan flavour on this year’s U18 team, Hockey Canada announced last week that Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary and Lethbridge Hurricanes head coach Matt Anholt – who grew up playing minor hockey in Prince Albert – would serve as assistant coaches for the club.
Canada beat Sweden for gold at last year’s tournament in Texas, a year after beating the United States in the 2024 championship game in Finland.
Ten teams will compete for this year’s title beginning April 22 in Bratislava, Slovakia and concluding with the gold medal game May 2 in Trencin, Slovakia.
