Seven Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) alumni have been selected to represent Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Championships.
The tournament will take place in Prague and Ostrava in Czechia from May 10-26, 2024.
Canada will compete in Pool A and play Great Britain, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, and Czechia, in the Round Robin. The quarter-finals will begin May 24.
Among the 22 players named to Team Canada, 7 are CSSHL alumni:
- Bowen Byram – Yale Hockey Academy
- Connor Bedard – North Shore Warriors
- Dylan Cozens – Delta Hockey Academy/Yale Hockey Academy
- Dylan Guenther – Northern Alberta Xtreme
- Kaiden Guhle – OHA Edmonton
- Joel Hofer – Pursuit of Excellence (RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna)
- Olen Zellweger – OHA Edmonton
All seven players, who are graduates of the Western Hockey League (WHL), spent the season in the NHL and have previously represented Team Canada on the international stage.
St. Louis Blues netmidner Hofer played for Team Canada at the 2023 World Championships, helping Canada capture a gold medal.
Byram and Cozens, who currently play for the Buffalo Sabres, won gold alongside Hofer with Team Canada at the 2020 World Juniors.
Guhle, who plays for the Montreal Canadiens, played with Byram and Cozens at the 2021 World Juniors when the team won a silver medal.
Chicago Blackhawks forward Bedard, who is up for the NHL Rookie of the Year Award (Calder Memorial Trophy) won gold with Anaheim Ducks defenseman Zellweger at the 2022 World Juniors. They would repeat the feat in 2023 when Arizona Coyotes forward Guenther scored the game winning goal in overtime.