The training camp for Canada’s men’s team for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup next week got underway in Edmonton on Monday. “We are all really looking forward to this day to get everybody on the ice and get things going. And I got to say, I’m impressed first and foremost with the attention to detail that the players have (and) the willingness to do what they are asked,” said head coach Ryan Oulahen in an interview with CTV News Edmonton. Oulahen said his coaching staff are as focused on building team chemistry off the ice as they are on developing skill on the ice. Twenty-seven players are participating in the cup. The maximum roster size is 25. “There are going to be some tough decisions still to be had here,” said Oulahen. “We’re going to get some practices, we’re going to get some games. We’re going to let that process take care of itself.” Oulahen has coached the Ontario Hockey League’s North Bay Battalion for seven years and led Team Canada to gold in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton. “It’s tough to compare, but this team for sure has high expectations,” he said. The annual international under-18 tournament by Hockey Canada, the Czech Ice Hockey Association and the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation begins Aug. 3 in Rogers Place, home of the Edmonton Oilers. Canada and Switzerland will open the tournament. The medal games will take place on Aug. 8. The shortlisted roster consists of three goaltenders, nine defencemen and 15 forwards. The Alberta candidates are: With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sean McClune
