The Saskatoon Blades will be minus their head coach and a regular left winger before the end of the month.
Hockey Canada announced the 44 players that will wear the Maple Leaf on two different teams for the upcoming World Under-17 Challenge in Oakville, Ontario, beginning November 1.
One of those players is Bridge City Bunch left winger Kain Martiniuk (pictured).
He’ll be on Team Canada White along with Regina star centre Maddox Schultz.
But, Martiniuk won’t be on Team Canada Red whose head coach will be Blue and Gold bench boss Dan Da Silva.
He’ll have forwards Athens Shingoose of Prince Albert and Liam Pue of the Pats to call on.
Following are news releases from the Blades, the W-H-L and Hockey Canada…..
Martinuik named to Team Canada White for 2026 U17 Hockey Challenge
CALGARY, AB – Kain Martinuik is entering the international hockey scene.
The Saskatoon Blades rookie forward has been named to Team Canada White for the upcoming U17 World Hockey Challange at the beginning of November. The Peachland, BC product is one of 44 players who will wear the Maple Leaf from November 1 to November 7 in Oakville, ON.
The 6-foot-2 power-forward will also be joined by Blades Head Coach Dan DaSilva as Team Canada Red’s head coach.
Martinuik, who was drafted 15th overall by the Blades in the 2025 Western Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft, is in the early stages of his rookie campaign. The left-handed shot has one goal in seven games, scoring his first career goal on October 9 at home in a 7-4 win against the Moose Jaw Warriors.
SEVENTEEN WHL PLAYERS NAMED TO CANADA’S ROSTERS FOR 2026 U17 WORLD CHALLENGE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2026
Calgary, Alta. – Seventeen Western Hockey League players will represent Hockey Canada at the 2026 U17 World Challenge. Hockey Canada announced the 44 players named to the rosters for Canada Red and Canada White on Wednesday morning.
The 2026 U17 World Challenge is scheduled for November 1-7 at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ont.
Regina Pats forwards Liam Pue and Maddox Schultz return to represent Canada for the second consecutive year after helping Canada White to a silver medal at the 2025 U17 World Challenge. Both Pue and Schultz also represented Canada at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, helping the National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team claim gold in Edmonton. The 2026 U17 World Challenge will see Pue and Schultz split, with Pue representing Canada Red and Schultz skating for Canada White.
The Pats will send three players to the 2026 U17 World Challenge, with forward Logan Henry set to join Schultz on Canada White.
The Vancouver Giants will be represented by two players at the 2026 U17 World Challenge, with defenceman Crosby Mateychuk and forward Louis-Oscar Holowaychuk skating for Canada White.
A total of 14 WHL Clubs will be represented on Canada’s rosters at the 2026 U17 World Challenge.
All 44 players named to Canada Red and White have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League (CHL) teams, including 17 from the WHL, 18 from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and nine from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
CANADA RED – 2026 U17 WORLD CHALLENGE – WHL Players
| Last Name | First Name | WHL Club | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Ferreira | Mateo | Kamloops Blazers | Winnipeg, Man. | 5-10 | 161 | D |
| Liffiton | Thor | Penticton Vees | Calgary, Alta. | 6-3 | 172 | D |
| Nicol | Reid | Everett Silvertips | Brandon, Man. | 6-1 | 194 | F |
| Oliverio | Ben | Tri-City Americans | Calgary, Alta. | 5-9 | 165 | F |
| Pue | Liam | Regina Pats | Langley, B.C. | 6-0 | 188 | F |
| Shingoose | Athens | Prince Albert Raiders | Waywayseecappo, Man. | 5-8 | 152 | F |
CANADA WHITE – 2026 U17 WORLD CHALLENGE – WHL Players
| Last Name | First Name | WHL Club | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Mingo | Dylan | Moose Jaw Warriors | Peachland, B.C. | 6-4 | 205 | G |
| Wouters | Holden | Edmonton Oil Kings | Vancouver, B.C. | 6-4 | 194 | D |
| Jim | Cruz | Brandon Wheat Kings | Grande Prairie, Alta. | 5-9 | 161 | D |
| Mateychuk | Crosby | Vancouver Giants | Dominion City, Man. | 6-0 | 207 | D |
| Turchak | Chace | Red Deer Rebels | Calgary, Alta. | 5-11 | 161 | F |
| Henry | Logan | Regina Pats | Prince George, B.C. | 5-10 | 187 | F |
| Martinuik | Kain | Saskatoon Blades | Peachland, B.C. | 5-11 | 157 | F |
| Schultz | Maddox | Regina Pats | Regina, Sask. | 5-10 | 183 | F |
| Daneault | Madden | Kelowna Rockets | Red Deer, Alta. | 5-11 | 179 | F |
| Brown | Riley | Wenatchee Wild | Milestone, Sask. | 6-4 | 190 | F |
| Holowaychuk | Louis-Oscar | Vancouver Giants | Vancouver, B.C. | 5-9 | 141 | F |
The rosters were selected by head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, Alta.), Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), and U17 assistant general manager Mike Johnston (Dartmouth, N.S. / Portland Winterhawks, WHL), with input from Benoit Roy (Sudbury, Ont.), director of hockey operations, and Canada Red and Canada White directors of hockey operations Dave Drinkill (Elmvale, Ont. / Saginaw Spirit, OHL) and Dylan Seca (Sundridge, Ont. / Sarnia Sting, OHL).
Hockey Canada’s regional scouts – Pierre Cholette (Quebec), Scott Grieve (Ontario), Jared Power (West), Rob Simpson (Ontario), and Darren Sutherland (Atlantic) – and Member representatives assisted with the selection process.
“We are excited to unveil the 44 athletes who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the U17 World Challenge in Oakville, as this is an important step in their development and progression through the Program of Excellence,” Millar said. “Many of these players will wear the Maple Leaf for the first time and be introduced to international competition, and we know all 44 are excited to play for Canada and attempt to win a fourth-consecutive gold medal.”
The 2026 U17 World Challenge begins November 1, with Canada White facing Czechia and Canada Red taking on Finland. Teams will play two preliminary-round games before the second- and third-place teams in Group A and B cross over for the quarter-finals on November 5. The first-place teams in each group will advance to the semifinals on November 6, and the tournament will conclude with medal games November 7.
The event also features pre-tournament games at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex on October 30.
TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partner of Hockey Canada, will provide coverage of the medal games; check local listings for details. All other games will be available on a pay-per-view basis through HNLive.ca, Hockey Canada’s official livestreaming partner.
The U17 World Challenge is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence. The last four gold medal games have featured at least one Canadian team, with Canada White winning gold in 2023 and 2024, and Canada Red claiming gold for the first time in 2025.
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CANADIAN ROSTERS NAMED FOR 2026 U17 WORLD CHALLENGE
44 players to wear Maple Leaf with Canada Red and Canada White in Oakville
OAKVILLE, Ontario – Hockey Canada has announced the 44 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada Red and Canada White at the 2026 U17 World Challenge, set for Nov. 1-7 at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville.
The rosters were selected by head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON) and U17 assistant general manager Mike Johnston (Dartmouth, NS/Portland, WHL), with input from Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, and Canada Red and Canada White directors of hockey operations Dave Drinkill (Elmvale, ON/Saginaw, OHL) and Dylan Seca (Sundridge, ON/Sarnia, OHL). Hockey Canada’s regional scouts—Pierre Cholette (Québec), Scott Grieve (Ontario), Jared Power (West), Rob Simpson (Ontario) and Darren Sutherland (Atlantic)—and Member representatives assisted with the selection process.
All 44 players have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League teams, including 18 from the Ontario Hockey League, 17 from the Western Hockey League and nine from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Two players (Schultz, Pue) won a gold medal with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and a silver medal with Canada White at the 2025 U17 World Challenge.
“We are excited to unveil the 44 athletes who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the U17 World Challenge in Oakville, as this is an important step in their development and progression through the Program of Excellence,” Millar said. “Many of these players will wear the Maple Leaf for the first time and be introduced to international competition, and we know all 44 are excited to play for Canada and attempt to win a fourth-consecutive gold medal.”
The 2026 U17 World Challenge kicks off Nov. 1 with Canada White taking on Czechia and Canada Red matching up against Finland. Teams will play two preliminary-round games before the second- and third-place teams in Group A and B cross over for the quarterfinals on Nov. 5. The first-place teams in each group will advance to the semifinals on Nov. 6, and the tournament will conclude with medal games on Nov. 7. The event also features pre-tournament games at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex on Oct. 30.
TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will provide coverage of the medal games; check local listings for details. All other games will be available on a pay-per-view basis through HNLive.ca, Hockey Canada’s official livestreaming partner.
Fans looking to secure their seat can purchase a variety of ticket options online at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets. A full-event ticket package that includes one ticket to all 13 tournament games can be purchased for $200, including fees, while individual tickets for pre-tournament and tournament games are available for as low as $25.
The 2026 U17 World Challenge represents a partnership between Hockey Canada, the Ontario Hockey Federation and the Canadian Hockey League, as well as the Town of Oakville and the Oakville Rangers Hockey Club. Oakville will host the event for the first time after previously hosting the 2024 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, as well as Canada’s national under-17 development camp, National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp and National Junior Team selection camp.
The U17 World Challenge is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence. The last four gold medal games have featured at least one Canadian team, with Canada White winning gold in 2023 and 2024, and Canada Red claiming gold for the first time in 2025. The tournament has consistently featured future NHL draft picks, including former first-overall picks Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Alexis Lafrenière, Owen Power, Macklin Celebrini, and Matthew Schaefer, among many others.
