Friends, we’re about a month away from camp rosters being announced for the 2026 edition of the World Junior Championships, the annual clash of the top national under-20 teams from around the world. The tournament itself begins on Boxing Day.

Based on what we’ve seen, heard and what we think we know, here’s a rundown of which Calgary Flames prospects may (or may not) be at the World Juniors.

To play in the 2026 edition of the World Juniors, a player has to be born in 2006 or later. Because of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus have been barred from IIHF tournaments. That means Matvei Gridin and Yan Matveiko aren’t be eligible to participate in the tournament.

This one is pretty simple from our perspective: if Parekh is healthy, he’ll likely be part of Team Canada. He’s played extensively for Canada at the under-17 and under-18 levels, played in pre-tournament games last spring at the World Championships, and briefly participated in the Summer Showcase in July before a nagging injury flared up.

Parekh playing in the World Juniors would give Canada a huge offensive weapon, and allow Parekh to gain some swagger after a tough start to his season. Hopefully it happens, as Parekh ages out of World Junior eligibility after this year.

Reschny’s off to a pretty good start to his collegiate career and his status as a first-line centre for a good college program will definitely help his cause. Like Parekh, Reschny has played a ton for Canada at the under-17 and under-18 levels, so there’s familiarity (and probably some trust) there. He was part of the Summer Showcase.

Canada’s forward depth may hurt Reschny’s chances a little bit, as is Reschny’s 2007 birthday – he’s one of the younger contenders for a spot.

Battaglia is off to a good but not great offensive start for the Frontenacs. He also has never suited up for Canada at a major event, and he’s probably a bit of a long shot because of Canada’s ample forward depth unfortunately. This is his final year of eligibility.

Lane has no major international experience and another year of eligibility left. He’s probably not on the radar for Hockey Canada.

Laing has no major international experience and is in his last year of eligibility. He’s probably not on the radar for Hockey Canada.

Mews probably was a strong contender for a spot, given his strong start with the University of Michigan and his prior Hockey Canada experience, including the Summer Showcase. But he’s out for the remainder of the season with an injury, which will wipe out his final year of World Junior eligibility, too.

Potter has represented USA Hockey a ton lately, including under-17s, under-18s and the Summer Showcase. He’s off to a solid but not amazing start to his sophomore season with Arizona State, and there may be other players that are a bit hotter right now. It depends on what USA Hockey wants to do with some of their forward slots. Potter’s definitely shown the flashes of talent while wearing USA colours, so we’ll see. He’s definitely in the mix, at the very least. He’s also eligible next year.

Wyttenbach is quietly one of the better stories in American college hockey, posting a better than point-per-game production level as a “true freshman” – he turns 19 in February. That said, he has zero USA Hockey experience at major international events, so he would need to supplant someone who USA Hockey knows better than him. He’s a long shot. He’s also eligible next year.

Phillips is big, reliable and has USA Hockey experience from the under-17s and under-18s. But so far, he hasn’t put up the type of offensive numbers in the USHL that would get him on their radar. He’s also eligible next year.

Stockselius has had a really interesting rise the past couple of years, working his way onto Sweden’s under-18 team, their entry at the World Junior A Challenge, and appearing for them at an under-20 5 Nations event in August. He was cut by a skate in October and missed the November 5 Nations event as a result. He was really good in August, but he may lack the under-20 body of work to get a World Junior spot. He’s also eligible next year.

Leander has no major international experience and is likely not on Sweden’s radar. He’s also eligible next year.

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