Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Brayden Yager has been selected for Canada’s roster in the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship tournament.
Hockey Canada, the governing body of the sport in that country, announced its 22-player roster Wednesday evening.
Yager, 18, was the Penguins’ first-round pick (No. 14 overall) in this year’s draft. After participating in the Penguins’ training camp this past fall, Yager was returned to his junior team, the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL). This season, Yager has played in 28 WHL games and has scored 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists).
Thus far, Yager is the only Penguins prospect who is formally scheduled to participate in the tournament.
Defensemen Emil Pieniniemi (third round, No. 91 overall) and Kalle Kanges (seventh round, No. 223 overall), also members of the Penguins’ 2023 draft class, are currently in Finland’s selection camp and are considered strong candidates to be selected for that team’s final roster.
The tournament is scheduled to be staged Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
