Seven players to watch for Team Canada at U18s

Team Canada will be looking to defend its gold medal as the puck is set to drop at the IIHF U18 men’s world championship in Kaufbeuren and Landshut, Germany, this weekend.

Watch Canada kick off the U18s against Team USA on Saturday, April 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT on TSN3/4 and streaming on TSN.ca, the TSN App and TSN Direct.

While Team Canada will be led by two of the top prospects for the 2023 NHL Draft in Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli, the tournament is also an opportunity for the 2022 draft-eligible players to impress the scouts before the draft in July.

Here are seven Canadian players to watch for.

F Connor Bedard – Regina Pats

Bedard is the only player returning from the Canadian squad that won gold at last year’s tournament.

As a 15-year-old, he had seven goals and 14 points, tying him with teammate Shane Wright for second in tournament scoring, trailing only Russia’s Matvei Michkov (16).

The only player to receive exceptional status in the Western Hockey League and one of eight across the Canadian Hockey League, his star has only risen since he last played at the U18s.

The North Vancouver, B.C., product was the first 16-year-old to make the Canadian World Junior squad for the 2022 edition in December and netted four goals and five points in two games before the tournament was cancelled.

In the WHL with the Regina Pats, he was fourth in league scoring this season with 51 goals and 100 points in 62 games.

“He’s a brilliant player,” said TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button. “What I absolutely love about him is the way that he processes in real time at lightning speed. He’s able to size up the situation and know how to take advantage of it, just like that. He’s next generation computer chip when it comes