Team Canada goalie Mark Visentin makes a pad save while playing against Team Switzerland during second period IIHF World Junior Championship hockey action in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sunday, January 2, 2011.Nathan Denette
Hockey Canada has named a 41-player selection camp roster for the world junior hockey championships.
Twenty-two of those will be chosen to play for Canada at the 2012 world junior tournament, which starts Boxing Day in Edmonton and Calgary.
Of the 41 invited, Niagara IceDogs goaltender Mark Visentin, Moose Jaw Warriors forward Quinton Howden and Jaden Schwartz of Colorado College return from the 2011 junior team that settled for silver in Buffalo, N.Y. Schwartz sat out part of that tournament with an ankle injury.
Hockey Canada head scout Kevin Prendergast chose this year's selection camp roster. He and head coach Don Hay and assistants George Burnett, Scott Walker and Ryan Huska will evaluate the talent Dec. 10-14 in Calgary.
"We're going to take the players we feel can play roles and help us achieve our goal which is winning a gold medal," Hay said.
"We might have to ask a player who plays a lot of minutes for their team to play a little different role. If he's a skilled player and he's willing to do that, it'll help him fit in and make us a stronger team."
There are eight age-eligible players — born in 1992 or later — still in the NHL. They can be added to the roster prior to the start of camp if they are made available.
Hockey Canada confirmed Monday that Edmonton Oilers centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Boston Bruins forward Tyler Seguin and Carolina Hurricanes centre Jeff Skinner will not be released to the junior team.
Seguin and Skinner are already in their second seasons in the NHL and weren't considered to be in the mix this year.
The other five currently in the NHL are centres Ryan Johansen (Columbus) and Sean Couturier (Philadelphia), wingers Brett Connelly (Tampa Bay) and Devante Smith-Pelly (Anaheim) as well as defenceman Erik Gudbranson (Florida).
"The other five eligible players that are there, we've been in contact and had conversations with all those teams and will continue to have conversations with them leading up to the start of camp," said Brad Bascall, Hockey Canada's vice-president of hockey operations for national teams.
The selection camp will be held in the new Olympic-sized arena at Calgary's Canada Olympic Park. Those invited will participate in a pair of intra-squad games and an exhibition game versus university all-stars.
Goaltenders:
Tyler Bunz (Medicine Hat Tigers)
Louis Domingue (Quebec Remparts)
Mark Visentin (Niagara IceDogs)
Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth Whalers)
Defencemen:
Nathan Beaulieu (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Cody Ceci (Ottawa 67's)
Mathew Dumba (Red Deer Rebels)
Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (Rimouski Oceanic)
Brandon Gormley (Moncton Wildcats)
Dougie Hamilton (Niagara IceDogs)
Scott Harrington (London Knights)
Brenden Kichton (Spokane Chiefs)
Joseph Morrow (Portland Winterhawks)
Ryan Murphy (Kitchener Rangers)
Ryan Murray (Everett Silvertips)
Jamie Oleksiak (Saginaw Spirit)
Alex Petrovic (Red Deer Rebels)
Mark Pysyk (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Forwards:
Michael Bournival (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Brett Bulmer (Kelowna Rockets)
Phillip Danault (Victoriaville Tigres)
Michael Ferland (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Brendan Gallagher (Vancouver Giants)
Freddie Hamilton (Niagara IceDogs)
Quinton Howden (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Jonathan Huberdeau (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Boone Jenner (Oshawa Generals)
Mark McNeill (Prince Albert Raiders)
Tanner Pearson (Barrie Colts)
Zack Phillips (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Max Reinhart (Kootenay Ice)
Ty Rattie (Portland Winterhawks)
Brad Ross (Portland Winterhawks)
Mark Scheifele (Barrie Colts)
Ryan Spooner (Kingston Frontenacs)
Mark Stone (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Ryan Strome (Niagara IceDogs)
Christian Thomas (Oshawa Generals)
Tyler Toffoli (Ottawa 67's)