MAGNITOGORSK, Russia – Team Canada sought out experience as it named the leadership group for this year’s under-18 world championship.

Ty Smith (Lloydminster, Alta./Spokane, WHL) will wear the ‘C’ at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, Russia, April 19-29, with Ty Dellandrea (Port Perry, Ont./Flint, OHL) supporting as alternate captain. Two of the newest additions to the roster – Jared McIsaac (Truro, N.S./Halifax, QMJHL) and Joe Veleno (Kirkland, Que./Drummondville, QMJHL) – will rotate as alternate captains to round out the leadership group.

Smith, Dellandrea, and McIsaac were all part of the team that represented Canada at the 2017 IIHF U18 World Championship, and were also part of the red-and-white contingent, captained by Veleno, that won the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup (now Hlinka Gretzky Cup).

“It’s important to be able to allow the players that have been here to bring their motivation from last year’s quarter-final loss to help build up this year’s team focus on improving on that result,” said head coach Don Hay of the selection. “To have all four members of our leadership group know what it takes to win in short-term competition, as they did last summer at the Hlinka Memorial Cup, helps the young guys who are getting one of their first tastes of international competition in a way that’s real and meaningful to these players.

“We have a tremendous group of players this year, and we’re looking forward to watching them on and off the ice as they work to make Canadians from across the country proud to cheer them on.”

A group of Canada’s best available talent gathered in Etobicoke, Ont., in early April before travelling to Chelyabinsk, Russia, for a pre-competition camp that included two games – a 5-0 win over Slovakia, and a 3-2 win over Finland. Shortly after arriving in Magnitogorsk in advance of the tournament-opener, the Canadians announced the addition of six players – including Veleno and McIsaac – to the roster.

Canada won its first two games against the United States and Belarus, and will also play Switzerland and Sweden in preliminary-round action. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, are broadcasting 15 and 10 games respectively, including all of Team Canada’s match-ups at the IIHF U18 World Championship.

Canada has won seven medals at the IIHF U18 World Championship, including three gold medals (2003, 2008, 2013).

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