On Monday, Hockey Canada officially named the roster for its World Junior Championship training camp. As I mentioned in our Monday bullets, Marek Vanacker is not on the list. Vanacker, like his then-Brantford teammate Nick Lardis one year ago, is left off despite leading the OHL in scoring.
The Blackhawks do not have a single prospect on Canada’s roster. Providence sophomore John Mustard and Boston University sophomore Sacha Boisvert were also reportedly on Canada’s radar.
Here’s Canada’s preliminary roster:
What the Analysts are Saying
Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman at The Athletic listed Vanacker and Blues prospect Justin Carbonneau as the two most notable names not on Canada’s list. Here’s what they wrote about Vanacker:
Blackhawks first-rounder Marek Vanacker isn’t a late birthday, but this was also his last crack at it. He has scored five more goals than the next-closest player in the OHL this year and plays a power-speed game. Perhaps he could have been a valuable bottom-sixer for this team. We wonder if it came down to him and Red Wings prospect Carter Bear for a similar left-shot role. Bear got off to a slow start in his return from an Achilles injury this season with Everett, but has come on strong enough that Hockey Canada likely felt he was just a better fit for the role it was trying to fill there.
Breaking down Team Canada's training camp roster for the World Juniors with @coreypronman at @TheAthleticNHL. Notes and thoughts on the roster, the omissions, the NHLers, 2026's Carson Carels, a depth chart, and more t.co/0i8g43RC2z
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) December 8, 2025Chris Peters at FloHockey shared his instant analysis of Canada’s roster announcement. He wrote this about Vanacker being left off the list:
Another player that I thought we’d see at least in camp was OHL leading goal scorer Marek Vanacker. The Chicago Blackhawks prospect has been a scoring machine for Brantford, which is one of the biggest wagons in junior hockey in years. A number of his teammates got spots, but not him. I don’t think Canada is going to struggle to score goals, but there isn’t a hotter hand in junior hockey right now than Vanacker.
Instant analysis of Canada's roster including thoughts on the makeup, the NHL Draft angle and some notable omissions. #WorldJuniors t.co/9MDxigfGbh
— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) December 8, 2025Steven Ellis at Daily Faceoff wrote his initial thoughts on Canada’s roster. He listed four significant omissions from the roster, and two of them were Blackhawks prospects. Here’s what he wrote about Canada opting to leave both Vanacker and Mustard off their camp roster:
John Mustard‘s (Chicago Blackhawks) hot first half in the NCAA helped get him on Hockey Canada’s radar, but he ultimately ran out of time. He had never represented Canada internationally in the past, and if you believe in all the political talk, the fact he has spent his entire junior career in the United States likely didn’t help his case. His recent cold streak – one point in his last six games – was poorly timed, too
The exclusion of Marek Vanacker (Chicago Blackhawks) means the top scorer in the OHL has not been invited two years in a row. Vanacker has been downright lethal with the Brantford Bulldogs. Some scouts have expressed concerns about his game away from the puck, though, and with a handful of skilled shooters, some wondered if he was redundant on this group. I would have taken him, personally.
Breaking down Canada's #WorldJuniors training camp roster: t.co/XgEHho40pP
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) December 8, 2025Hence then, the article about experts discuss blackhawks prospect marek vanacker getting left off canada s wjc roster was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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