COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and head coach Brent Sutter announced Thursday that Scott Laughton (Oakville, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) has been named captain of Canada’s National Junior Team for the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship. Jonathan Drouin (Huberdeau, Que./Halifax, QMJHL) and Mathew Dumba (Calgary, Alta./Minnesota, NHL) will serve as alternate captains.

The 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship will mark the third time that Laughton represents Canada on the international stage. He won gold with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2011 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and bronze with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Brno, Czech Republic . Laughton also serves as an alternate captain with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals.

Drouin is one of three returning players from the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. He also won a gold medal with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2012 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament. 

Dumba has twice captained Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, at the 2011 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, winning gold, and at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Brno, Czech Republic, winning bronze and leading the team in scoring. 

Canada still has 25 players (two goaltenders, eight defencemen, 15 forwards) at camp, and must bring that number down to 22 players for the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Canada plays its first pre-competition game on Dec. 20 vs. Finland, and will also face Sweden on Dec. 22, and Switzerland on Dec. 23. All three games will be shown live on TSN, the official broadcaster of Hockey Canada. Check local listings for broadcast time in your area. 

The 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship gets underway on Dec. 26, with Canada facing Germany at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT. All of Canada’s games will be carried live on both TSN and RDS. Check local listings for times and details in your broadcast area.

NOTE TO MEDIA: André Brin will be with the team at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship in Malmö, Sweden. All interview requests can be directed to [email protected]. Requests will be accommodated when possible, within the team’s schedule and the time difference. 

For more information on Hockey Canada, the Program of Excellence and Canada’s National Junior Team, go to www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hc_men.