CALGARY, ALBERTA – The Canadian Hockey Association and the Canadian Hockey League have named Canada’s World Championship Under-18 roster of 22 players for the 2003 IIHF World Under 18 Hockey Championship, taking place this spring from April 12-22, 2003 in Yaroslavl, Russia.

Canada's 2003 World Championship Under-18 Team is comprised of players under 18 years old (born in 1985) whose teams are not competing in either the CHL, Junior A or collegiate playoffs.

Mike Kelly, from Shamrock, PEI, is the team’s head coach. Kelly will be joined behind the bench by assistant coaches Brad McCrimmon (Dodsland, SK) and Pascal Vincent (Laval, QC/Cape Breton, QMJHL).

The 2003 IIHF World Under-18 Championship roster includes ten members (Belle, Bernier, Bissonnette, Coburn, Dixon, Green, Pouliot, Seabrook, Stewart, Tardif) of the 2002 National Under-18 Summer Team which captured the Eight Nations Cup in Slovakia in August 2002. Four other players (Beauchemin, Chapman, Colliton, Getzlaf) named to Team Canada also attended the August 2002 Summer Under-18 Camp in Calgary, AB.

All twenty-two players played in the CHL in 2002-2003, with eight players coming from the WHL and OHL, six players from the QMJHL. The players will be joining the staff in Toronto on prior to departing for Russia and World Championship on April 6th.

Team Schedule while in Toronto, ON – April 5-6, 2003 All times ET

Saturday, April 5th 9-10am Practice Air Canada Centre (Toronto, ON)

Sunday, April 6th 10-11:15am Practice Beatrice Ice Gardens (York Univ.)

7:25 pm AC 846 Toronto to Munich (Germany)

Canada’s National Under-18 Program consists of two separate teams, assembled twice a year. The National Under-18 Summer Program, which captured a gold medal at the 2002 Eight Nations Cup in August, 2002, and Canada’s Under-18 World Championship Team which Kelly will coach in Russia.

CANADA’S 2003 WORLD UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER