NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont. – Hockey Canada has confirmed Josh Mahura will be re-joining Canada’s National Junior Team for its 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship pre-tournament schedule.

Mahura (St. Albert, Alta./Regina, WHL), is expected to rejoin the team on Sunday and will continue preparations while the team monitors defenseman Dante Fabbro’s lower-body injury. Fabbro (Coquitlam, B.C./Boston University, HE) is receiving treatment and may be eligible to return for the IIHF World Junior Championship.

“We are thankful to Josh for agreeing to return to the team for the pre-tournament phase in our preparations,” said  Joël Bouchard, Program of Excellence management group. “We also want to thank the Regina Pats, the Western Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League for their support through this process.”

Canada will play a pair of pre-tournament games this week, starting Dec. 20 when it faces the Czech Republic in London, Ont. It will follow that game with a match-up against Switzerland on Dec. 22 in Hamilton, Ont., before finalizing its National Junior Team roster on Dec. 24.

The puck officially drops on Boxing Day when Canada takes on Finland at 4 p.m. ET. TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, will once again provide wall-to-wall game coverage and analysis throughout the tournament, including the two pre-tournament games on TSN; check local listings for details.

For more information on Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and #WorldJuniors.