Gard and Rudolph named to Team Canada at U18 World Championship

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“The opportunity to represent your country and defend a gold medal is not something that happens often,” said General Manager Scott Walker. “These young men have worked hard all season and earned this opportunity to play on the international stage here in Texas. As a staff, we’re excited about the talent, work ethic and character of this group and we are excited to get things going. This tournament is an important step in athlete preparation for the World Juniors, the premier event of the Program of Excellence.”

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Gard just wrapped up his sophomore season in the WHL recording a career-high 36 points in 66 games.

The Winnipeg, Man. product took a big step up this year in Red Deer, which earned him a final draft ranking of 37th overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Gard will most likely hear his named called at the upcoming 2025 NHL Entry Draft this summer.

Meanwhile, Rudolph, who plays for the Prince Albert Raiders, completed his rookie campaign in northern Saskatchewan.

The former first-overall selection in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft left his imprint on the franchise recording 41 points in 64 games as a defenceman.

Rudolph was also a nominee for the WHL’s Rookie of the Year, which was awarded to Everett Silvertips defenceman Landon Dupont.

Canada will open the tournament Thursday when they face off against Slovakia at 3 p.m. Mountain Time. The red and white will also play Latvia, Finland and Norway in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 3.