Sunday was the first day of the World Junior Summer Showcase to help determine the rosters for the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, to be held in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 promising players invited to Hockey Canada’s World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis.

The start of the World Junior Summer Showcase was exactly as expected, full of speed and energy as USA White came out on top over Finland.