Andrew Cristall and Cam Allen have taken the next step in their journeys to wear a Team Canada sweater at the 2025 World Junior Championship roster. The two Washington Capitals prospects were named to Canada’s World Junior camp roster on Monday morning.
The selection camp, set for December 10-13 at TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario, will include a pair of games against a team of “U SPORTS” all-stars. Canada called 32 players into the camp and must reduce their roster to 25 before the tournament begins.
The host team’s first game comes against Finland on December 26. Canada aims to rebound from a fifth-place finish at last year’s tournament.
Canada's World Junior camp roster. pic.twitter.com/0iZcq4Rs4Y
— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) December 2, 2024
Cristall, a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, will join the roster after being snubbed from last year’s World Juniors team. He has been the hottest player in the CHL this season, posting 47 points (18g, 29a) in 18 games for the Kelowna Rockets. His 2.61 point-per-game rate is tops in the WHL and the CHL overall.
The 19-year-old winger was incredibly close to making the Washington Capitals out of this year’s Training Camp ahead of his second post-draft season. Cristall tied for the Capitals’ preseason lead in scoring with three points (2g, 1a) in four games.
“Yeah, I think [making the World Juniors team is] obviously a really big goal,” Cristall told RMNB’s Ian Oland in May. “I want to make that team and put myself in that conversation for sure.”
Cristall has starred for Canada at an international tournament before, tallying six points (1g, 5a) for Team Canada at the 2022 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. He also tied for fourth in scoring on Canada’s squad at the 2022 U18 World Championship.
Capitals prospects Andrew Cristall and Cam Allen have been invited to @HockeyCanada's National Junior Team selection camp. https://t.co/9rdoXAmv8H
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) December 2, 2024
Allen, a fifth-round selection by the Capitals in the 2023 draft, is playing his first full season after undergoing shoulder surgery at the start of last year. The 19-year-old blueliner has 22 points (6g, 16a) in 24 games for the OHL’s Guelph Storm this year.
The Toronto native has been an important leadership figure for this age group of Canadians, serving as captain of Team Canada at both the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2023 Under-18 World Junior Championship. Allen has also served as an alternate captain for the Storm the past two years.
Washington signed Allen to a three-year, entry-level contract after their Development Camp concluded in July.
