Team Canada released their 25-man roster for the 2025 World Junior Championship and left Andrew Cristall off of it again.
Cristall will not be involved in a second straight tournament despite leading the entire CHL in points per game (2.43) with 51 points (22g, 29a) in 21 games for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. He was snubbed similarly last season.
The 19-year-old winger was part of the 32-player group called into Canada’s preliminary camp at the beginning of the month. Fellow Washington Capitals prospect Cam Allen joined him and was also cut on Friday evening.
Check out the 2⃣5⃣ players who will wear the 🍁 at the #WorldJuniors in Ottawa! 🇨🇦
Voici les 2⃣5⃣ joueurs qui arboreront la 🍁 au #MondialJunior à Ottawa! 🇨🇦
ROSTER: https://t.co/rkEYGrNFYr
FORMATION : https://t.co/aaliYCMONH pic.twitter.com/JFDvmr9tYG— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) December 13, 2024
Cristall was one of five forwards, along with Riley Heidt, Denver Barkey, Beckett Sennecke, and Matthew Wood, who were returned to their junior teams. Allen was one of just two defensemen cut, joining Zayne Parekh.
“It’s such an honor to be at this camp and wear the logo,” Cristall told WHL reporters before the announcement. “I felt pretty good. I wanted to show my defensive side of the puck, winning battles. All the staff watch throughout the year, they know I can score, so I just wanted to bring that element to the table, and I thought I did a good job of that.
“Lot of stress [waiting for roster reveal]. A lot of anxious moments. You just gotta wait it out. Hopefully, dream comes true. It’d mean everything. I’d do anything to play for this country and in that tournament.”
Cristall, a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, was close to making the Capitals out of this year’s training camp. The Vancouver native tied for the Capitals’ preseason lead in scoring with three points (2g, 1a) in four games.
The talented winger will join back up with a Rockets team that is eighth in the WHL’s Western Conference with a 13-11-3 record. Kelowna recently lost their other star forward, Tij Iginla, to season-ending hip surgery.
Once Kelowna’s season is concluded, Cristall will be free to join the Capitals’ organization. He is already familiar with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, as he spent several weeks with the team as a postseason black ace last year.
