Prospect Addison Joins Team Canada For World Juniors

Defenseman Calen Addison grabbed some attention — including from the PHN staff — during Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospect camp last summer as one of the organization’s up-and-comers.

Now Addison is moving to the biggest stage yet in his career. He will play for Team Canada and the World Junior tournament, which starts Thursday in the Czech Republic. Playing in that prestigious tournament for the under-20 set can be a great experience for prospects leading into their pro careers.

Here is the news release from the Penguins:

Pittsburgh Penguins prospect defenseman Calen Addison, who was drafted by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2018 NHL draft, will represent Team Canada in the 2020 World Junior Championship to be played from Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in the Czech Republic.

Addison, 19, has played parts of the last five seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League. This season he ranks fourth among WHL defensemen in assists (22), and ranks tied for third among defensemen in points (29).

In 233 career games with Lethbridge, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Addison has accumulated 192 points (38G-154A).

At the end of the 2018-19 campaign, Addison made three appearances with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League and tallied two assists.

The Brandon, Manitoba native has represented Canada at both the U-17 and U-18 levels. Addison helped Canada capture a gold medal at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, collecting six points (2G-4A) in five games. In 2016, he earned a silver medal in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge while posting three assists in six games.

Addison will wear No. 3 for his country.

This year’s World Junior tournament will be split between Ostravar Arena in Ostrava, Czech Republic and Werk Arena in Trinec, Czech Republic.

Team Canada will open the tournament with a December 26 matchup against the United States at 1:00 PM ET. The game will be televised by NHL Network.

Addison and Canada will continue Group B play with games against Russia on Dec. 28 at 1:00 PM ET, Germany on Dec. 30 at 9:00 AM ET, and Czech Republic on Dec. 31 at 1:00 PM ET. All of those games will also be on NHL Network.

For a complete tournament schedule, plus updated standings and statistics, visit the official WJC website: https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2020/wm20