VANCOUVER, BC - After a five-day selection camp, Canada’s 2006 National Junior Team head coach Brent Sutter and Blair Mackasey, Hockey Canada’s Director of Personnel along with Team Canada’s coaching staff announced on Friday the 22 players that will form Canada’s 2006 National Junior Team, including defenseman Kris Russell a third-round pick by the Blue Jackets in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Russell has scored 8-17-25 in 30 games this season with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League. The Caroline, Alberta native is the Medicine Hat team captain and ranks tied for third in the WHL in goals by a defenseman and tied for fourth in points by a defenseman. Last season he recorded 26-35-61 in 72 games to lead the entire CHL in goals by a defenseman. Russell won a gold medal with Team Canada at the Under-18 2004 Junior World Cup.

The 2006 World Junior Championship takes place in Vancouver, Kelowna and Kamloops, BC, beginning Dec. 26th. Canada's first game of the 2006 IIHF World Junior Championship will be on Monday, Dec. 26th at 4p.m. PT / 7p.m. ET versus Finland. TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, will again carry all of Canada's games LIVE from the World Junior Championship and will be the host broadcast of the event. All of Canada’s games will also be on radio via the FAN radio network (check local listings). Log on to http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/17770/la_id/1.htm for the complete Team Canada roster.

Canada’s National Junior Team will travel to Chase, BC on Friday afternoon for three days of preparation and training and will then make their way to Kamloops, BC where they will stage their pre-competition camp. Team Canada will play their first of two pre-competition games against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, Dec. 20 in Kelowna. Canada will face-off against Russian in Kamloops on Thursday, Dec. 22nd. Both games will be broadcast live at 7pm PT on TSN, the official broadcaster of Hockey Canada, and tickets are still available at the box office.

The Blue Jackets return to action tomorrow night for an 8 p.m. ET game at Nashville. The game will be broadcast on FSN Ohio with the pregame show, Ice Breaker, starting at 7:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast live on the Blue Jackets Radio Network and flagship stations WBNS-AM Sports Radio 1460 the Fan and WWCD-FM, CD101.