Team named for March’s qualifying tournament in Santiago
Field Hockey Canada is excited to announce the 2026 Men’s National Team roster bound for Santiago in March for the FIH World Cup Qualifier Tournament.
The 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup Qualifier is taking place in Santiago, Chile from March 1 to March 8, 2026. This is one of two World Cup Qualifiers that is taking place in men’s hockey, with the other event happening simultaneously in Ismailia, Egypt. From this event, there are multiple avenues for qualification for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup in Belgium & Netherlands. The two teams that make the finals will automatically qualify as will the winner of the bronze medal.
After that, the highest world ranked 4th place team (between the two qualifying events) after the final day of the qualifiers, will also qualify for the World Cup. Canada last qualified for the FIH World Cup in 2018, by advancing through the FIH World League Series. This time around, the two qualifying tournaments serve the same purpose for qualification.
Canada (19) is in a pool with Ireland (11), Korea (16), and Poland (24). The other pool at the event includes France (9), Wales (15), Scotland (20), and Chile (22). The goal is straightforward, but the path is anything but simple: make semis, win a medal and qualify for the World Cup. Easier said than done but this balanced Canadian unit is ready for the task.
Head coach Patrick Tshutshani said the valuable experience gained at last year’s Pan American Cup and the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup allowed the team to prepare against higher-ranked teams and get themselves into the performance mindset.
“The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tested the group against a diverse and high-quality field, all teams ranked above us in the FIH World Rankings. Competing in that environment challenged the players and accelerated our learning,” he said. “Heading into Santiago, the expectation is a more composed, disciplined and connected team. A team that competes with confidence and intent in every match. Our focus will be on execution and decision-making in key moments.”
Team Canada performs at the 2025 Pan American Cup in Uruguay. Photos/WorldSportPics (FIH)
The men’s roster blends some crucial returning experience in Matt Sarmento, Devohn Noronha Teixeira and Balraj Panesar. There is a large core class of four-six year veterans of the program including Harbir Sidhu, Brendan Guraliuk, Thomson Harris, Manveer Jhamat, Sam Cabral, Sean Davis, Roop Dhillon as well as both goalkeepers, Ethan McTavish and Zachary Coombs.
The youth movement over the past few years includes Junior World Cup and Junior Pan Am graduates such as Rowan Childs, Avjot Buttar, Hudson Loh, Jude Nicholson, Kirin Robinson and Robin Thind.
Loh, Nicholson and Thind all add a goal-scoring threat to join attackers like Sarmento and Davis. The Défense is shored up with Cabral, Dhillon, Harris and Jhamat. McTavish and Coombs have been sharing the net over the past few tournaments, both getting the opportunity to play high-leverage minutes to prepare them for do-or-die moments like the FIH World Cup Qualifiers.
Tshutshani knows this team is ready for the task and also understands the competitiveness of the event. Only three teams advance from the eight and everyone is fighting for a spot. This Canadian Red Caribou team is ready for the test and will perform with everything it has.
“We want to combine discipline with bravery, be patient without the ball and courageous with it and we want to be fully committed to a collective effort. When we play with composure, trust and clarity in our principles, we become a difficult opponent. The objective is not to simple stay competitive, but to apply pressure, remain connected through adversity, and take control of moments that define matches.”
TEAM CANADA ROSTER
| NO. | PLAYER NAME | POSITION | HOMETOWN | CLUB | CAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Avjot Buttar | MID | Richmond, BC | United Brothers | 16 |
| 26 | Sam Cabral | DEF | Vancouver, BC | Vancouver Hawks | 37 |
| 18 | Rowan Childs | MID | Tsawwassen, BC | Delta Falcons | 16 |
| 32 | Zachary Coombs | GK | Chelsea, QC | UBC Thunderbirds | 28 |
| 15 | Sean Davis | FWD | Marondera, Zim | Southgate | 31 |
| 4 | Roopkanwar Dhillon | DEF | Surrey, BC | Gobind Sarvar/Burnaby Lake | 31 |
| 13 | Brendan Guraliuk | MID | Tsawwassen, BC | Vancouver Hawks | 56 |
| 33 | Thomson Harris | DEF | Vancouver, BC | Vancouver Hawks | 36 |
| 14 | Manveer Jhamat | DEF | Abbotsford, BC | Gobind Sarvar/Burnaby Lake | 36 |
| 16 | Hudson Loh | FWD | Vancouver, BC | Vancouver Hawks | 10 |
| 30 | Ethan McTavish | GK | North Vancouver, BC | West Vancouver | 28 |
| 10 | Jude Nicholson | FWD | Vancouver, BC | Vancouver Hawks | 15 |
| 5 | Devohn Noronha Teixeira | FWD | Mississauga, ON | Toronto Lions FHC | 139 |
| 11 | Balraj Panesar | DEF | Surrey, BC | UBR | 109 |
| 21 | Kirin Robinson | FWD | Vancouver, BC | UBC Thunderbirds | 0 |
| 7 | Matthew Sarmento | FWD | Vancouver, BC | Vancouver Hawks | 175 |
| 25 | Harbir Sidhu | MID | Victoria, BC | Victoria Tigers/ India Club | 43 |
| 9 | Robin Thind | FWD | Surrey, BC | Surrinder Lions | 4 |
| RESERVES | |||||
| 17 | Aaron Foong | DEF | Vancouver, BC | UBC Thunderbirds | 6 |
| 22 | Jyoth Sidhu | MID | Abbotsford, BC | Gobind Sarvar/Burnaby Lake | 16 |
| STAFF NAME | ROLE | ||||
| Patrick Tshutshani | Head Coach | ||||
| Geoff Matthews | Ass. Coach / Manager | ||||
| Solomon Casoojee | Assistant Coach | ||||
| Jonty Thomas | Video Analyst | ||||
| Elizabeth Mawdsley | AT | ||||
DONATE TO THE MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM AND SUPPORT THEIR JOURNEY
Field Hockey Canada recently announced a recent donation of $375,000 that launched our new Power the Podium Trust Fund, a long-term philanthropic initiative designed to provide sustainable funding for Canada’s national field hockey teams. You can donate to the Power of the Podium Trust or learn more about additional donation options that also go directly to supporting our national team programs. Since our national team programs are largely dependent on funding sources from the government, sponsors and donors, as well as self-funded team levies, we focus time not only on our training efforts but fundraising to help offset the costs required to adequately participate and prepare for our competitions.
