The CAHA chose the East York Lyndhursts to represent Canada at the 1954 Ice Hockey World Championships, and the Kenora Thistles to tour Japan in March 1954. The CAHA had been unable to find a senior or junior A-level team for international competitions in 1954, and settled on the senior B-level team from East York and the intermediate-level team from Kenora. George stated that East York and Kenora were the only two teams willing to play internationally and that East York was the stronger of the two teams.