After another successful NHL Draft, one thing remains clear – no country develops hockey players quite like Canada.

In total, more than one-third of the players who had their names called in Los Angeles – 85 of 224 – hail from north of the 49th parallel.

The list features representation from 10 Members, and 27 who have worn the Maple Leaf in international competition.

The red-and-white run started from the very top, with Matthew Schaefer going No. 1 to the New York Islanders – the first of 19 first-round selections (the most since 2020). The Hamilton, Ontario, native already has a trophy case to be envious of – he has won gold at the Canada Winter Games (scoring the overtime winner in the gold medal game), World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, IIHF U18 World Championship and Hlinka Gretzky Cup, serving as captain at the first, second and last of those triumphs.

He also cracked the Canadian lineup for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording a goal and an assist in two games before a broken collarbone prematurely ended his tournament.

Michael Misa followed quickly behind Schaefer, going second overall to the San Jose Sharks; the Mississauga product owns gold from the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and silver from the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, earning both medals as an underager. Misa, who was granted exceptional status to play in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) in 2022-23, led all CHL scorers this season with 134 points (62-72—134) in 65 games with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.

In all, Canadians were four of the first five picks (for the first time since 2014), seven of the first 10 (for the second year in a row) and 15 of the first 20 (for the first time since 1994).

The list of first-rounders included a number of 2024-25 gold medallists: five from the 2025 U18 Men’s Worlds (Cootes, Kindel, Martin, Nesbitt, Smith) and nine from the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Cootes, Desnoyers, Kindel, Martin, O’Brien, Reid, Reschny, Schaefer, Smith).

The CHL was well represented among the Canadian contingent; 79 of the 85 players selected were products of CHL programs, from 42 different teams – led by four each from the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads and Kitchener Rangers. The Ontario Hockey League led the way with 35 picks, followed by the Western Hockey League with 27 and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League with 17.

CANADIAN PLAYERS DRAFTED – BY MEMBER

Ontario Hockey Federation (32) – Kashawn Aitcheson, Lirim Amidovski, David Bedkowski, Trenten Bennett, Jordan Charron, Gabe Chiarot, Ethan Czata, Francesco Dell’Elce, Kieran Dervin, Rylan Fellinger, Owen Griffin, Matthew Hlacar, Tyler Hopkins, Jack Ivankovic, Aidan Lane, Jimmy Lombardi, Andrew McNiel, Brady Martin, Porter Martone, Marco Mignosa, Michael Misa, Shamar Moses, Jack Nesbitt, Jake O’Brien, Charlie Pacquette, Evan Passmore, Noah Read, Cameron Reid, Luca Romano, Matthew Schaefer, Grant Spada, Malcolm Spence

Hockey Quebec (15) – Anthony Allain-Samaké, Lucas Beckman, Justin Carbonneau, Alexis Cournoyer, Gabriel D’Aigle, Caleb Desnoyers, Émile Guité, Alex Huang, Noah Laberge, Jérémy Loranger, Alexis Mathieu, Samuel Meloche, Mateo Nobert, Nathan Quinn, Bill Zonnon

Hockey Alberta (12) – Nathan Behm, Braeden Cootes, Ashton Cumby, Kale Dach, Aiden Foster, Max Heise, Justin Kipkie, Carter Klippenstein, Ryan Miller, Bryce Pickford, Jackson Smith, Luke Vlooswyk

BC Hockey (7) – Shea Busch, Ben Kindel, Tommy Lafrenière, Lynden Lakovic, Joshua Ravensbergen, Cameron Schmidt, Will Sharpe

Hockey Manitoba (7) – Carter Bear, Matthew Gard, Burke Hood, Peyton Kettles, Owen Martin, Hayden Papaneukis, Brady Turko

Hockey Eastern Ontario (5) – Quinn Beauchesne, Jacob Cloutier, Parker Holmes, Harry Nansi, Grayden Robertson-Palmer

Hockey Nova Scotia (2) – Cole Chandler, Brady Peddle

Hockey P.E.I. (2) – Will Murphy, Dawson Sharkey

Hockey Saskatchewan (2) – Roger McQueen, Cole Reschny

Hockey New Brunswick (1) – Will Reynolds

CANADIAN PLAYERS DRAFTED – BY INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

2025 National Men’s Team – Porter Martone

2025 National Junior Team – Jack Ivankovic, Porter Martone, Matthew Schaefer

2025 National Men’s Under-18 Team (gold medal) – Quinn Beauchesne, Lucas Beckman, Braeden Cootes, Matthew Gard, Burke Hood, Tyler Hopkins, Alex Huang, Jack Ivankovic, Ben Kindel, Brady Martin, Jack Nesbitt, Cole Reschny, Cameron Schmidt, Jackson Smith

2024 National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team (gold medal) – Quinn Beauchesne, Lucas Beckman, Braeden Cootes, Ethan Czata, Caleb Desnoyers, Émile Guité, Tyler Hopkins, Alex Huang, Jack Ivankovic, Peyton Kettles, Ben Kindel, Brady Martin, Jake O’Brien, Cameron Reid, Cole Reschny, Matthew Schaefer, Cameron Schmidt,Jackson Smith

2024 National Men’s Under-18 Team (gold medal) – Kashawn Aitcheson, Caleb Desnoyers, Jack Ivankovic, Porter Martone, Matthew Schaefer

2023 National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team (gold medal) – Gabriel D’Aigle, Porter Martone, Michael Misa, Roger McQueen, Malcolm Spence

2023 National Men’s Under-18 Team (bronze medal) – Gabriel D’Aigle

2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada Red) – Quinn Beauchesne, Braeden Cootes, Peyton Kettles, Brady Martin, Jake O’Brien, Cole Reschny, Luca Romano, Jackson Smith

2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada White-gold medal) – Cole Chandler, Ethan Czata, Caleb Desnoyers, Owen Griffin, Émile Guité, Tyler Hopkins, Alex Huang, Jack Ivankovic, Jack Nesbitt, Mateo Nobert, Cameron Reid, Matthew Schaefer, Cameron Schmidt, Will Sharpe

2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada Black) – Lynden Lakovic, Malcolm Spence

2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada Red-silver medal) – David Bedkowski, Gabriel D’Aigle, Porter Martone, Michael Misa

2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada White) – Justin Carbonneau, Roger McQueen, Bill Zonnon

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) welcomed its newest crop of players Tuesday night in the nation’s capital, with 16 Canadians selected in the annual PWHL Draft.

The list features representation from six Members, and 11 players who have worn the Maple Leaf in international competition at some level (or all levels) of the National Women’s Program.

The run of Canadians started from the No. 4 pick, where the Victoire de Montréal selected defender Nicole Gosling, the lone player who has seen time with Canada’s National Women’s Team (and won gold at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship).

She was the first of three first-rounders, along with fellow blue-liner Kendall Cooper (No. 6 to Minnesota) and Jenna Buglioni, who made history as the first-ever draft pick by Seattle at No. 8.

Each of the six rounds featured at least one Canadian, with three going in each of the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds. Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Seattle used three of their picks on Canadians, followed by Vancouver (two), Boston (one) and Ottawa (one). The Toronto Sceptres were the lone team not to select a Canadian.

Fourteen of the 16 draft picks are alumnae of the U18 Women’s National Championship, having represented their province or region at the tournament, and four – Tamara Giaquinto (Brampton, 2018); Maya Labad (Lanaudière, 2018); Dayle Ross (St. Albert, 2019) and Vanessa Upson (Stoney Creek, 2019) – competed at the Esso Cup, Canada’s U18 Women’s National Club Championship.

Vancouver made history with the 48th and final choice, selecting University of B.C. product Chanreet Bassi, the first-ever South Asian draft pick.

CANADIAN PLAYERS DRAFTED – BY MEMBER

Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (8) – Brianna Brooks, Kendall Cooper, Tamara Giaquinto, Nicole Gosling, Hannah Murphy, Vanessa Upson, Olivia Wallin, Maddi Wheeler

BC Hockey (3) – Chanreet Bassi, Jenna Buglioni, Anne Cherkowski

Hockey Alberta (2) – Dayle Ross, Sarah Wozniewicz

Hockey Newfoundland & Labrador (1) – Abby Newhook

Hockey P.E.I. (1) – Abby Hustler

Hockey Quebec (1) – Maya Labad

CANADIAN PLAYERS DRAFTED – BY INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

National Women’s Team (1) – Nicole Gosling

National Women’s Development Team (9) – Jenna Buglioni, Anne Cherkowski, Kendall Cooper, Nicole Gosling, Maya Labad, Hannah Murphy, Abby Newhook, Maddi Wheeler, Sarah Wozniewicz

National Women’s Under-18 Team (10) – Brianna Brooks, Jenna Buglioni, Anne Cherkowski, Kendall Cooper, Tamara Giaquinto, Nicole Gosling, Maya Labad, Olivia Wallin, Maddi Wheeler, Sarah Wozniewicz

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced that Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON) will serve as the first full-time general manager of the Program of Excellence.

Millar returns to Hockey Canada after spending three years as director of player personnel with the POE from 2021-24, winning two IIHF World Junior Championship gold medals (2022, 2023) and two Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medals (2022, 2023). He also won gold at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship as director of player personnel, and at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup as general manager.

In his new role, Millar will serve as general manager of Canada’s National Junior Team, and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at both the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship. He will also oversee the national under-17 program and ensure the long-term sustainability of the Program of Excellence.

“We are excited to have a dedicated, full-time general manager to oversee Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, and after an open and extensive search process, we are confident Alan is the right person to lead it,” said Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. “He has spent a large portion of his career working alongside Hockey Canada in various roles and has helped build several world championship-winning teams. His experience in the AHL and CHL, along with his familiarity of our staff and programs, will be extremely helpful as he begins this new role.”

Millar has spent the last two seasons (2023-25) as vice-president of hockey operations and general manager of the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Prior to his first stint with Hockey Canada, he served as general manager of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors for nine seasons (2012-21). He also had a two-year stint as director of hockey operations (2010-12) and served five seasons as general manager of the Sarnia Sting (2004-09) of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Millar also served as director of operations for Team Ontario at the 2004 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, helping the team to a gold medal. He spent the 2003-04 season with the OHL’s Toronto St. Michael’s Majors as director of player personnel and was general manager and alternate governor of the OHL’s Guelph Storm for six seasons (1997-2003), winning an OHL championship in 1998. Millar also served as director of operations and alternate governor with the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League (AHL) for four seasons (1993-97).

“I am truly honoured to return to Hockey Canada as the general manager of the Program of Excellence,” said Millar. “It is a privilege to represent Canada on the world stage, and I have been fortunate to have had a number of opportunities to do just that. I am excited to work with the leadership and staff to build on the recent successes at the U17 and U18 levels, and bring our National Junior Team back to the podium. I look forward to the challenge of evaluating the best players in the country and building teams that will compete for gold. I’d like to thank Scott Salmond, Katherine Henderson and the Hockey Canada leadership team for this special opportunity.”

Additions to the Program of Excellence management group, as well as the coaching staffs, support staffs and rosters for the under-17, under-18 and under-20 programs will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

As long as I can remember, I've heard and read stories of my ancestry dating back to the Red River Resistance, including a book written about my great-grandma’s family living on a reserve in Northern Manitoba. Families on my dad’s side settled in small Métis towns called St-Malo and St-Pierre-Jolys.

I’ll admit… after hearing about my ancestors’ experiences, I wasn't sure if being Indigenous was good or if it was something I should be ashamed of. In minor hockey, people used to always ask ‘Who is that little native boy on the ice?’ just because I was playing on a boys’ team and had a long braid.

I didn’t think much of it at the time, until I heard some of the things people were saying about other Indigenous people in the community, things I never thought I would hear. Although we spoke regularly in our household about our Métis heritage, it was difficult to express it outside our walls.

After that, I thought if I didn't expose myself as being Indigenous that I wouldn't get bullied or hurt. I buried it away and focused on my real passion—hockey. Every time I stepped on the ice, I wanted to be the best player so one day I could be a role model for other Indigenous athletes with similar experiences.

I lived by the motto “I work hard today to be better for tomorrow.” Carrying that with me, I was able to make the British Columbia roster as a double under-ager for the 2023 Canada Winter Games on Prince Edward Island, and was lucky enough to help Team B.C. win its first-ever gold medal!

That event was a huge moment in my journey; I believe I made a name for Indigenous athletes to show that you can play with everyone.

My journey with Team B.C. has continued for the last two seasons, winning a pair of bronze medals at the U18 Women’s National Championship, getting to serve as captain at the most recent tournament in New Brunswick and being named Top Defender.

I have also won two Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) championships with RHA Kelowna in the Female U18 Prep division, broke the record for most career assists in division history and earned CSSHL Defensive Player of the Year last season.

Oh, and I lived out a dream by getting to wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team and win a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Finland. How’s that for a platform for Indigenous athletes!

Through my time with Team B.C., I learned about ISPARC (Indigenous Sports Physical Activity and Recreation Council), which leads the teams that represent the province at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship (NAHC) every year. In 2023, just a few months after my Canada Games experience, I made my first NAHC appearance in Winnipeg.

I returned for a second tournament in 2024 in Grande Prairie, winning a bronze medal, and earned the Premier’s regional and provincial awards for Indigenous youth excellence in sports.

I made a third trip just a few months ago on home ice in Kamloops, just a couple hours from where I grew up in Osoyoos, getting the honour of being captain again and leading Team B.C. to silver, the best finish in program history.

Those tournaments were amazing experience, both personally and culturally. I felt accepted by opponents, fans, coaches and teammates. They were so, so important in my growth as a hockey player and as an Indigenous athlete.

There’s one story from my NAHC years that will stick with me, and I want to share it. It really drives home why I want to work with the younger generation (which is funny for me to say being only 18!) to truly embrace our culture.

One of my best friends, who is Indigenous, would constantly be reminded by her teammates that she wasn't good enough to play for Team B.C. at the U18 Women’s Nationals. No one cared if she made the ISPARC Team B.C.; to them, it would never be as good as what they considered the “real Team B.C.”

I never hesitated to remind her how skilled of a player she was. It was—and still is—very hard for me to understand how her teammates could not only be so mean, but at the same time talk about Indigenous athletes and the NAHC tournament as a lower form of competition.

Hearing them say that we aren't good enough hockey players just because we were Indigenous was something that didn’t sit well for me. It made me realize that I have to fight for what's right and stop hiding in the shadows.

I am very proud to say that I am a citizen of the Métis Nation of British Columbia (MNBC) and that I live on the traditional unceded territory of the Sylix (Okanagan) Nation!

I made a decision to learn more about being Métis. The MNBC staff was welcoming and supported me in learning about my culture and other Indigenous cultures. I was honoured to be sashed by the president of the MNBC and receive two warrior sashes made for me by Métis Elders.

I was invited by the MNBC Board of Directors to speak with government representatives and talk about the mental, physical and emotional challenges that Indigenous athletes have to face. I explained how hard it is to be faced with discrimination just for being Indigenous.

Due to the negative impact, I took a 12-week course with former NHLer Aaron Volpatti to help with my mental health and confidence. He showed me that if I envision what I want to focus on and to not let outside voices get to me, I'll be able to accomplish anything.

This knowledge was very important; I learned that it's okay to speak up and to fight for what's right. I knew I didn't have to hide who I was anymore because I had a whole team of people who would back me up and pick me up if I ever got down. Being a citizen of the MNBC has allowed me to be a role model for Indigenous athletes, proving that there are no limits if you are willing to put in the work.

Alongside the highs and lows of being an Indigenous athlete, I faced another challenge that was out of my control—I have often been overlooked or underestimated because of my height. (I’m 5-foot-2, in case you’re wondering.)

No matter what I did, every mistake and every loss was because I was short. I knew my height would come with challenges, but never did I think a coach would belittle me because of it. I would be told that I cost the team the game, implying that it was because I was too short. During my NCAA recruitment, this coach would always bring up my size as a negative when speaking to other coaches, rather than focusing on my skills.

I’m short…and I can’t do anything about it! I am so lucky to have been able to work with two coaches, Venla Hovi and Kris Hogg, who really took me under their wing and didn't just look past me because of my height.

Venla—a two-time Olympian and Women’s Worlds veteran with Finland—was the first coach who gave me confidence to use my height as an advantage. She saw my potential and worked with me to be comfortable being uncomfortable. She really changed the way I played, for the better. She allowed me to see my height as a strength and as something people wouldn't be able to stop. I was so fortunate to have a strong believer like her on my side.

When I made the move from the Okanagan Hockey Academy to RHA Kelowna, Kris was the coach who encouraged me and supported my growth as a player. He always put me out there to every single college he could, never once saying I was too short to play Division I hockey. He also pushed me past my boundaries on and off the ice, which helped me to break records I wouldn't have thought possible.

It is with the support of Venla and Kris, along with coaches and trainers like Mark Fitzgerald, Jim Liebel, Tyler Liebel, Travis Martell, Derek Ruck, my dad Dean and so many more that I have been able to live my hockey dreams—representing my province, representing my Indigenous community and (the craziest of all) representing my country!

This coming season, I’m proud to have accepted a scholarship to Penn State University to continue my hockey career.

Through my journey I have realized that no matter what, you have to fight for what's right and continue to battle against the hard. I am so thankful for all the opportunities I have had, and I continue to work hard today to be better for tomorrow so that I can make my dreams to represent Canada at the Olympics and play in the PWHL a reality.

My hope is that my journey and story will be an inspiration to young Indigenous athletes, showing them that any boundary is breakable with the right mindset.

BUFFALO, New York – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team has finished with the silver medal at the 2025 World Para Hockey Championship after dropping a 6-1 decision to the United States in the gold medal game Saturday afternoon.

Liam Hickey (St. John’s, NL)scored the lone goal early in the first period for the Canadians, who trailed 3-1 after one period and 4-1 after two as the North American rivals met in the final for the eighth-consecutive time at Para Worlds.

“That is the best game I’ve seen the U.S. play in a long time, and it’s just unfortunate that it came today against us,” said head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON). “They didn’t give us any space or room to breathe. We were unable to impose our will at all tonight. I would say that is an American team that has been sitting on a sour feeling since last year’s final and they were waiting for their chance to get us back. We can take some solace in the fact it took that type of effort to beat us, but there is a lesson here too that now we need to have that same fire in our belly and take care of business [at the Paralympics] in Italy in March.”

Adam Kingsmill (Smithers, BC) made 18 saves as the United States outshot Canada 24-11.

Captain Tyler McGregor (Forest, ON) and Dominic Cozzolino (Mississauga, ON) earned assists on Hickey’s goal, while James Dunn (Wallacetown, ON) skated in his 100th game as a member of Canada’s National Para Hockey Team.

Cozzolino finished as Canada’s leading scorer with 15 points (7-8—15), two more than McGregor (6-7—13). They were third and fourth, respectively, in tournament scoring.

“Not the performance we wanted today,” said McGregor. “When you look at the bigger picture and look back at the full year and how far we’ve come and how much we’ve grown as a group, there are lots of positives we can find. This one didn’t go our way, and all the credit to the U.S., they played a heck of a game. This one hurts for sure, but for our group we know what we have to do: move forward, use this as fuel, get better every day and prepare to leave Milano-Cortina with a gold medal.”

Following the game, McGregor was named Best Forward of the tournament.

Canada finished first in Group A with a perfect 3-0 record in the preliminary round with wins over Germany (11-0), Korea (12-0) and China (4-2). It booked its spot in the gold medal game with a 3-0 semifinal victory over Czechia.

With the win over Korea in the preliminary round, Canada officially clinched its place at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games , March 6-15 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

In 15 appearances at the World Para Hockey Championship, Canada has captured five gold medals (2000, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2024), in addition to five silver (2015, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) and three bronze (1996, 2009, 2012).

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook , X, Instagram and TikTok.

Here we go again. Canada’s National Para Hockey Team faces its cross-border rivals from the United States on Saturday night with the gold medal on the line at the 2025 World Para Hockey Championship.

Last Game

Canada punched its ticket to the gold medal game with a 3-0 semifinal win over Czechia on Friday. Liam Hickey and Adam Dixon scored 18 seconds apart midway through the first period to provide the Canadians all the offence they would need, Tyler McGregor added a power-play goal in the second period and Adam Kingsmill made eight saves for his second shutout in as many starts.

The Americans earned their place in the final with a 6-1 win over China in their semifinal. Declan Farmer had two goals and three assists to take sole possession of the tournament scoring lead, Jack Wallace also scored twice and the U.S. took charge with a four-goal second period.

Last Meeting

The rivals have met nine times this season, most recently in the finale of a three-game series in Thorold, Ontario in late March. Kingsmill starred in that game with a 16-save effort, Vincent Boily and Mathieu Lelièvre contributed a goal and an assist apiece and the Canadians earned a 2-1 victory.

The last meeting at Para Worlds was a thriller in last year’s gold medal game in Calgary. Kingsmill was again the story, making 24 saves, Dominic Cozzolino set the tone with a goal just 35 seconds in and Anton Jacobs-Webb netted the game-winner midway through the second period as Canada ended a seven-year gold medal drought with a 2-1 win.

What to Watch

We’ve mentioned him a couple of time already, but let’s do it once more – Kingsmill always seems to come up big in big games against the Americans. The 25-year-old was the unquestioned star of last year’s gold medal game, making a handful of point-blank saves to backstop Canada to a home-ice world title in Alberta. He’s also the only goaltender in Buffalo who has played more than one game and had yet to allow a goal, although he has had to make only 10 saves while blanking the Koreans and Czechs. Up front, James Dunn will reach at least one milestone; the forward will make his 100th appearance for Canada’s National Para Hockey Team and needs just one point to record 100 for his international career.

As he is at every major international event, Farmer is the straw that stirs the drink for the Americans. The Florida native is up to 18 points (10-8—18) after his five-point effort in the semifinals, good for a three-point cushion over Wallace and four over Cozzolino. A four-time world champion, Farmer is no stranger to the top of the scoring chart; he was first a year ago in Calgary (11-9—20 in five games), second in 2023 in Moose Jaw (9-3—12 in five games) and first at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing (7-11—18 in four games). He has also been pretty darn good against the Canadians this season, recording 20 points (13-7—20) in nine games.

A Look Back

This is the 138th edition of the North American rivalry, with the Americans holding a slight edge.

Prior to last spring, the most recent Canadian win with a major title on the line came at the 2017 Para Worlds in Gangneung, South Korea. McGregor scored a pair of goals, Brad Bowden added a goal and two assists and Canada earned a 4-1 victory to lay claim to the world championship.

All-time record: United States leads 75-61-1 (15-7 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 261
United States goals: 321

Canada’s National Para Hockey Team is into the playoff round at the 2025 World Para Hockey Championship, facing off against Czechia in the first semifinal Friday at the LECOM Harborcenter.

Last Game

The Canadians closed out the preliminary round Tuesday with a 4-2 win over China, completing a perfect prelims and clinching top spot in Group A. Dominic Cozzolino potted a pair of goals, including the game-winner 3:47 into the third period to break open a tie game. Adam Dixon and Mathieu Lelièvre also found the back of the net for Canada, which pulled away with three goals in 3:38 early in the final frame.

Czechia put a scare into the United States in its prelim finale on Tuesday, getting within a goal in the third period before dropping a 4-3 decision. Michal Geier scored twice and Martin Zizlavsky was in on all three Czech goals, earning a trio of assists. Patrik Sedlacek was terrific in goal, making 25 saves.

Last Meeting

The semifinals of the 2024 Para Cup in Charlottetown, P.E.I., was the last time the Canadians and Czechs faced off. In that one, Tyler McGregor and Liam Hickey finished with a goal and an assist each, Cozzolino chipped in with two helpers and Canada edged Czechia 3-1 to move into the gold medal game.

What to Watch

Cozzolino has picked up right where he left off a year ago at Para Worlds. Last spring in Calgary, the Mississauga native earned Top Forward honours after finishing third in tournament scoring (7-10—17) and helping Canada end its long gold medal drought with a tone-setting goal just 35 seconds into the final against the rival Americans. In Buffalo, Cozzolino sits tied for the scoring lead with U.S. point-producer Declan Farmer with 13 points (7-6—13) in three games. He has also (for the moment) jumped past his linemate, Hickey, for sixth in all-time Team Canada scoring with 172 points (62-110—172) in 126 international games.

Filip Vesely has already surpassed his offensive output from a year ago in Calgary, posting seven points – all of them assists – in three prelim games to sit second in helpers, just one behind U.S. defenceman Jack Wallace. He led the Czechs with six points (4-2—6) in five games in Alberta. Vesely has a little more help this time around; Zizlavsky also sits at seven points (2-5—7), while Geier contibuted six goals in the round robin, tied for third behind Farmer (eight) and Cozzolino (seven). The Czechs were the only team in the tournament not to allow a power-play goal in the prelims, killing off all five man-advantages they faced.

A Look Back

Canada has an unblemished all-time record against the Czechs, winning all 21 meetings dating back to 2009.

These teams have met twice before in the semifinals at Para Worlds, both of them shutout wins for Canada; in 2013, Greg Westlake scored twice in a 6-0 victory, and in 2023, Cozzolino and James Dunn had two goals apiece in a 5-0 triumph.

All-time record: Canada leads 21-0
Canada goals: 84
Czechia goals: 10

Canada’s National Para Hockey Team closes out the preliminary round Tuesday morning at the 2025 World Para Hockey Championship, facing off against China with first place in Group A on the line.

Last Game

Canada made it back-to-back shutout wins with a 12-0 blanking of Korea on Sunday. Dominic Cozzolino led the way with a hat trick and three assists, James Dunn had a hat trick and Tyler McGregor added two goals and three helpers. The Canadians took charge early, going ahead 5-0 before the five-minute mark of the first period and scoring eight goals on 16 shots in the opening frame. The win assured Canada of a place in the semifinals, and clinched a berth at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

China improved to 2-0 with an 8-0 win over Germany on Sunday night. Tian Jin Tao scored a hat trick in the second period and Shen Yi Feng added two goals and three assists as the Chinese outshot the Germans 35-4.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Chinese most recently clashed at the 2024 Para Cup in Charlottetown, P.E.I. McGregor netted a hat trick, Vincent Boily scored twice and Canada earned a 7-1 victory. The win was a true team effort; 13 of the 15 Canadian skaters recorded at least a point, and Corbin Watson turned aside eight of nine shots to record the victory.

What to Watch

James Dunn has his sights set on a pair of milestones in Buffalo. Barring injury, the Wallacetown, Ontario, product will become the 16th player to reach 100 international games when the tournament concludes next Saturday. But his hot start to the prelims has him within reach of another mark – in addition to his hat trick against the Koreans, Dunn had a goal and four assists in the tournament-opening win over Germany, leaving him just two points away from 100 for his Team Canada career. He would be only the ninth player to reach the century mark. While we’re talking numbers… McGregor has nine points in two games (including his 150th career goal), putting him within 19 points of 300 for his career.

China is led by the three-headed monster of Shen, Tian and Wang Zhi Dong; the trio have combined for 21 points in two games and have scored 12 of the 14 goals for the Chinese – six for Tian and three each for Shen and Wang. Shen is up to his old tricks at Para Worlds; two years ago in Moose Jaw he led the tournament in scoring with 13 goals (including five in a win over Italy) and four assists, and he posted three goals and four helpers last spring in Calgary. He also starred on home ice at the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing, finishing second in scoring with 14 points (8-6—14) in six games and leading the host country to a bronze medal.

A Look Back

Canada and China have met only five times, all of which have come in the last 18 months. The Canadians have yet to lose, allowing just three goals in their five wins.

Their only previous Para Worlds meeting was a nailbiter in the semifinals a year ago in Calgary; the Canadians trailed 1-0 entering the third period before Micah Kovacevich and Cozzolino scored 24 seconds apart early in the third period, sending Canada to play for gold with a 2-1 win.

All-time record: Canada leads 5-0
Canada goals: 26
China goals: 3

Fresh off a tournament-opening win, Canada’s National Para Hockey Team is right back in action Sunday at the 2025 World Para Hockey Championship, taking on Korea as preliminary-round play continues.

Last Game

Canada opened its prelim schedule with an 11-0 win over Germany on Saturday. Tyler McGregor led the charge with four goals, Dominic Cozzolino had two goals and three assists and James Dunn chipped in with a goal and four helpers. The Canadians got better as the game went along; they led 1-0 after one period and 5-0 after two before pouring in six goals in the final 15 minutes.

The Koreans dropped a back-and-forth opener to China on Saturday night, erasing an early 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead into the third period, only to allow four unanswered goals in a 6-3 loss. Kim Young Sung led the offence with two goals, while Lee Jae Woong was solid between the pipes in a 24-save effort as the Korea was outshot 30-7.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Koreans last met in the tournament opener at the 2023 Para Worlds in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Canada flexed its offensive muscle in that one, scoring seven times in the first period en route to a 15-1 victory. Dominic Cozzolino led the charge with eight points – four goals and four assists – while Dunn (3-2—5), Adam Dixon (2-3—5) and McGregor (2-3—5) contributed five points apiece. In all, 11 of the 13 Canadian skaters recorded at least a point, and eight had multi-point efforts.

What to Watch

The odds are pretty good this won’t be the last time we see his name in this space, but let’s talk about McGregor. The Canadian captain continues to lead by example, potting four goals in the win over the Germans. The Forest, Ontario, native now has 153 goals in his international career, making him just the third player in Team Canada history to reach the 150 mark – Billy Bridges leads with 199, and Greg Westlake (now an assistant coach with the team) scored 175 in his decorated career. With the four goals, McGregor is up to 28 points (18-10—28) in 17 games this season; he has recorded at least one point in 11 of his last 12 games, and 14 of the 17 this season.

In his 11th Para Worlds, Jung Seung Hwan remains the offensive catalyst for the Koreans. A year ago, he posted eight points (4-4—8) at the world championship in Calgary, the highest scorer not to play for the powerhouse Canadians or Americans, and he put his name on the scoresheet again in the loss to China. The 39-year-old also led the Koreans in scoring at the 2023 Para Worlds in Moose Jaw, albeit with only three points (2-1—3) in five games. Jung is a para sport legend in Korea; he was the flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, scoring six goals to lead the host nation to a bronze medal.

A Look Back

The head-to-head history has been decidedly one-sided, with the Canadians winning all 39 meetings and outscoring the Koreans 260-16.

Canada and Korea have met in the semifinals at the last two editions of the Paralympic Winter Games, and both have been shutout victories for the Canadians; McGregor had two goals and two assists in a 7-0 win in 2018, and he recorded four goals and two helpers in an 11-0 win in 2022.

All-time record: Canada leads 39-0
Canada goals: 260
Korea goals: 16