CALGARY, Alberta – With less than one month until the puck drops on the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, Hockey Canada has announced the 32 players who have earned an invitation to Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp, set for Dec. 10-13 at TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario.

Four goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 18 forwards were selected by U20 head scout Al Murray (Regina, SK) and the management group, which includes Peter Anholt (Naicam, SK/Lethbridge, WHL) and Brent Seabrook (Tsawwassen, BC), with support from Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, and player development coach Scott Walker (Cambridge, ON/Guelph, OHL). Head coach Dave Cameron (Kinkora, PE/Ottawa, OHL), U17 head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) and goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops, BC/Kamloops, WHL), as well as coaches and general managers from across the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), also provided input.

“We are excited to announce the 32 players who have earned invitations to selection camp in Ottawa, and begin the road to our ultimate goal of winning a World Junior Championship gold medal on home ice,” Murray said. “This is a talented group of young players that is determined to represent Canada with pride over the holidays, and we expect a highly competitive camp with several difficult decisions when determining our final roster.”

Among the 32 players competing for a chance to represent Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa are seven players who were named to the roster for the 2024 World Juniors (Bonk, Cowan, Molendyk, Ratzlaff, Rehkopf, Wood, Yager), as well as eight who won gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship (Beaudoin, Brunicke, George, Ivankovic, Luchanko, Martone, McKenna, Schaefer) and three who captured a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Ivankovic, McKenna, Schaefer).

Selection camp will include a pair of games against a team of U SPORTS all-stars, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. ET and Dec. 13 at 12 p.m. ET. Fans looking to secure their seat for the selection camp games can purchase tickets at HockeyCanada.ca/WorldJuniors, with two-game packages starting at $52 and individual-game tickets starting as low as $35. Both games will also be livestreamed at HNLive.ca.

Following selection camp, Canada’s National Junior Team will travel to Petawawa, Ontario, for a four-day training camp at the Silver Dart Arena, Dec. 15-18, in preparation for the 2025 World Juniors. Team Canada will also take on Switzerland, Sweden and Czechia in pre-tournament action on the Road to the World Juniors.

“We are thrilled for the 32 players who have earned the opportunity to compete for a spot on Canada’s National Junior Team at the World Juniors, and we look forward to a starting the final piece of our evaluation process at selection camp,” Anholt said. “We are also excited to bring our team to Ottawa and Petawawa, and to give fans an opportunity to see the best under-20 Canadian players take on a U SPORTS all-star team before the start of the tournament.”

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day with four games, which includes Canada taking on Finland at the Canadian Tire Centre at 7:30 p.m. ET. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will once again provide extensive coverage of the event, broadcasting all 29 tournament games and all three Team Canada pre-tournament games.

Hockey Canada has also announced the return of Canada’s Ultimate 50/50, presented by Tim Hortons, which is bigger than ever for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. For the very first time, fans in 11 Provinces and Territories can participate in the World Juniors and support grassroots hockey initiatives in their community by purchasing 50/50 tickets for three main draws (Dec. 4-26, Dec. 26-31, Dec. 31-Jan. 5). Net proceeds will support the growth and retention of hockey, women’s and girls’ hockey and initiatives that make the game safer. For more information, please visit HockeyCanada5050.ca.

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

CALGARY, Alberta – The pre-tournament schedule for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship has been announced, with seven communities slated to host games from Dec.19-23. In total, 11 games will be played throughout Eastern Ontario on the Road to the World Juniors.

The road begins and ends in Ottawa, with three games scheduled for the nation’s capital, as well as Arnprior, Belleville, Brockville, Cornwall, Hawkesbury and Kingston. Over the course of five days, all 10 competing teams will be on the ice.

Canada will open its exhibition schedule with a pair of games at TD Place in Ottawa, taking on Switzerland on Dec. 19 and Sweden on Dec. 21 before facing Czechia at the Canadian Tire Centre on Dec. 23. All three games begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

In addition to the games, seven Ontario communities will host competing teams from around the world for pre-tournament camps ahead of the holiday hockey tradition – Arnprior (Latvia), Belleville (Czechia and Sweden), Brockville (Switzerland), Carleton Place (Kazakhstan), Cornwall (Finland and Slovakia), Kingston (United States) and Ottawa (Canada and Germany).

“This year’s World Juniors will celebrate hockey in Eastern Ontario, and we are thrilled to have these communities play host to practices and games leading up to Boxing Day,” said Dean McIntosh, senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact for Hockey Canada. “We know fans and volunteers in each community take immense pride in welcoming the world, and we look forward to seeing the excitement build as the 10 teams prepare to compete for a gold medal in our nation’s capital.”

Tickets for pre-tournament games are on sale now, including limited seats at TD Place for Canada’s first two matchups. CLICK HERE for more information.

Limited individual game tickets remain available for 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa. Fans can secure their seat by visiting Hockeycanada.ca/WorldJuniors.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, will air all three of Canada’s pre-tournament games and all 29 tournament games, beginning with Sweden and Slovakia on Dec. 26 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. Check your local listings for more details.

For more information on Hockey Canada, the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship and Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the three Canadian Hockey League (CHL) general managers that will make up the Program of Excellence management group for the 2024-25 season.

Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL) will make his debut as a member of the POE management group, guiding the under-17 program through the 2024 U17 World Challenge in Sarnia, Ontario, while Dave Brown (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON/Erie, OHL) returned to the POE for the second year in a row, serving as under-18 lead by helping Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team win its third-straight gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton in August. Peter Anholt (Naicam, SK/Lethbridge, WHL) is part of the management group for the fourth-consecutive season and leading the under-20 program for the second time in as many years, advising Canada’s National Junior Team through the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

In addition, Team Canada alumni Kyle Turris (New Westminster, BC) and Brent Seabrook (Tsawwassen, BC) have joined the management group of the under-17 and under-20 programs, respectively. Turris will work alongside Lemay, making his management debut, while Seabrook returns to the under-20 program for the second-straight year to work alongside Anholt. 

“We are grateful for Yanick, Dave, Peter, Kyle and Brent’s commitment and dedication to the Program of Excellence, as these three general managers and two recognized alumni bring a wealth of experience and leadership to Hockey Canada’s under-17, under-18 and under-20 programs,” said Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. “The POE has been successful to start the new season, with Dave helping our under-18 program capture gold on home ice, and we know Yanick, Kyle, Peter and Brent are excited to continue to contribute to Canada’s success on the international stage in the coming months.”

Lemay is currently in his second season as general manager of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Last season, he helped lead the Voltigeurs to a 102-point season, winning the Trophée Gilles-Courteau as QMJHL champions and earning a spot in the Memorial Cup. Prior to joining Drummondville, he served as an amateur scout with the Winnipeg Jets for 12 seasons (2011-23), was the head scout of the QMJHL’s Montréal Junior for three seasons (2008-11), and spent 10 seasons with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles as a scout (1998-2002) and head scout (2002-08).

Brown guided the under-17 program in 2023-24, helping Canada White to a gold medal at the 2023 U17 World Challenge. He is currently in his 10th season (2015-24) as general manager of the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after serving four seasons as director (2014-15) and assistant director (2011-14) of hockey operations with the team. Brown led Erie to an OHL championship in 2017, and contributed to a CHL record of four-consecutive 50-win seasons (2011-15). Prior to joining the Otters, he spent seven seasons with the Mississauga/Niagara IceDogs, serving as assistant general manager (2003-05) and general manager (2005-10).

Anholt led the under-20 program last season, as well as the under-18 program for two seasons (2021-23), helping Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team win a gold medal at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He is currently in his ninth full season (2015-24) as general manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL) after being promoted from assistant general manager in 2014. Anholt also spent time as head coach of the Hurricanes for part of the 2014-15 season, and has won the WHL Executive of the Year award twice (2015-16, 2019-20). He brings a wealth of WHL experience as a head coach, assistant coach and scout, including stints with the Prince Albert Raiders (1986-89, 2002-07), Seattle Thunderbirds (1989-92, 2012-14), Red Deer Rebels (1992-95, 1998-2000, 2007-08, 2011-12) and Kelowna Rockets (1996-98).

Turris played in 776 NHL games over 14 seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes (2008-11), Ottawa Senators (2011-17), Nashville Predators (2017-20) and Edmonton Oilers (2020-22), amassing 424 points (168 goals, 256 assists). He suited up for Canada at all levels of the POE, winning gold medals at the 2006 U18 Junior World Cup and 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship, and won gold with Canada West at the inaugural World Junior A Challenge in 2006, where he led the tournament in scoring and was named Most Valuable Player. Turris also played at three IIHF World Championships (2014, 2018, 2019), serving as captain and winning a silver medal in 2019.

Seabrook played in 1,114 NHL games over 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks (2005-20), recording 464 career points (103 goals, 361 assists), serving as an alternate captain for 11 seasons and winning the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013, 2015). He won a silver medal at the 2002 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, gold medals at the 2002 Eight Nations Cup and 2003 IIHF World U18 Championship, and gold (2005) and silver (2004) at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Seabrook also suited up for Canada at the 2006 IIHF World Championship and won gold at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Prior to his professional career, he played four WHL seasons (2001-05) for Lethbridge, serving as Hurricanes captain for two seasons (2003-05).

The management group will work alongside Salmond, Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, U20 head scout Al Murray (Regina, SK), U17 head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) and Scott Walker (Cambridge, ON), player development coach, as well as the organization’s hockey operations staff. Day-to-day operations for the POE management group include assisting in coach and player selections, supporting the coaching staffs and providing input during camps and tournaments throughout the season.

The Program of Excellence is overseen by Katherine Henderson (Thunder Bay, ON), Hockey Canada’s president and chief executive officer; Pat McLaughlin (Saint John, NB), Hockey Canada’s chief operating officer and executive vice-president, strategy; Salmond; Roy; Dan MacKenzie (Guelph, ON), CHL president; Bryan Crawford (Hamilton, ON), OHL commissioner; Mario Cecchini (Saint-Lambert, QC), QMJHL commissioner; and Dan Near (Markham, ON), WHL commissioner.

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

OTTAWA, Ontario – Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) have released the schedule for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is set to take place Dec. 26, 2024-Jan. 5, 2025, in Ottawa.

“In partnership with the IIHF and our incredible tournament partners, we are so excited to announce the schedule for the upcoming World Juniors in Ottawa,” said Katherine Henderson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada. “It is hard to believe that puck drop is only 100 days away, and we cannot wait to see both venues packed with fans cheering on the best junior hockey players in the world this holiday season.”

In the preliminary round, Canada, the United States, Finland, Latvia and Germany will compete in Group A at the Canadian Tire Centre. Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan will form Group B and play at TD Place.

The opening day of the tournament will feature Sweden playing Slovakia at 12 p.m. ET, the United States facing Germany at 2:30 p.m. ET, Czechia battling Switzerland at 5 p.m. ET and Canada taking on Finland at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Following games against Latvia on Dec. 27 and Germany on Dec. 29, Canada will play the United States on Dec. 31, marking the first time that the two teams have faced each other on New Year’s Eve since the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The relegation game and quarterfinals will take place on Jan. 2, before the tournament shifts exclusively to the Canadian Tire Centre for the semifinals on Jan. 4 and medal games on Jan. 5.

All 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship games will be broadcast on TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada.

“As a partner with Hockey Canada for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, we are thrilled to provide our members with the opportunity to participate in the World Juniors,” said Debbie Rambeau, executive director of Hockey Eastern Ontario. “The announcement of the tournament schedule is an exciting time and we look forward to announcing more community, player, coach and official activities in the coming months.”

More than 155,000 fans signed up for the 2025 World Juniors Priority Draw for a chance to purchase tournament ticket packages and access a pre-sale for single-game tickets that begins on Sept. 18.

Limited single-game ticket inventory will go on sale to the public on HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets at 10 a.m. ET on Sept. 20.

In December 2023, the Province of Ontario announced a $4 million investment for the 2025 World Juniors to benefit the planning and delivery of the event.

“Our government is proud to support the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, and we look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to the Ottawa area for this major international event,” said Neil Lumsden, Ontario’s minister of sport. “Fans of all ages will get the chance to watch the hockey stars of tomorrow in action, right here in Ontario – reinforcing our province’s status as a premier sport hosting destination.”

The list of communities that will host pre-tournament games, along with the pre-tournament schedule, will be announced in October.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

EDMONTON, Alberta – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team has won the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, edging Czechia 2-1 in the gold medal game Saturday night at Rogers Place.

It’s the third year in a row Canada has won the annual summer under-18 tournament, and the 25th time in 32 tries dating back to 1991.

Liam Kilfoil (Quispamsis, NB/Chicoutimi, LHJMQ) opened the scoring for Canada just over six minutes into the first period, potting his second goal of the tournament and giving the Canadians a lead they would not relinquish.

“Canada’s expectations are always to win,” said head coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna, BC/Kelowna, WHL). “I’m so proud of the group in there. It’s amazing to see all of the coaches’ ideas come to fruition and be on display in a short tournament like this. I’m happy to be able to achieve this with this group…and to win for the third year in a row is extra special.”

Caleb Desnoyers (Saint-Hyacinthe, QC/Moncton, LHJMQ), scored the eventual game-winning goal with 52 seconds left in the opening frame.

Czechia drew within one on a power play with less than 10 seconds remaining, but Jack Ivankovic (Mississauga, ON/Brampton, OHL) locked things down, backstopping the Canadians with an 18-save performance. Ivankovic was lights out for Canada, finishing with four wins to go along with a 0.75 goals-against average and .967 save percentage. He’s just the second goaltender in Canadian summer U18 tournament history to appear in four games and fashion a sub-1.00 GAA, joining Scott Ratzlaff (2022).

 “Singing that anthem with all the boys is a memory we will never forget,” said Ivankovic. “It’s my favourite song tonight, that’s for sure. We came out of the gate flying. We knew it would be a hard game with a gold medal on the line, but we just kept working and got it done.”

A full game summary can be found at HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca.

“This is every kid’s dream [to win a gold medal for Canada],” said alternate captain Gavin McKenna (Whitehorse, YT/Medicine Hat, WHL). We are all so proud to wear this Maple Leaf… we battled hard all week long, and to win this with this group is something we will remember forever.”

Canada finished the preliminary round in first place in Group A after wins over Switzerland (10-0), Slovakia (5-1) and Sweden (2-1). It earned its spot in the gold medal game with a 5-1 win over the United States in the semifinals.

Cole Reschny (Macklin, SK/Victoria, WHL) and Émile Guité (Chambly, QC/Chicoutimi, LHJMQ) finished as Canada’s co-leaders in scoring, recording three goals and four assists apiece.

Sweden wins bronze

Earlier in the day, Sweden won the bronze medal with a 6-2 win over the United States.

Eric Nilson led the offence with a hat trick, while Love Härenstam made 34 saves. 

It is the eighth time Sweden has won summer U18 bronze, and 13th medal overall.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, please visit hlinkagretzkycup.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, X and Instagram. 

Four wins down, one to go for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, which – for the second year in a row – faces off against Czechia in the gold medal game at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Last Game

Canada moved into another gold medal game by beating the United States 5-1 in Friday’s late semifinal. Jack Ivankovic was terrific in a 28-save performance, and five different players – Cameron Schmidt, Alex Huang, Cole Reschny, Luca Romano and Gavin McKenna – scored goals as the Canadians beat their North American neighbours in the semis for the second year in a row.

The Czechs booked their place in the final with a 5-1 semifinal win over Sweden. Vit Zahejsky led the charge with a two goals and an assist, his first capping off a three-goals-in-11-minutes stretch that put Czechia in control. Adam Benak added a goal and an assist, while Ondrej Stebetek finished with 18 saves.

Last Meeting

The teams met a week ago in pre-tournament play, with the Czechs earning a 6-4 win. Cameron Schmidt had a goal and an assist to pace the Canadians, but two Czechia goals in a span of 10 seconds with less than seven minutes to go proved to be the difference.

As mentioned, this gold medal game is a rematch of the 2023 final, an overtime thriller that ended in a 3-2 Canadian victory. After the Czechs forced extra time with just 4:47 left, Malcolm Spence provided the heroics for Canada, scoring with seven seconds left in the overtime period to give Canada a 24th summer U18 gold.

What to Watch

If Friday’s win – and the tournament as a whole – has shown us anything, it’s how deep the Canadian lineup truly is. Every night, it seems as if someone new is stepping up to provide offence. Through four games, 17 of 20 Canadian skaters have at least a point, six are averaging at least a point a game and no one has scored more than three goals (Reschny, McKenna, Romano, Schmidt and Émile Guité have all reached that mark). The top defensive pairing of Huang and Matthew Schaefer has combined for 10 points, the ‘D’ corps as a whole has been terrific – allowing only three goals in four games – and Ivankovic has been lights out with a 0.67 goals-against average and .973 save percentage.

All eyes on Benak. After co-leading the tournament in scoring a year ago as an underager, the 5-foot-7 forward has been as good as advertised in Edmonton. His goal and assist against the Swedes gives him 10 points (4-6—10) in four games – the same number he had in 2023 and just one back of Swedish sniper Viktor Klingsell for the tournament lead. Benak has found the scoresheet in every game, highlighted by a hat trick and two helpers in a win over Germany on Tuesday. He’ll ply his trade in North America this season, joining the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms after producing a point-per-game (8-21—29 in 29 games) with HC Plzen in the Czech U20 league last year.

A Look Back

The Canadians and Czechs have been frequent foes in summer under-18 competition, facing off 24 times dating back to 1997 (Canada has won 20 of those 24).

That list includes six gold medal game meetings; in addition to last year’s win, the Canadians prevailed in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2014 and 2017 (led by a goal and two assists from 2022 Olympian Jack McBain).

All-time record: Canada leads 20-2-2 (1-0 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 109
Czechia goals: 45

It’s on to the medal round for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, which takes on the United States in an all-North American semifinal Friday night at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Last Game

Canada closed out an unblemished preliminary round with a 2-1 win over Sweden on Wednesday night. Benjamin Kindel got the scoring started seven minutes into the first period and Gavin McKenna provided the winner with 7:28 left in the third for the Canadians, who held off a late Swedish push to top Group A.

The Americans romped to a victory in their prelim finale, getting a goal and four assists from Alexander Donovan, and two goals and a helper apiece from Mason Moe, Sam Spehar and Nicolas Sykora in a 12-3 win over Germany. The U.S. took control with a six-goal second period, outshooting the Germans 21-1.

Last Meeting

The rivals met a year ago at this stage of the tournament, with Canada coming from behind for a 7-2 semifinal win in Trencin, Slovakia. Maxim Massé and Berkly Catton led the offence with two goals apiece for the Canadians, who scored six unanswered goals over the final 40 minutes, outshooting the Americans 29-13 over that span.

More recently, it was a Canada-U.S. gold medal game at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship last spring. McKenna was the star in that one, scoring a hat trick – including a pair of goals in the decisive third period – to lead the Canadians to a 6-4 comeback win for their fifth world title.

What to Watch

Jack Ivankovic has been lights out in the Canadian goal, allowing just a single goal across his two starts and keeping the Swiss and Swedes scoreless for more than 113 minutes to start the tournament. The Mississauga native has fashioned a tournament-leading 0.50 goals-against average and .977 save percentage, adding to his already-impressive international résumé; last November, he backstopped Canada White to a gold medal at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with a 2.51 GAA and .923 SV% across eight games, both tops among netminders who played at least three games, and making 34 saves in the gold medal game. He also earned a gold medal at U18 Worlds, serving as Canada’s third goaltender.

One of only two Canadian Hockey League players on the American roster, U.S. captain Blake Fiddler has felt right at home at Rogers Place. The 6-foot-4 defenceman, who plays his club hockey with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, recorded a goal and two assists in the preliminary round, opening the scoring in Wednesday’s win over Germany. Fiddler will face a number of familiar faces in the semifinal; the Texas-born blue-liner won gold with Canada White at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge before trading in the Maple Leaf for the Stars and Stripes, and will line up Friday against nine players he won gold alongside in Charlottetown.

A Look Back

Canada has not lost to its North American neighbours in summer U18 competition since 2003, and has claimed victory in 13 of the 20 all-time meetings (with three ending in ties).

The Canadians and Americans met in a semifinal thriller when Edmonton hosted the Hlinka Gretzky Cup for the first time in 2018. Dylan Cozens tied things up with a buzzer-beater in the third period before Josh Williams scored in overtime, sending Canada to play for gold with a 6-5 victory.

All-time record: Canada leads 13-4-3 (1-0 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 85
United States goals: 46

With its semifinal spot secured, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team goes in search of a perfect preliminary round at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup when it takes on Sweden in the prelim finale Wednesday at Rogers Place.

Last Game

Canada stayed perfect and kept its hold on top spot in Group A on Tuesday night, beating Slovakia 5-1. Cameron Schmidt and Luca Romano led the way with two goals apiece, and Émile Guité added one of his own. The Canadians finished 2-for-3 with the power play and were perfect on four penalty kills, including a late five-minute major.

The Swedes flexed their offensive muscle on Tuesday, scoring four goals in each period in a 12-1 romp over Switzerland. Ivar Stenberg finished with four goals and three assists, Milton Gästrin had two goals and six helpers, and Viktor Klingsell added up two goals and five assists for Sweden, which finished with a 55-19 advantage in shots.

Last Meeting

The last meeting between the teams at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup came in the final prelim game in 2022 in Red Deer. Canada got goals from Calum Ritchie, Zach Benson and Brayden Yager, along with 18 saves from Scott Ratzlaff, to blank the Swedes 3-0 and finish perfect atop Group A.

Most recently, the Canadians and Swedes met in the semifinals of the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship last spring. A four-goal first period – highlighted by a goal and an assist each from Ryder Ritchie and Tij Iginla – seemingly put the Canadians in control, but a furious Swedish comeback provided a thrilling conclusion in what finished as a 5-4 win for Canada.

What to Watch

Wherever Matthew Schaefer goes, he leads. And wins. The No. 1 pick in the OHL Draft by the Erie Otters in 2023, the Hamilton native burst onto the national scene at the 2023 Canada Winter Games , wearing the ‘C’ with Ontario and scoring the overtime winner in the gold medal game. Nine months later, Schaefer again served as captain and again took home gold, this time with Canada White at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Then he won gold with Canada at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship (although there was no letter involved as an underager), and now he’s got the ‘C’ on his chest at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. So far, so good in Edmonton; Schaefer has two goals and two assists through two games, leading all defencemen in scoring.

A year ago, three players – Berkly Catton, Trevor Connelly and Adam Benak – led the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in scoring with 10 points in five games. Gästrin almost got there himself on Tuesday. The Örnsköldsvik native opened the scoring and added two assists in the first period, had another goal and two helpers in the second and finished his night with two more assists in the third as his line with Stenberg and Klingsell combined for a ridiculous 22 points in the win. The performance was all the more impressive when you consider Gästrin only recorded 16 points (7-9—16) in 41 games with MODO Hockey in Sweden’s U20 national league. What can the terrific trio do for an encore against Canada?

A Look Back

The head-to-head history has been one-sided in summer U18 competition, which may come as a surprise to some considering the place both countries hold as world hockey powers. But Canada has won 17 of 20 against the Swedes, including eight in a row dating back to 2013.

There is history at Rogers Place as well; when Edmonton first hosted the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018, it was a Canada-Sweden matchup in the final. Sasha Mutala and Alexis Lafrenière had two goals each in that game as the Canadians erased an early two-goal deficit to earn a 6-2 win and home-ice gold.

All-time record: Canada leads 17-3 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 86
Sweden goals: 43

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team is right back to action Tuesday at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, returning to the ice at Rogers Place to take on Slovakia in the second of three prelim games.

Last Game

The Canadians opened their schedule with a statement win Monday, blanking Switzerland 10-0. Cole Reschny led the offensive charge with two goals and three assists, Matthew Schaefer and Émile Guité chipped in with two goals and a helper apiece, and Jack Ivankovic turned aside all 20 shots he faced for the shutout.

Slovakia came up a goal short in a tournament-opening 4-3 overtime loss to Sweden on Monday afternoon, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of effort; the Slovaks scored twice in the final 8:45 to force an extra period. The Europeans spread around the offence; seven different players recorded points, while Michal Pradel was terrific in a losing effort, making 42 saves.

Last Meeting

The teams met five days ago in pre-tournament action in Edmonton, with Canada cruising to a 10-1 victory last Thursday. Braeden Cootes scored twice and added an assist, and Guité added a pair of goals for the Canadians, who scored early – two goals in the first 5:31 – and often.

The last tournament meeting came a year ago in Trencin, where Canada set its single-tournament summer U18 scoring record in a 14-4 victory. Michael Misa was the catalyst up front, recording two goals and four assists, while Ryder Ritchie scored a hat trick. In all, 16 Canadians recorded at least one point.

What to Watch

Canada has plenty of offensive weapons up front, and it was Reschny’s turn to step up Monday. The native of small-town Macklin, Saskatchewan (pop. 1,247) was terrific for the Victoria Royals this season, recording 59 points (21-38—59) in 61 games, good for fifth in WHL rookie scoring and third among 2007-born players (behind Team Canada teammates Gavin McKenna and Benjamin Kindel). Reschny wants Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold to complete his medal collection – he won silver with Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games and bronze with the Saskatoon Blazers at the 2023 Men’s U18 National Club Championship, where he also earned Top Forward honours.

Andreas Straka is bound for North America this season after being selected fourth overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Quebec Remparts. Straka had quite a 2023-24 season with HK Poprad, making his debut in the Slovak Extraliga as a 16-year-old and representing Slovakia as an underager at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship, recording three points (1-2—3) in seven games. The Slovak roster also include a familiar name in Adam Nemec; his brother, Simon, was the No. 2 pick by the New Jersey Devils in the 2022 NHL Draft. Nemec is a forward, unlike his brother, who posted 57 points (28-29—57) in 43 games HK Nitra in the Slovak U20 league, and, like Straka, made his Extraliga debut, getting into three games with Nitra.

A Look Back

Canada has been absolutely perfect against Slovakia, winning all 18 meetings dating back to 1997.

The 2016 matchup was the lone game to go past 60 minutes; in that one, Maxime Comtois scored his second goal of the game 4:31 into overtime to help Canada stymie a Slovak comeback and earn a tournament-opening 3-2 victory.

All-time record: Canada leads 18-0 (1-0 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 109
Slovakia goals: 33

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team gets its quest for a 25th summer U18 gold medal underway Monday night when it takes on Switzerland in its preliminary-round opener at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Last Game

Canada finished its two-game pre-tournament schedule with a 6-4 loss to Czechia on Saturday. Cameron Schmidt scored a goal and set up another, briefly getting the Canadians even with eight minutes to go, but two goals in 10 seconds by the Czechs late in the third period was the difference.

The Swiss erased a two-goal deficit in their exhibition matchup, scoring five goals in less than 14 minutes in the third period to earn a 5-2 win over Germany. Florian Schenk led the charge with two goals and an assist, while Daniele Wagner added a goal and a helper.

Last Meeting

The teams met a year ago in the preliminary round in Trencin, Slovakia, a 5-0 win for Canada. Berkly Catton scored a pair of goals, Cole Beaudoin had a goal and an assist and Carter George made 12 saves to help the Canadians close out the prelims on a high.

The last meeting at the U18 level came in the spring in the preliminary round at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship. Porter Martone had a hat trick in that one, and Canada rode a seven-goal second period to an 8-1 victory.

What to Watch

After his performance at U18 Men’s Worlds in the spring, how can we start with anyone other than Gavin McKenna? The Whitehorse native rewrite the record book in Finland, setting Canadian record for goals (10) and points (20) in a single tournament, capped by a hat trick in the gold medal game to help Canada come from behind to beat the U.S. He wasn’t too bad in the regular season, posting 97 points (34-63—97) to earn CHL and WHL rookie of the year honours. So what does the 16-year-old do for an international encore?

Florian Schenk is a name that will soon be more familiar for Canadian hockey fans, at least those on the East Coast. The 6-foot-3, 201-pound forward will be plying his trade this season with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, who selected him at No, 7 in the CHL Import Draft last month. Schenk spent the 2023-24 campaign with SC Bern, posting 12 points (6-6—12) in nine games with the U17 team and 25 (8-17—25) in 42 games with the U20 team. He also had 17 points (6-11—17) in 22 international games with the Swiss U17 program.

A Look Back

Canada has owned the head-to-head history in summer under-18 competition, winning 17 of the 18 meetings. The lone Swiss victory was in the first of those 18, way back in 2001.

The Canadians have won the last three matchups without allowing a goal, a run that began with a 10-0 victory in Edmonton in the 2018 tournament opener, a game in which Peyton Krebs scored twice and added an assist, and Nolan Maier earned a 15-save shutout.

All-time record: Canada leads 17-1 (1-0 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 102
Switzerland goals: 36