BASEL, Switzerland – Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team has won the bronze medal at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship, edging Slovakia 4-3 in overtime on Sunday afternoon.

Macklin Celebrini (Vancouver, B.C./Chicago, USHL) etched his name into the record book with two goals, including the overtime winner, and an assist. The 16-year-old finished the tournament with a team-leading 15 points, equaling Tyson Jost (2016) for the most by a Canadian at one U18 Worlds.

“This win means everything to us,” said Celebrini. “It’s not the colour we wanted, but we showed a lot of character in this game, pushed through and found a way. I’m real proud of this team.”

“There have been some special 16-year-olds play in this tournament, and Macklin is no exception,” said head coach Jeff Truitt (Rosetown, Sask./Prince Albert, WHL). “He is a dynamic player, and he wants the spotlight. He has been a clutch guy for us all tournament, and especially today. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

Matthew Wood (Nanaimo, B.C./University of Connecticut, HE) finished with a goal and three assists, tying the game with 1:10 left in the third period to force overtime. Colby Barlow (Orillia, Ont./Owen Sound, OHL) rounded out the scoring for Canada.

“When the chips were down in a bronze medal game, we wanted to come home with a medal, and that’s what we did here today,” said Truitt. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t come home with one of the other two colours, but this was a great hockey game, and we got the win.”

Gabriel D’Aigle (Sorel-Tracy, Que./Victoriaville, QMJHL) becomes the first 16-year-old goaltender to ever start a game at the tournament and finished with 26 saves.

A full game summary and recap can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

Since 2002, Canada has won four gold medals at the IIHF U18 World Championship (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021), in addition to one silver (2005) and four bronze (2012, 2014, 2015, 2023).

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team closes out the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship on Sunday, facing off against Slovakia in search of its fourth bronze medal.

Last Game

Canada started strong in its Saturday semifinal against Sweden, taking a pair of one-goal leads in the first period through Macklin Celebrini and Angus MacDonell, but a four-goal second period for the Swedes doomed the Canadians in a 7-2 loss. Gabriel D’Aigle finished with 18 saves over the final 40 minutes in place of an injured Carson Bjarnson

The Slovaks were the latest team to fall to the high-powered Americans, dropping a 7-1 decision in their semifinal on Saturday. Dalinor Dvorsky scored to push his team-leading totals to seven goals and 12 points, while Samuel Urban and Lukas Fursten combined for 43 saves for Slovakia, which made its first semifinal appearance since 2003.

Last Meeting

The teams met a week ago in prelim play, with Macklin Celebrini’s power-play goal with 6:55 remaining standing up as the winner in a 4-3 Canadian victory. Celebrini finished with a goal and an assist and Matthew Wood had two helpers for Canada, which led 3-0 late in the second period before the Slovaks charged back in the third to make a game of it.

What to Watch

All eyes will be on the Canadian goal. Bjarnason had been terrific after his tough start to the prelims, but his first-period injury has potentially thrust D’Aigle into the spotlight with a medal on the line. The 16-year-old puck-stopper – taken No. 2 in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft, the highest a goaltender had been selected since 2000 – fashioned a 3.18 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in 21 appearances with Victoriaville, and backstopped Canada Red into the gold medal game at the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge last fall.

It was mentioned in this space when these teams met previously, but the Slovak offence lives and dies by Dvorsky. A likely first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound forward has been in on 12 of the 18 goals Slovakia has scored, and had a goal and an assist against Canada in the prelims. He has joined with Juraj Pekarcik and Adam Cedzo to form one of the best lines in the tournament – the trio has combined for 13 goals and 30 points, while the other 17 Slovak skaters have five goals and 21 points among them.

A Look Back

Canada is a perfect 11-for-11 against Slovakia at the IIHF U18 World Championship, with an overtime win in 2017 the only one of those 11 to go past 60 minutes.

The Canadians and Slovaks have never faced off for bronze, but they did meet for gold in 2003; Anthony Stewart, Shawn Belle and Ryan Getzlaf scored the goals and Ryan Munce earned the shutout as Canada blanked Slovakia 3-0 to win its first-ever U18 world title.

All-time record: Canada leads 11-0 (1-0 in OT)
Canada goals: 39
Slovakia goals: 14

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

BASEL, Switzerland – Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team started strong but ultimately fell short in its Saturday semifinal at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship, dropping a 7-2 decision to Sweden.

• Macklin Celebrini (Vancouver, B.C./Chicago, USHL) opened the scoring with a power-play goal 4:31 into the game, increasing his point total to a team-leading 12.
• Angus MacDonnell (Toronto, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) scored his first goal of the tournament.
• Étienne Morin (Valleyfield, Que./Moncton, QMJHL), Cam Allen (Toronto, Ont./Guelph, OHL) and Andrew Cristall (Burnaby, B.C./Kelowna, WHL) recorded assists.
• Carson Bjarnason (Carberry, Man./Brandon, WHL) made four saves before leaving the game after the first period. Gabriel D’Aigle (Sorel-Tracy, Que./Victoriaville, QMJHL) made 18 saves in relief.
• Following the game, Celebrini, Matthew Wood (Nanaimo, B.C./University of Connecticut, HE) and Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) were named Canada’s top three players of the tournament.

Next Game:
Canada vs. Slovakia (bronze medal game) – Sunday, April 30 (9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, are broadcasting all Team Canada games at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship. Please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“It was 2-2 after one [period] and we are right there with them. [Sweden] chipped away, we had some opportunities that we did not capitalize on and they did. [Sweden] has a lot of skilled players and when you give them time and space they make you pay. We are disappointed, no doubt about that. We came here for a reason – to win a gold medal. It might not be the colour we want, but obviously we can come home with something tomorrow.”
• Head coach Jeff Truitt (Rosetown, Sask./Prince Albert, WHL) on coming up short in the semifinals

“I do not think it comes down to our will; every one of the guys in that room wanted to win just as badly as the next, but ultimately we could not capitalize. Everyone has a bitter taste in their mouth right now. We want to go home with a win and have the opportunity to do that tomorrow. It sucks for now, we will take in the loss a little bit right now but when we wake up tomorrow we have to have our minds set on winning bronze.”
• Allen on preparing for the bronze medal game

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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It’s Semifinal Saturday at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship, and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team has a showdown with Sweden on the schedule, looking to avenge its loss in the prelim opener.

Last Game

Canada rode a huge second period to victory in its quarterfinal, finding the back of the net five times as part of a 7-3 win over host Switzerland on Thursday. Macklin Celebrini continued his red-hot run, scoring twice and adding two assists, Andrew Cristall scored his first two goals of the tournament and Carson Bjarnason turned in a 28-save effort.

The Swedes cruised in their quarterfinal, outshooting Latvia 55-16 in a 6-1 win. Otto Stenberg scored twice, Noah Dower Nilsson, Simon Zether and Noel Nordh had a goal and an assist apiece, and Axel Sandin Pellikka, Felix Unger Sorum and Tom Willander recorded two helpers each.

Last Meeting

Game No. 1 on the tournament schedule matched the Canadians and Swedes nine days ago, and it was a nightmare start for the boys in red and white. Sweden netted five goals on seven shots in the first 14 minutes, and an 8-0 final was the worst loss ever by a Canadian team at U18 Worlds. Nick Lardis led Canada with five shots on goal, and Gabriel D’Aigle finished with 14 saves in relief.

What to Watch

Bjarnson comes into this one with something to prove; the Carberry, Man., native lasted less than a period and made just two saves in the tournament-opening loss to the Swedes, but he has been lights out since, with his performance against the Swiss his best yet. He made a number of big saves early to keep the game scoreless, and his glove stop off Matteo Wagner late in the second period might be the best of the entire tournament. Leave out his stats from the opener, and Bjarnason has fashioned a 2.25 goals-against average and .903 save percentage, both of which would rank him among the tournament leaders.

The Swedes have been rolling right along, winning their five games by an average of four goals and allowing just a single goal at five-on-five (and that one came just seconds after the end of a penalty kill). Noah Erliden has been unbeatable between the pipes with a 1.00 GAA, .954 save percentage and two shutouts in four games, and Stenberg sits tied for fourth in tournament scoring with 11 points (5-6—11). But it’s more than just the captain – six players are averaging more than a point a game, and another four have four points in five games. To be more concise … Sweden is deep.

A Look Back

The Canadians and Swedes have gone back and forth through the years, with both teams going on mini runs of success – the Canadians won the first two, the Swedes the next three, the Canadians the next two and the Swedes the next two before a run of four in a row by Canada from 2013-15.

There have been four previous semifinal showdowns; Canada triumphed 3-2 in 2008 and earned an 8-1 win in 2021, while Sweden scored a 6-5 shootout win in 2016 and a 4-3 victory in 2019.

All-time record: Canada leads 11-9 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 81
Sweden goals: 60

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

BASEL, Switzerland – Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team erupted for five goals in the second period and booked its spot in the semifinals after beating host Switzerland 7-3 on Thursday at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship.

• Macklin Celebrini (Vancouver, B.C./Chicago, USHL) led the offence with two goals and two assists, giving him a team-leading 11 points.
• Andrew Cristall (Burnaby, B.C./Kelowna, WHL) added his first two goals of the tournament.
• Berkly Catton (Saskatoon, Sask./Spokane, WHL), Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) and Matthew Wood (Nanaimo, B.C./University of Connecticut, HE) tallied a goal and an assist each.
• Angus MacDonnell (Toronto, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) had two assists.
• Lukas Dragicevic (Richmond, B.C./Tri-City, WHL), Andrew Gibson (LaSalle, Ont./Sault Ste. Marie, OHL), Riley Heidt (Saskatoon, Sask./Prince George, WHL) and Caden Price (Saskatoon, Sask./Kelowna, WHL) added an assist each.
• Carson Bjarnason (Carberry, Man./Brandon, WHL) turned aside 28 shots.
• Canada narrowly outshot Switzerland 33-31.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Sweden (semifinal) – Saturday, April 29 (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, are broadcasting all Team Canada games at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship. Please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“I think they’ve grown a lot and the expectations have grown as well. They believe in themselves, they believe in each other and that’s been a process ever since we got together. You know we’re going to be tested and you know we’re going to be challenged. Our guys have really done a good job when that happens to stay calm on the bench, and they’re accountable. We talk about the ways they need to play to elevate themselves. From start to finish, right now, it’s come a long way and we’re looking to elevate that level again.”

“He’s an exciting player, a dynamic player who does everything with speed. He makes the right reads, has a great shot and he’s a tremendous talent. He’s a driver on that line with two really good linemates that compliment him, and he complements the other two, so it’s pretty good chemistry there.”

• Head coach Jeff Truitt (Rosetown, Sask.) on the team’s performance and the play of Celebrini

“It feels nice. I’ve been a little snakebitten over the tournament, so to get the first one was good. For the team to put up seven on the board is nice, but we didn’t think it was our best. We didn’t play a full 60 minutes, but you have to credit the Swiss, they played well. We’re looking to capitalize and do better in the semifinals; that’s been our team motive was to get one per cent better. I think from the first game to the quarterfinals here we’ve progressed a long way.”

• Cristall on the team’s improvement each game

“It was good to get the win, but we didn’t play the way we expected and that’s what we have to do if we want to win gold. We still had too many turnovers, our tracking wasn’t good enough and we gave up too many odd-man rushes. We made some strides in the third period, but next game we have to be better. Overall, [the tournament] has been awesome. You never know how many chances you’re going to get to wear the Maple Leaf on your chest, so you have to take advantage and run with it.”

• Ritchie on keeping focused on trying to win a gold medal

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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It’s on to the playoff round for Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, which takes on host Switzerland in the third of four quarterfinals Thursday at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship

Last Game

Canada closed out its preliminary-round schedule in style on Tuesday, rolling past Czechia 8-3 to wrap up second place in Group A. Matthew Wood led the charge with a hat trick, Colby Barlow had a goal and an assist, Macklin Celebrini and Calum Ritchie had two helpers apiece for the Canadians, who kept the Czechs at bay in a busy second period – twice Czechia got within two goals, only for Canada to respond both times within just a few minutes.

The Swiss came up against the American juggernaut in their prelim finale on Tuesday, falling 10-0. Christian Kirsch made 24 saves for Switzerland, which managed just 17 shots and saw its two-game win streak come to an end.

Last Meeting

Francesco Pinelli netted a hat trick and added an assist, Corson Ceulemans added a goal and two helpers and Olen Zellweger had four assists in a 7-0 Canadian win in the preliminary round at the 2021 U18 Worlds. Thomas Milic needed to make just 11 saves to post the shutout as Canada converted five times on the power play.

What to Watch

Celebrini sure doesn’t play like a 16-year-old. The North Vancouver, B.C., native has fit right in on Canada’s second line between Wood and Ritchie – the trio co-led Canada in scoring with seven points apiece in four prelim games, and Celebrini’s six assists are the second-most among non-Americans, just one behind Finnish defenceman Aron Kiviharju. He’s been the playmaker so far, but his one goal – the game-winner against the Slovaks – was a beauty (and while we’re talking about nice goals, remember the one he scored at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge last November?). All this from a player who has another year to go at the U18 level.

The Swiss will, not surprisingly, be the crowd favourite in Basel; they averaged more than 2,300 fans during the preliminary round, highlighted by more than 3,200 at St. Jakob Arena for their win over Latvia on Sunday. On the ice, Switzerland is a “by committee” team. No one recorded more than four points in four prelim games, only Leo Braillard and Matteo Wagner scored more than one goal, and 11 different skaters averaged between 15 and 20 minutes of ice time, with only one player – Daniil Ustinkov – cracking the 19-minute mark. In goal, Ewan Huet – son of former NHLer Cristobal Huet – was terrific in his three starts, fashioning a 1.33 goals-against average and .946 save percentage.

A Look Back

It’s meeting No. 13 between the Canadians and Swiss at U18 Worlds, with Canada winning 11 of the first 12.

There have been three prior playoff-round meetings – Tyson Jost (3-2—5) and Brett Howden (2-3—5) combined for 10 points in a 9-1 Canadian win in the quarterfinals in 2016, Glenn Gawdin scored twice to help Canada to a 5-2 win in the bronze medal game in 2015, and Travis Konecny scored with 20 seconds left to give Canada a 3-2 win in the quarters in 2014.

All-time record: Canada leads 11-1
Canada goals: 71
Switzerland goals: 18

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

PORRENTRUY, Switzerland – Matthew Wood (Nanaimo, B.C./University of Connecticut, HE) scored a hat trick to lead the offence as Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team defeated Czechia 8-3 to close out preliminary-round play Tuesday at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship.

• Colby Barlow (Orillia, Ont./Owen Sound, OHL), Ty Halaburda (Victoria, B.C./Vancouver, WHL) and Porter Martone (Peterborough, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) added a goal and an assist each.
• Lukas Dragicevic (Richmond, B.C./Tri-City, WHL) and Nick Lardis (Oakville, Ont./Hamilton, OHL) also scored.
• Macklin Celebrini (Vancouver, B.C./Chicago, USHL), Caden Price (Saskatoon, Sask./Kelowna, WHL) and Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) added two assists each.
• Berkly Catton (Saskatoon, Sask./Spokane, WHL), Andrew Cristall (Burnaby, B.C./Kelowna, WHL), Riley Heidt (Saskatoon, Sask./Prince George, WHL), Tanner Howe (Prince Albert, Sask./Regina, WHL) and Alex Pharand (Sudbury, Ont./Sudbury, OHL) recorded an assist apiece.
• Twelve of the 13 Canadian forwards recorded points.
• Carson Bjarnason (Carberry, Man./Brandon, WHL) turned aside 23 shots.
• Canada outshot Czechia 45-26.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Switzerland (quarterfinal) – Thursday, April 27 (11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, are broadcasting all Team Canada games at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship. Please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“When you come over and only have a short period of time with new guys, we knew the chemistry might not be there right from the start. We knew if we worked hard the chemistry would come and we could do something in this tournament. We have been preaching from the outset to just get better each day and if we do the little things, it will come. Guys have been great about doing what we’ve asked and to just follow the plan and we are getting better.”

“We know it’s going to be a boisterous crowd facing Switzerland. We earned this finishing second in our pool, we have the matchup and we just have to be prepared like we have been.”

• Head coach Jeff Truitt (Rosetown, Sask.) on the team’s progression and the quarterfinals

“I think our whole line [Wood-Celebrini-Ritchie] had a great game tonight. We moved the puck well and it’s nice for our line to keep rolling as a unit. Seeing the puck go in the net is a huge confidence booster not just for me, but our whole team as we look ahead to the quarterfinals.”

• Wood on the offence and seven points from his line

“I thought we played a hard 60 minutes today. Bjarny (Carson Bjarnason) was the backbone from the outset, especially when we ran into a bit of penalty trouble. He made some big saves and kept us in it until our offence could get going.”

• Barlow on goaltending being a key to success

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team closes out its preliminary-round schedule Tuesday at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship, taking on Czechia as it looks to solidify a top-two spot in Group A heading into the quarterfinals.

Last Game

Canada made it two wins in a row, holding on to beat a game Slovakia 4-3 on Sunday morning. Macklin Celebrini scored the eventual game-winner on the power play with less than seven minutes to go and added an assist, Porter Martone netted a shorthanded beauty and Carson Bjarnason made 22 saves for the Canadians, who led 3-0 late in the second period before holding off a spirited Slovak comeback.

The Czechs dropped their second game of the prelims Sunday afternoon, managing only 15 shots on goal in a 2-0 loss to Sweden. Michael Hrabal was terrific, making 29 saves and keeping the game scoreless for more than 48 minutes, but Czechia couldn’t manage any offence.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Czechs met a year ago in an overtime thriller in the prelims. Canada erased a trio of one-goal deficits and took a third-period lead, but it would be Czechia escaping with a 6-5 victory. Lukas Dragicevic and Adam Fantilli led the Canadian effort with a goal and an assist each, and Reid Dyck finished with 46 saves.

What to Watch

The new guy seems like he’s fitting in pretty well. Riley Heidt stepped right into a top line role upon his arrival in Switzerland, seeing 14:48 of ice time, winning all three of his faceoffs and managing a shot on goal against the Slovaks. The Saskatoon native is a terrific addition to the Canadian lineup; a gold medallist at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer, Heidt finished fifth in Western Hockey League scoring this season with 97 points, including a WHL-leading 72 assists, and added eight points in nine playoff games witb the Prince George Cougars.

Hrabal has been lights out in the Czech goal, playing every second of the first three games, facing 101 shots and fashioning a tournament-leading .960 save percentage. He made 39 saves in a shootout loss to Slovakia and added 29 in a win over Germany before his effort against the Swedes. Up front, Eduard Sale is leading the charge with three goals in as many games. The No. 4-ranked international skater for the 2023 NHL Draft had nine points a year ago to help the Czechs reach the semifinals, and added six points in Czechia’s run to the gold medal game at the 2023 World Juniors.

A Look Back

This will be the 17th time these teams have faced off at U18 Worlds, and the head-to-head history is almost right down the middle – eight Canadian wins, seven Czech wins and one tie.

Canada has beaten Czechia in the quarterfinals en route to gold; in 2013, Connor McDavid scored a hat trick and Nick Baptiste added a goal and two assists in a 6-0 win, and Connor Bedard posted two goals and three assists as part of a 10-3 victory in 2021.

All-time record: Canada leads 8-7-1 (1-3 in OT)
Canada goals: 61
Czechia goals: 42

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

PORRENTRUY, Switzerland – Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team made it back-to-back wins at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship, edging past Slovakia 4-3 on Sunday.

• Macklin Celebrini (Vancouver, B.C./Chicago, USHL) had a goal and an assist.
• Porter Martone (Peterborough, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) added a shorthanded goal.
• Colby Barlow (Orillia, Ont./Owen Sound, OHL) and Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) rounded out the scoring.
• Matthew Wood (Nanaimo, B.C./University of Connecticut, HE) contributed two assists.
• Cam Allen (Toronto, Ont./Guelph, OHL), Lukas Dragicevic (Richmond, B.C./Tri City, WHL), Angus MacDonell (Toronto, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) and Caden Price (Saskatoon, Sask./Kelowna, WHL) chipped in with an assist each.
• Carson Bjarnason (Carberry, Man./Brandon, WHL) made 22 saves.
• Canada outshot Slovakia 42-25.

Next Game:

Canada vs. Czechia – Tuesday, April 25 (12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT)

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, are broadcasting all Team Canada games at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship. Please check local listings for details.

Quotes:

“When I found out I had the opportunity to come here, I jumped at the chance. It has been a crazy 24 hours, but I’m here, getting settled and it’s been great. I’ve known a lot of the guys for awhile now, but there’s a few new faces and it’s been fun; everyone has been really welcoming.”

“The key in these games is a good start, which we did, and we just have to play our way. The momentum switched to them a bit, but we battled back in the third came out with the win.”

• Riley Heidt (Saskatoon, Sask./Prince George, WHL) on joining the team and keys to success

“[Slovakia is] a great team. We battled back and forth, but today showed what we are capable of. Getting these wins - and even our loss against Sweden - we have to take something from each of the results, keep learning and getting better for the next game.”

• Celebrini on the team trusting the process

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

It’s a Sunday brunch faceoff for Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, which takes on Slovakia in a matinee start in Porrentruy at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship.

Last Game

Canada bounced back from its tournament-opening loss in a big way, scoring four power-play goals as part of an 8-0 win over Germany on Friday. Nick Lardis led the way with a hat trick, Matthew Wood scored twice, Calum Ritchie had a goal and three assists and Carson Bjarnason made 11 saves for the shutout.

The Slovaks were on the ice right after Canada on Friday, falling 5-3 to Sweden. Down 3-1 entering the third period, Slovakia got goals from Patrik Masnica and Roman Kukumberg in a span of 2:08 to tie the game, only for the Swedes to net a pair in the final four minutes.

Last Meeting

Stelio Mattheos was the overtime hero for Canada at the 2017 IIHF U18 World Championship, scoring 2:38 into the extra period for a 4-3 prelim win over the host Slovaks in Poprad. Kyle Olson and Isaac Ratcliffe provided the rest of the offence for Canada, which did all of its damage in regulation time in a span of 98 seconds late in the first period.

What to Watch

When he’s wearing the Maple Leaf, all Calum Ritchie seems to do is put up points. The Oakville, Ont., product finished second in scoring at the 2021 Capital City Challenge with 11 points (5-6—11) in five games, and put up a tournament-leading 10 (4-6—10) in five games at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Include the four he posted against Germany, and Ritchie is averaging more than two points per game – 25 points in 12 games – representing his country.

Slovakia is back in the top division for the first time since being relegated in 2019, and it looks like it belongs. It opened with a 3-2 shootout win over rival Czechia and was even with the defending gold medallists in the final minutes. Dalibor Dvorsky is the name to pay attention to; the 6-foot-1 centre played 38 games with AIK in the Allsvenskan (the second-highest league in Sweden), recording 14 points, and is likely to be selected in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, perhaps as high as the top 10.

A Look Back

Canada is a perfect 10-for-10 against Slovakia at the IIHF U18 World Championship, with the overtime win mentioned above the only one of those 10 to go past 60 minutes.

The Canadians and Slovaks met for gold in 2003; Anthony Stewart, Shawn Belle and Ryan Getzlaf scored the goals and Ryan Munce earned the shutout as Canada blanked Slovakia 3-0 to win its first-ever U18 world title.

All-time record: Canada leads 10-0 (1-0 in OT)
Canada goals: 35
Slovakia goals: 11