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

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced that Stanley Cup champion Misha Donskov (London, ON) has joined the organization as vice-president of hockey operations and men’s national teams coach, effective immediately.

Reporting to Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, Donskov brings National Hockey League (NHL) experience as an executive and coach to the organization and will be responsible for implementing the vision and strategies for Hockey Canada’s men’s, women’s and para hockey teams, and strengthen the alignment between the organization’s hockey operations and business operations staffs.

Donskov will also serve as head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Team at the IIHF World Championship, as assistant coach with the Men’s Olympic Team and as associate coach with Canada’s National Junior Team.

“We are thrilled to name Misha to his role today as he will play a critical role to ensure Canada’s national teams are set up for sustained success when representing our country on the world stage,” said Katherine Henderson (Thunder Bay, ON), Hockey Canada’s president and chief executive officer. “Misha is a proven winner, collaborative leader and unwavering in his commitment to supporting our athletes, coaches and staff, and we know he will make Canadians proud throughout his work with Hockey Canada.

“We received a tremendous number of applications from candidates in Canada, across North America and around the world for this position and appreciate their interest in the role as part of the extensive recruitment process.”

Donskov recently completed his second season as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars after spending parts of four seasons as an assistant coach (2020-23) with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2023. Before joining the Golden Knights coaching staff, he was the team’s director of hockey operations for four seasons (2016-20). Internationally, Donskov has been part of a number of successful Canadian teams, including championships as an assistant coach at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He also won gold at two IIHF World Championships (2015, 2016) and one IIHF World Junior Championship (2015) as manager of hockey operations, analytics and video, and won the 2019 Spengler Cup as director of hockey operations and assistant coach as well as the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament as video coach.

Donskov spent five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the London Knights (2009-12) and Ottawa 67s (2012-14), highlighted by an OHL championship as London’s assistant general manager and assistant coach in 2012. In addition to his coaching and management career, Donskov has extensive experience in hockey development, including previous NHL roles with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Atlanta Thrashers.

Prior to pursuing a full-time career in hockey, Donskov spent six years with Cardinal Health, a Fortune 500 global, integrated healthcare solutions company. He held roles of increasing responsibility in finance, sales, and sales management. He holds a master's degree in kinesiology with a specialization in coaching education from the University of Western Ontario.

“It is a tremendous honour to be trusted to serve as Vice President, Hockey Operations and National Men’s Teams Coach for Hockey Canada,” said Donskov. “I would like to thank the Hockey Canada Board, Katherine Henderson and Scott Salmond for this incredibly unique opportunity. Hockey Canada has played a significant role in my hockey journey and development — both personal and professional. I am excited to be returning to Hockey Canada to help support our world leading teams, programs and people. In addition, I would like to thank Tom Gaglardi, Jim Nill and Pete DeBoer for affording me the privilege to coach in the National Hockey League and be a part of the Dallas Stars family and organization.”

This is the second critical hockey operations staff announcement ahead of the 2025-26 international hockey season after Hockey Canada announced the hiring of Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), the first full-time general manager of the Program of Excellence.

“Misha brings a coaching acumen and focus to Hockey Canada that our programs will benefit immensely from,” added Salmond. “With a full time general manager in Alan Millar and now the addition of Misha Donskov, we are in a great position as an organization moving forward.”

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.

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.

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship officially wrapped up on Sunday after 11 days of competition in the nation’s capital.

Fans at home watching on TSN see the action on the ice, but the action behind the scenes is crucial to help welcome the world to what is one of the most-watched tournaments on the international hockey calendar.

What exactly goes into – and comes out of – hosting the World Juniors? Let’s look at the numbers:

7: Communities in the Ottawa area that hosted pre-tournament games – Arnprior, Belleville, Brockville, Cornwall, Hawkesbury, Kingston and Ottawa.

10: Indigenous artists whose work was on display for Player of the Game awards, volunteer belt bags and a special commemorative jersey.

23: Officials assigned to work the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, representing nine countries – Finland (4), United States (4), Canada (3), Sweden (3), Czechia (2), Denmark (2), Latvia (2), Slovakia (2) and Switzerland (1).

26: People from 14 different countries who took the Oath of Citizenship to become Canadian citizens ahead of Canada’s pre-tournament game against Czechia.

27: Partners who supported Hockey Canada and the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

28: Shooters in the bronze medal game shootout between Czechia and Sweden, the longest in International Ice Hockey Federation history. Goaltenders Michael Hrabal and Marcus Gidlof combined for 23 saves before Eduard Sale scored the winner for the Czechs in the 14th round.

76: Unique puck stacks, created by team services volunteers, ahead of practices.

116: Minor hockey players who participated in the event as flag bearers and Esso Player of the Game presenters in pre- and post-game ceremonies.

121: Accredited media members from 11 different countries, plus 36 accredited photographers.

193: Goals scored in the tournament. The highest single-game total was 16, when Czechia topped Kazakhstan 14-2, while the lowest total was three, done three times (Switzerland vs. Slovakia – 2-1; Canada vs. Germany – 3-0; and Finland vs. Latvia – 3-0).

322: Volunteers who gave their time during the tournament through the TELUS volunteer program.

400: Water jugs consumed throughout the tournament by teams, volunteers and staff.

1,094: Social media posts sent across all Hockey Canada platforms (X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok) from Dec. 19 (when pre-tournament play started) through Jan. 5. The posts earned 45,217,677 impressions and 2,000,899 engagements.

1,964: Minutes of hockey played during the tournament. Seven games went beyond 60 minutes, including the Finland-Sweden semifinal and both medal games. It’s the third time in the last four years that the gold medal game has required overtime.

4,000+: Single-game tickets donated to local community and Indigenous groups, including 150 kids each from the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation and Mohawks of Akwesasne who attended a game. As well, 150 newcomers experienced their first hockey game during the tournament.

6,177: Attendance for the relegation-round game between Germany and Kazakhstan in Ottawa on Jan. 2, making it one of the highest-attended relegation games in World Juniors history.

15,000: Meals saved through the Tablée des Chefs food recovery program, as a part of the event’s sustainability initiatives. This effort by the two main venues and two hotels prevented more than 6,842 pounds (three tons) of food from going to waste.

16,700+: Event packages sold between both venues. In total, 13,200 event packages were sold for Canadian Tire Centre and 3,532 packages were sold for TD Place.

80,000+: Attendance for Fan Fest, which was hosted at the historic Aberdeen Pavilion from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. The free event featured close to 50 different community activations, including live watch parties for World Juniors games, free skates, fireworks on New Year’s Eve, a Stanley Cup visit and a meet and greet with the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge. It also included live performances from 10 live bands and DJs.

296,895: Official attendance for all 29 games at the Canadian Tire Centre and TD Place, the eighth-highest total in World Juniors history. The number grows to more than 325,000 when Canada’s three pre-tournament games in Ottawa are included.

3,208,095: Amount, in dollars, generated from Hockey Canada 50/50 ticket sales across all 10 provinces and the Northwest Territories.

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. CZECHIA (JAN. 2)

Let the playoffs begin. It’s win or go home as Canada’s National Junior Team faces Czechia on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Centre.

Last Game

Canada dropped a 4-1 decision to the United States in its last preliminary-round game on Tuesday night. Bradly Nadeau scored on a Canadian power play early in the third period to briefly tie the game before the American power play restored its lead and added insurance. The Canadians were whistled for 22 minutes in penalties, leading to three U.S. goals with the man advantage. Carter George made 24 saves, with Canada outshooting the United States 39-28.

Czechia lost its final game of the preliminary round, falling 4-2 to Sweden on Tuesday. Petr Sikora cut the Swedish lead to 2-1 midway through the second period, but the Swedes pushed their advantage to 4-1 after 40 minutes. Captain Eduard Sale capitalized on a penalty shot in the third period, but the Czechs would get no closer.. Michael Hrabal made 37 saves in a losing effort.

Last Meeting

Canada wrapped up a perfect pre-tournament schedule with a 3-2 win over Czechia on Dec. 23. Gavin McKenna scored twice in the third period—including the game-winner with 2:29 to go—to give the Canadians the win. Nadeau provided the other goal, while George made 21 saves as the Canadians outshot Czechia 39-23.

What to Watch

The Canadians are the only team in the tournament yet to allow a goal at 5-on-5 (five goals against came on opposition power plays, and one was into an empty net), so keeping the game at even strength will be key. Despite suffering his first loss in a Team Canada jersey (he’s now 12-1), George has been the best goaltender in Ottawa, leading all netminders in goals-against average (1.01), save percentage (.964) and shutouts (2). A Los Angeles Kings prospect (57th overall in 2024), the 18-year-old was very good in playoff games while backstopping Canada to gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship and 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup; in five elimination games (all wins), George has a 2.60 GAA and .919 save percentage with a shutout.

Czechia has played for a medal at each of the last three World Juniors, and have eight players back from the team that won bronze a year ago in Gothenburg. The St. Louis Blues have four prospects on the Czech roster: defenceman Adam Jiricek (16th overall in 2024) and forwards Adam Jecho (95th overall in 2024), Ondrej Kos (81st overall in 2024) and Jakub Stancl (106th overall in 2023). Czechia has three players in the top six point-getters through the prelims: Stancl and Vojtech Hradec have four goals and seven points apiece, while Sale has four goals and six points. The Czechs led the prelims in shooting percentage (25 goals on 127 shots – 19.7%) and go into the playoffs with the No. 4 power play (3-for-13 – 23.1%) and No. 3 penalty kill (16-for-19 – 84.2%).

Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Canada and Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic) have faced each other 24 times at the World Juniors, with the Canadians claiming victory in 21 of those meetings.

The two teams have frequently met in decisive games in recent years. It was quarterfinal heartbreak last year in Gothenburg, with Canada falling 3-2 to the Czechs. They also met in the 2023 gold medal game in Halifax (a 3-2 overtime win for Canada), the 2022 semifinals in Edmonton (a 5-2 Canada win) and quarterfinals of the 2021 World Juniors in the bubble in Edmonton (a 3-0 Canada win).

All-time record: Canada leads 21-3-2 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 120
Czechia goals: 48

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. UNITED STATES (DEC. 31)

Preliminary-round action comes to a close in Ottawa as Canada’s National Junior Team faces off against the United States with first place in Group A on the line at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Last Game

Canada bounced back from its loss to Latvia with a 3-0 shutout of Germany on Sunday. Special teams struck early for Canada, with Oliver Bonk scoring a power-play goal in the first period. A shot from Caden Price bounced off the skate of German goaltender Nico Pertuch to double the lead in the third period before Mathieu Cataford added an empty-netter with three seconds to go to round out the scoring. Carter George was fantastic in net, turning aside 25 shots for his second shutout in as many starts and adding an assist on Cataford’s goal.

The United States was also in action Sunday, with the Americans dropping a 4-3 decision in overtime to Finland. Carey Terrance scored in the first period, Cole Hutson gave the U.S. the lead early in the second and Brodie Ziemer tied the game at 3-3 with an early goal in the third period, but Tuomas Uronen netted the winner for the Finns. Trey Augustine made 40 saves for the Americans.

Last Meeting

The last time these teams met was a pre-tournament matchup a year ago, with Canada dropping a 6-5 overtime decision to the Americans in Kungsbacka, Sweden. Macklin Celebrini scored in the first period before a busy second period—featuring Canadian goals from Conor Geekie and Matthew Savoie—gave the United States a 5-3 lead. Celebrini scored his second and Owen Allard sent the game to overtime, but Lane Hutson was the overtime hero for the U.S. Mathis Rousseau and Samuel St-Hilaire split duties in net to combine for 22 saves.

In tournament action, Canada and the United States met for a semifinal showdown in Halifax in 2023, with Canada earning a 6-2 win en route to its 20th gold medal. The Americans took an early 2-0 lead, but it was all Canada after that. Joshua Roy led the way with two goals and two assists for the Canadians, while Connor Bedard, Logan Stankoven, Adam Fantilli and Brandt Clarke added a goal apiece. Thomas Milic had 43 saves for Canada in his semifinal performance.

What to Watch

George has been the best goaltender in the tournament, with a 31-save shutout against Finland preceding his 25-save performance against the Germans. A Los Angeles Kings prospect (57th overall in 2024), the 18-year-old has a .905 save percentage with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack this year and has never lost in a Team Canada jersey (12-0). The netminder also backstopped Canada to gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship and the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. In addition to Canada’s goaltending, the penalty kill has been effective so far this tournament. Canada has only allowed two power play goals so far in the tournament, currently ranking third overall for teams in the tournament.

James Hagens and Cole Hutson have been the top performers for the United States in preliminary play. Eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft, Hagens has two goals, six points and is a plus-four in three games. The 18-year-old opened his tournament with a four-point performance against Germany and has five goals and 20 points with Boston College this season. Hutson has recorded one goal, six points and is a plus-seven through three games. A second-round pick of the Washington Capitals (43rd overall in 2023), the 18-year-old has four goals and 14 points with Boston University.

A Look Back

Canada has historically had the upper hand against the United States, winning 34 of 49 meetings with three ties, but things have been more even in recent history. The Canadians have split the last 10 meetings with the U.S. dating back to 2012.

Prior to the semifinal win in 2023, Canada’s last victory over the Americans came in the 2020 World Juniors opener, when Alexis Lafrenière scored a late game-winner and added three assists in a 6-4 Boxing Day win.

All-time record: Canada leads 34-12-3 (3-3 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 200
United States goals: 136

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. GERMANY (DEC. 29)

Preliminary-round action continues in Ottawa as Canada’s National Junior Team looks to bounce back against Germany at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Last Game

It was a Friday night heartbreaker as Canada was edged by Latvia 3-2 in an eight-round shootout. Jett Luchanko opened the scoring with a shorthanded beauty in the second period and Calum Ritichie gave the Canadians the lead again with a power-play goal in the third, but Linards Feldbergs was spectacular in the Latvian goal, turning aside 55 shots in regulation and overtime, and all eight Canadian shooters in the shootout. Canada also lost 17-year-old defenceman Matthew Schaefer for the remainder of the tournament after he left early with an injury.

Germany was in action Friday afternoon at the Canadian Tire Centre, falling 3-1 to Finland. The Germans kept the game close, with Clemens Sager scoring late in the second period to cut the Finnish lead to 2-1, but couldn’t find the equalizer. Linus Vieillard was very good between the pipes, making 40 saves.

Last Meeting

It was a New Year’s Eve matchup the last time Canada and Germany met, with Canada earning a 6-3 win last year in Gothenburg, Sweden. Macklin Celebrini and Brayden Yager scored in the first period to give the Canadians a lead they would not relinquish before a big third period, with goals from Owen Beck, Jordan Dumais, Celebrini and Easton Cowan, sealed the victory.

What to Watch

Canada has a bright spot in goal, with Carter George and Jack Ivankovic putting up solid performances in the first two games. George posted a 31-save shutout against Finland to open the tournament. A Los Angeles Kings prospect (57th overall in 2024), the 18-year-old has a .905 save percentage with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack this year and has never lost in a Team Canada jersey (11-0). As a 17-year-old, Ivankovic is eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft. The Mississauga, Ontario, native has a 12-7-1 record with the Brampton Steelheads this year with a .898 save percentage. The netminders backstopped Canada to to gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship, with Ivankovic also winning gold at this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup, a year after George did the same.

The Germans enter the matchup with one of the tournament’s best penalty kills of the tournament; they were perfect on seven opportunities against the Finns and Americans. Julius Sumpf leads Germany with a goal and an assist through two games. The 19-year-old plays with the Moncton Wildcats and has 16 goals and 37 points in 29 QMJHL games this season. This is Sumpf’s second World Juniors, as he recorded one goal and three points at last year’s tournament.

A Look Back

Canada has won all 17 meetings since Germany’s reunification in 1991. Looking back past 1991 for games against West Germany from 1977-89, Canada boasts an impressive record of 26 wins from 27 meetings.

Canada’s only blip was a 7-6 loss in the consolation round in 1981. The good news from that defeat? It indirectly contributed to the establishment of the Program of Excellence the following year.

All-time record: Canada leads 17-0-0
Canada goals: 108
Germany goals: 26

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. LATVIA (DEC. 27)

Canada’s National Junior Team is right back to action at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, riding the momentum from a tournament-opening win into a Friday face-off against Latvia at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Last Game

Canada opened the preliminary round in style on Thursday, getting a 31-save shutout from Carter George and a goal and an assist from Matthew Schaefer in a 4-0 win over Finland. Gavin McKenna, Easton Cowan and Luca Pinelli rounded out the scoring for the Canadians, who outshot the Finns 41-31.

The Latvians capped off pre-tournament play on Monday with a 5-1 loss to Switzerland in Arnprior. Olivers Murnieks scored the lone goal late in the third period, while Linards Feldbergs made 38 saves in a losing cause.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Latvians faced off a year ago to the day in Gothenburg in what finished as a 10-0 victory for Canada. Macklin Celebrini was the offensive star for Canada, scoring once and adding four assists, while Conor Geekie and Carson Rehkopf had two goals apiece. Mathis Rousseau turned aside all 22 shots he faced for the shutout as the Canadians pulled away with five goals in the third period.

What to Watch

The first 17-year-old defenceman to make Team Canada since Jamie Drysdale in 2020, the only thing that sets Schaefer apart from his older teammates is the cage he’s wearing as an under-18 player. The Hamilton product was terrific against the Finns, helping set up McKenna’s ice-breaker in the first period and capping the win with a 200-foot empty-net goal in the dying seconds. Schaefer has done nothing but win in his international career – gold at the 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge (as captain), gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship (as an underager) and gold at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (as captain). Not bad, kid. Not bad at all.

The Latvians have a sizeable youth movement (even in a tournament for teenagers), rostering four 16-year-olds – all of whom are plying their trade in North America this season. Murnieks has 15 points (9-6—15) in 25 games with the Sioux City Muskateers of the USHL, Rudolfs Berkalns plays for Muskegon of the USHL, Martins Klaucans is with the St. Cloud Norsemen of the NAHL and Roberts Naudins is with the U18 Prep team at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School.

A Look Back

The all-time history between the Canadians and Latvians is a short one, with just four meetings in World Juniors history. The Canadians have controlled all four, hitting double digits in goals in three of them.

The first-ever matchup, at the 2010 World Juniors in Saskatchewan, provided the most fireworks ; in the Boxing Day opener in Saskatoon, Gabriel Bourque tied the Canadian single-game scoring record with seven points (3-4—7), Brandon Kozun added five (2-3—5), and Jordan Eberle, Patrice Cormier, Nazem Kadri and Luke Adam provided two goals apiece in a 16-0 win.

All-time record: Canada leads 4-0-0
Canada goals: 41
Latvia goals: 4

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. FINLAND (DEC. 26)

Let the games begin! Canada’s National Junior Team opens the preliminary round of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship against Finland on Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Last Game

Canada wrapped up a perfect pre-tournament schedule with a 3-2 win over Czechia on Monday night. Bradly Nadeau opened the scoring early in the first period before Czechia responded before the end of the opening frame. Gavin McKenna scored twice—including the game-winner with 2:29 to go—to seal the win. The Canadians outshot Czechia 39-23 and Carter George made 21 saves.

Finland was in action Monday night in Cornwall, falling 5-2 to the United States. Kasper Halttunen got the Finns on the board with a power-play goal in the second period, cutting the American lead to 2-1. Halttunen added his second goal on a penalty shot in the third period, while Noa Vali and Kim Saarinen combined for 25 saves.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Finns opened up the tournament exactly a year ago in Gothenburg, Sweden, with Canada earning a 5-2 win. Nate Danielson and Owen Allard gave Canada a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes. Macklin Celebrini got the game-winner to start the third period, and empty-netters by Matthew Poitras and Maveric Lamoureux sealed the win. Canada threw 29 shots on net and Mathis Rousseau made 24 saves.

What to Watch

Let’s hear it for McKenna! He celebrated his 17th birthday last week and has already made an impact on the ice for Canada. The Whitehorse, Yukon, native—who has 19 goals and 60 points in 30 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers this season—is the eighth-youngest player in National Junior Team history, but comes into the tournament with plenty of international experience—he recorded a record-setting 10 goals and 20 points on the way to gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship, and added three goals and six points when Canada won gold at this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Finland has six returning players from last year’s fourth-place team. In addition to his two goals against the United States, Halttunen (36th overall in 2023 to San Jose) also added a goal and an assist against Slovakia in pre-tournament action. The Finns have two first-round NHL picks­—Konsta Helenius (14th overall to Buffalo in 2024) and Emil Hemming (29th overall to Dallas in 2024). Helenius has registered six goals and 17 points this season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, while Hemming has put up five goals and 20 points with the OHL’s Barrie Colts.

A Look Back

Other than the United States, Finland is Canada’s most frequently-faced opponent at the World Juniors. The two countries have met 42 times, with the Canadians winning 27 of those games. The matchup has been even more favourable when Canada is on home ice, with the Canadians owning a 13-1 record.

The most recent home game was the gold medal game of the August 2022 tournament in Edmonton, a thrilling 3-2 overtime win for Canada. Joshua Roy and William Dufour scored for a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes, but the Finns evened the score in the third period to send the game to overtime. In a now iconic World Juniors moment, Mason McTavish knocked a Finnish shot out of the air to prevent it from going in during overtime, and Kent Johnson notched the game-winner a few moments later.

All-time record: Canada leads 27-9-6 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 168
Finland goals: 107

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. CZECHIA (DEC. 23)

With two pre-tournament wins under its belt, Canada’s National Junior Team faces Czechia on Monday night for one final tune-up at the Canadian Tire Centre ahead of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Last Game

A strong third period powered Canada to a 4-2 win over Sweden on Saturday night. Luca Pinelli opened the scoring for Canada to the delight of Ottawa 67s fans in attendance. Sweden responded to take a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes, but Oliver Bonk, Calum Ritchie and Easton Cowan scored in the final 10:45 of the third period to erase the deficit and give Canada its second pre-tournament win. Canada racked up 40 shots on goal, while Jack Ivankovic and Carson Bjarnason combined for 22 saves.

Czechia was in action Friday night in Brockville, earning a 5-1 win over Latvia. Matej Mastalrisky got the Czechs on the board in the first, Petr Sikora scored twice and Adam Jecho added one of his own for a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes. Patrik Volas recorded the final goal in the third period and Jan Kavan made 21 saves for the Czechs.

Last Meeting

It was a quarterfinal heartbreaker last year in Gothenburg, with Canada falling 3-2 to the Czechs. After Czechia took a 2-0 lead after the first period, Matthew Wood and Jake Furlong got Canada even in the middle frame. With overtime looming, Jakub Stanci’s goal with 11 seconds remaining in regulation was the difference, with Czechia moving on to eventually claim the bronze medal.

What to Watch

Ritchie had a strong showing Saturday, with the Colorado Avalanche prospect recording a goal and two assists against the Swedes. The Oakville, Ontario, native began his season with the Avs, scoring a goal in seven games before rejoining the Oshawa Generals. Selected as an alternate captain for Canada at this tournament, Ritchie’s leadership and experience will have an impact on Canada—he won gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and led the tournament in scoring with four goals and six assists in five games.

Czechia has made it to the medal round of the World Juniors for the past three tournaments, and have eight returning players coming to Ottawa. The St. Louis Blues have four prospects on the Czechs’ pre-tournament roster: defenceman Adam Jiricek (16th overall in 2024) and forwards Adam Jecho (95th overall in 2024), Ondrej Kos (81st overall in 2024) and Jakub Stancl (106th overall in 2023). Jiricek has not played with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs since Nov. 6 due to injury and had another injury-shortened season last year with HC Plzen. Forward Miroslav Holinka made a splash at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ development camp this summer. The 19-year-old was drafted 151th overall in 2024 and has 10 goals and 21 points with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings this season.

A Look Back

Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Canada and Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic) have faced each other 24 times at the World Juniors, with the Canadians claiming victory in 21 of those meetings.

The two teams have frequently met in decisive games in recent years. In addition to last year’s quarterfinal, they also met in the 2023 gold medal game in Halifax (a 3-2 overtime win for Canada), the 2022 semifinals in Edmonton (a 5-2 Canada win) and quarterfinals of the 2021 World Juniors in the bubble in Edmonton (a 3-0 Canada win).

All-time record: Canada leads 21-3-2 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 120
Czechia goals: 48