GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. FINLAND (JAN. 5)

Canada’s National Junior Team closes out the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship on Monday afternoon, facing off against Finland in the bronze medal game at Grand Casino Arena.

Last Game

Canada dropped a close one in its Sunday semifinal, erasing three one-goal deficits over the final 40 minutes before Czechia scored the winner with just 74 seconds remaining in what finished as a 6-4 defeat. Jack Ivankovic was terrific between the pipes, finishing with 31 saves, and the Canadians got goals from Tij Iginla, Zayne Parekh, Cole Reschny and Porter Martone.

The Finns could not have come any closer to the gold medal game without actually getting there, falling 4-3 in a shootout to Sweden. Aron Kiviharju hit the crossbar on an overtime power play, and Finland had three separate chances to earn the win in the shootout before coming up just short. Atte Joki scored in the first period, Jasper Kuhta scored in the second and Joona Saarelainen tied the game with 5:59 left in the third.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Finns met just five days ago, capping off the preliminary round on New Year’s Eve. The teams combined for four goals on the first four shots and six total goals in the first period before Canada netted four of the last five in a 7-4 win. Brady Martin and Cole Beaudoin scored two goals apiece, Beaudoin and Parekh had three points each and the Canadians outshot Finland 24-10 over the final 40 minutes to finish an unbeaten preliminary round and earn first place in Group B.

What to Watch

Michael Hage was all over the puck again Sunday against the Czechs, picking up two more assists, hitting three posts and coming close on a second-period penalty shot. The Toronto native has racked up 11 points (2-9—11) in six games, good for a tie atop the tournament scoring race with Parekh and Czech forward Vojtech Cihar. Hage is one of just three Canadians—along with Parekh and Gavin McKenna—to record points in all six games, and he has four multi-point efforts, something only Hage and Parekh can claim. Reschny made his presence felt with the injury absence of Brady Martin, scoring the 3-3 goal early in the third period (after potentially making it 2-2 in the second… the IIHF may want to have a look at that one). The Macklin, Saskatchewan, product skated a tournament-high 17:21 and earned Player of the Game honours for the Canadians.

Petteri Rimpinen has to be getting tired, right? The Finnish goaltender has been an absolute workhorse over the last two World Juniors, playing every single second across both tournaments—more than 810 minutes in all over 13 (soon to be 14, in all likelihood) games. Rimpinen earned Best Goaltender honours last year in Ottawa, posting a 2.34 goals-against average and .933 save percentage while backstopping Finland to overtime in the gold medal game. The numbers aren’t quite as good in Minnesota (2.57 GAA and .883 SV%), but Rimpinen has shown he has the ability to steal a game (and he came within one save, or one goal from his skaters of a return trip to the final). A fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2025 (152nd overall), he has been a mainstay in the Finnish crease—since 2022, he has played in a World U17 Hockey Challenge, two Hlinka Gretzky Cups, an IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship and two World Juniors.

Be There Next Year!

The holiday hockey tradition returns to Canadian ice a year from now when Edmonton and Red Deer host the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. Fans interested in ticket packages can register until Jan. 6 for the Priority Ticket Draw at HockeyCanada.ca/PriorityDraw.

A Look Back

Going all the way back to the first World Juniors in 1977, only the United States (50 games played) has been a more frequent foe for Canada than the Finns (44).

It’ll be the ninth time Canada and Finland will face off in the playoff round, but just the second in the bronze medal game—in 2012 in Calgary, Quinton Howden scored a pair of goals and Mark Visentin posted a 27-save shutout to lead the Canadians to a 4-0 win.

All-time record: Canada leads 29-9-6 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 179
Finland goals: 111

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. CZECHIA (JAN. 4)

Canada’s National Junior Team is back in the semifinals at the IIHF World Junior Championship for the first time in three years, taking on Czechia in a Boxing Day rematch, this time with a spot in the gold medal game on the line.

Last Game

Canada booked its place in the final four with a comfortable 7-1 win over Slovakia in the last quarterfinal Friday. The Canadians took charge early, striking for five goals in the span of 5:49 in the back half of the first period. In all, seven players scored and 14 recorded at least a point, while Michael Misa, Porter Martone, Sam O’Reilly and Cole Beaudoin finished with a goal and an assist apiece.

Czechia advanced to the semifinals for the fifth year in a row thanks to a 6-2 quarterfinal win over Switzerland. Petr Sikora and Jiri Klima recorded a goal and two assists each to help the Czechs erase a pair of one-goal deficits. Michal Orsulak needed to make just 18 saves as Czechia outshot the Swiss 33-11 over the final 40 minutes, and 43-20 overall.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Czechs raised the curtain on preliminary-round play nine days ago, with Canada earning a wild 7-5 victory on Boxing Day. Zayne Parekh scored a pair of goals, Ethan MacKenzie and Michael Hage chipped in with a goal and two helpers each and the Canadians got the three points in a game they led 1-0, 2-1, 4-3 and 5-4, and trailed 3-2.

What to Watch

The Canadians have the highest-scoring offence in the tournament with 32 goals in five games (five more than second-best Sweden) and the contributions have come from everywhere. Nineteen of the 22 skaters have recorded at least one point and 13 have scored goals. A look at the tournament scoring race shows six Canadians in the top 12, with Parekh (4-6—10) positioning himself to be the second defenceman in as many years to lead the tournament in scoring—after that hadn’t happened in the first 48 editions of the World Juniors. And how about clutch scoring? Five games have produced five different game-winning goal scorers—MacKenzie, Hage, Braeden Cootes, Beaudoin and Tij Iginla. To finish, let’s make a quick stop between the pipes; Jack Ivankovic has allowed just one goal in both of his starts in Minnesota. Going back to the medal round at U18 Men’s Worlds last spring, when Ivankovic backstopped Canada to gold and earned Best Goaltender honours, the Mississauga product has fashioned a 5-0 record with a 0.79 goals-against average, .968 save percentage and two shutouts.

Czechia is led by the three-headed monster of Vojtech Cihar (2-7—9), Tomas Galvas (3-5—8) and Sikora (2-6—8), who sit third, eighth and ninth in tournament scoring, respectively. They were front and centre in the quarterfinal win over the Swiss, combining for two goals and six points. Cihar, a second-round pick of Los Angeles (59th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft, will be joining 15 of his Czech teammates in the Canadian Hockey League after the tournament, suiting up for the Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets. And you can’t ignore Adam Jiricek; the Brantford Bulldogs (OHL) blue-liner and St. Louis Blues first-rounder (16th overall in 2024) has scored in each of his last four games, including a highlight-reel overtime winner against Finland.

Be There Next Year!

The holiday hockey tradition returns to Canadian ice a year from now when Edmonton and Red Deer host the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. Fans interested in ticket packages can register until Jan. 6 for the Priority Ticket Draw at HockeyCanada.ca/PriorityDraw.

A Look Back

The head-to-head history overwhelmingly favours the Canadians. Since the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Canada has won 22 of the 28 meetings, with another two ending in ties.

This will be the fifth time the Canadians and Czechs have clashed in a semifinal, and all four of the previous final-four faceoffs have ended in favour of Canada—in 2004 (7-1), 2005 (3-1), 2018 (7-2) and 2022 (5-2).

All-time record: Canada leads 22-3-2 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 130
Czechia goals: 57

The IIHF World Junior Championship has come a long way since Banska Bystrica and Zvolen, Czechoslovakia, hosted the inaugural tournament in December 1976 and January 1977.

As the 50th edition of what has become a holiday hockey tradition draws to a close over the next few days, it’s an opportunity to look back on the past half-century, at the players, teams and moments that carved their place into history.

Let’s take a closer look at the some of the more notable numbers from 50 years of the World Juniors.

1 – Player to win three gold medals; Jason Botterill topped the podium at each of his three appearances, in 1994, 1995 and 1996.

3 – Shutouts in a single tournament; Justin Pogge set the mark when he backstopped Canada to gold in Vancouver in 2006, and Devon Levi repeated the feat 15 years later in Edmonton.

5 – Fathers and sons who have represented Canada—the Tambellinis (Steve-1978 and Jeff-2024); Gagners (Dave-1984 and Sam-2007); Donovans (Shean-1995 and Jorian-2024); Gauthiers (Denis-1996 and Ethan-2025); and Iginlas (Jarome-1995 and Tij-2026).

6 – Overtime goal scorers; Matt Halischuk (2008), Kent Johnson (2022) and Dylan Guenther (2023) were golden goal scorers, Raffi Torres (2001) netted in the bronze medal game, Connor Bedard (2023) was the hero in the quarterfinals and Michael Hage (2026) was the first to score an extra-time winner in the prelims.

7 – Points in one game; five players have reached the mark—Dave Andreychuk (3-4—7 in 1983), Brendan Morrow (1-6—7 in 1999), Mike Cammalleri (3-4—7 in 2002), Gabriel Bourque (3-4—7 in 2010) and Connor Bedard (3-4—7 in 2023).

7 –16-year-olds to play for Canada—Wayne Gretzky (1978), Eric Lindros (1990), Jay Bouwmeester (2000), Jason Spezza (2000), Sidney Crosby (2005), Connor McDavid (2014) and Connor Bedard (2022).

7 – Canadians to play in three World Juniors; the exclusive club includes Trevor Kidd (1990-92), Eric Lindros (1990-92), Martin Lapointe (1991-93), Jason Botterill (1994-96), Jay Bouwmeester (2000-02), Jason Spezza (2000-02) and Ryan Ellis (2009-11).

10 – Canadians to win MVP honours; since the award was first presented in 2004, Canadian recipients include Patrice Bergeron (2005), Carey Price (2007), Steve Mason (2008), John Tavares (2009), Jordan Eberle (2010), Brayden Schenn (2011), Thomas Chabot (2017), Alexis Lafrenière (2020), Mason McTavish (2022) and Connor Bedard (2023).

10 – Goals in one tournament; the all-time Canadian record has stood since the very first World Juniors in 1977, when John Anderson and Dale McCourt both reached double-digits as part of Canada’s highest-scoring offence ever (50 goals in seven games).

12 – Most returnees in a single year; it was all hands on deck thanks to the 2004-05 NHL lockout, allowing Shawn Belle, Jeff Carter, Braydon Coburn, Jeremy Colliton, Sidney Crosby, Nigel Dawes, Stephen Dixon, Ryan Getzlaf, Dion Phaneuf, Michael Richards, Brent Seabrook and Anthony Stewart to help Canada end an eight-year gold medal drought in North Dakota.

12 – Points in one tournament by a defenceman; Bryan McCabe did it first, scoring three goals and adding nine assists to help Canada to its first-ever perfect World Juniors in Alberta in 1995. Alex Pietrangelo equalled the mark in 2010 in Saskatchewan, opening with a four-assist effort against Latvia and putting up points in all six games as Canada finished with silver on the Prairies.

18 – Goals in a game; Canada has reached the mark twice, in an 18-2 win over West Germany on Dec. 27, 1985 (led by three goals and three assists from Scott Mellanby) and an 18-3 win over Poland on Dec. 20, 1986 (with goals from 12 different players).

20 – Gold medals; no country has stood atop the podium more in the first 49 years of the World Juniors than Canada (1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023). Its total includes two five-year runs (1993-1997 and 2005-2009).

23 – Points in one tournament by a Canadian; Connor Bedard turned the 2023 World Juniors in Halifax and Moncton into his personal playground, recording nine goals and 14 assists in seven games to lead Canada to gold as MVP. He had 13 points in a two-games-in-two-days masterpiece against Germany (3-4—7) and Austria (2-4—6) on his way to the third-most points in tournament history.

24 – Hockey Hall of Fame inductees who played for Canada—Dave Andreychuk (1983), Dino Ciccarelli (1980), Mike Gartner (1978), Doug Gilmour (1981), Wayne Gretzky (1978), Dale Hawerchuk (1981), Jarome Iginla (1996), Paul Kariya (1992-93), Mario Lemieux (1983), Eric Lindros (1990-92), Roberto Luongo (1998-99), Larry Murphy (1980), Scott Niedermayer (1991-92), Joe Nieuwendyk (1986), Chris Pronger (1993), Mark Recchi (1988), Luc Robitaillle (1986), Joe Sakic (1988), Brendan Shanahan (1987), Joe Thornton (1997), Pierre Turgeon (1987), Mike Vernon (1983), Shea Weber (2005), Steve Yzerman (1983)

25 – Players born outside of Canada; the list includes 15 U.S.-born players and 10 born outside North America—Harrison Brunicke (2026 - South Africa), Nico Daws (2020 - Germany), Dany Heatley (1999-2000 - Germany), Mason McTavish (2022 - Switzerland), Chris Nielsen (2000 - Tanzania), Ryan O’Marra (2006-07 -Japan), Xavier Ouellet (2013 - France), Brendan Perlini (2016 - England), Robyn Regehr (1999 - Brazil), Jordan Spence (2021 - Australia)

27 – Longest unbeaten streak; across gold medal-winning efforts in the 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 tournaments, Canada did not lose a single game, totalling 24 victories and three ties. The Canadians outscored the opposition 142-63, playing in only four one-goal games (outside the three draws).

29 – No. 1 overall NHL draft picks who have played for Canada—Dale McCourt (1977), Bobby Smith (1978), Rob Ramage (1977-78), Dale Hawerchuk (1980), Gord Kluzak (1982), Mario Lemieux (1983), Wendel Clark (1985), Joe Murphy (1986), Pierre Turgeon (1987), Eric Lindros (1990-92), Alexandre Daigle (1993, 1995), Ed Jovanovski (1995), Chris Phillips (1996-97), Joe Thornton (1997), Vincent Lecavalier (1998), Rick Nash (2002), Marc-André Fleury (2003-04), Sidney Crosby (2004-05), Steven Stamkos (2008), John Tavares (2008-09), Taylor Hall (2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2013), Nathan MacKinnon (2013), Aaron Ekblad (2014), Connor McDavid (2014-15), Alexis Lafrenière (2019-20), Owen Power (2022), Connor Bedard (2022-23), Macklin Celebrini (2024)

34 – Wins over the United States; over 49 years of the World Juniors, no country has been a more frequent foe for Canada than its North American neighbours. From 50 meetings, the Canadians have earned 34 victories—24 in the preliminary round/round robin, two in the consolation round, one in the quarterfinals, five in the semifinals, one in the bronze medal game and one in the gold medal game.

38 – Representatives from the London Knights; no Canadian Hockey League franchise has put more players on Team Canada. Since 2005, at least one Knight has represented Canada at the World Juniors in 18 of 22 tournaments (all but 2009, 2011, 2017 and 2023).

236 – World Juniors wins; In 322 games since 1977, the Canadians have fashioned a 236-65-21 record (a .732 winning percentage). Not surprisingly, that is the best among all countries, ahead of Sweden (207-107-13, .633), the United States (179-128-11, .563) and Finland (181-128-16, .557).

880 – Players who have represented Canada; from Luke Adam to Mike Zigomanis.

1,665 – Goals scored; John Anderson had the first, a power-play marker early in the first period of a 14-0 win over Poland on Dec. 23, 1976. Cole Beaudoin had the most recent, midway through the second period of a 7-1 quarterfinal win over Slovakia on Friday night.

Canada’s National Junior Team is on to the playoff round at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, taking on Slovakia in the fourth and final quarterfinal in Minnesota.

Last Game

Canada closed out the preliminary round—and 2025—with a 7-4 win over Finland on Wednesday night to finish an unbeaten prelims and sit atop Group B. Cole Beaudoin led the charge with a pair of goals and an assist, Brady Martin scored twice, and Zayne Parekh and Sam O’Reilly chipped in with a goal and two helpers apiece for the Canadians, who pulled away over the last 40 minutes after a wild opening period ended 3-3.

The Slovaks finished their preliminary round with a 3-2 loss to Switzerland in a Wednesday matinee in Saint Paul. Adam Nemec and Luka Radivojevic provided the goals, scoring in the third period to almost erase a three-goal deficit. Michal Pradel made 15 saves in a losing cause.

Last Meeting

There’s not a Canadian hockey fan alive who doesn’t remember the last time the Canadians and Slovaks clashed. In the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Juniors in Halifax, Connor Bedard provided the most iconic moment of his record-breaking tournament, scoring the overtime winner to send Canada to the semifinals with a 4-3 victory. Bedard opened and closed the scoring and added an assist, part of his 23-point effort to help lead Canada to gold in the Maritimes.

What to Watch

One of four returning skaters on the Team Canada roster, Beaudoin had not found the back of the net through eight games at the World Juniors—until Wednesday. The Kanata product picked an opportune time to open his account, scoring the eventual game-winning goal late in the second period before adding a little insurance midway through the third (and he selflessly passed up a chance at a hat trick in the final minute, passing off to O’Reilly for the empty-net goal). Beaudoin was all over the ice against the Finns—he played 20:39, the most of any Canadian forward in the tournament and the second-most of any skater in the game, behind only Kashawn Aitcheson (21:28). That the Utah first-rounder (24th overall in 2024) is flexing his offensive muscle is no surprise; Beaudoin ranked in the top five of Ontario Hockey League scoring when he left for training camp, posting 41 points (14-27—41) in 25 games with the Barrie Colts.

Tomas Chrenko did the damage for the Slovaks in the preliminary round, scoring five of the team’s 13 goals while setting up three others to sit atop the tournament scoring chart alongside three Canadians—Parekh, Michael Hage and Gavin McKenna. The 18-year-old has almost equalled his goal-scoring output for the season; he has eight in 31 games split between HK Nitra’s entry in the Slovak Extraliga and its U20 team. Chrenko—who is projected by some to be a late first-round pick in the 2026 Draft—has played at each of the last two editions of the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, posting 13 points (7-6—13) in 14 games and helping Slovakia reach a pair of bronze medal games.

Be There Next Year!

The holiday hockey tradition returns to Canadian ice a year from now when Edmonton and Red Deer host the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. Fans interested in ticket packages can register until Jan. 6 for the Priority Ticket Draw at HockeyCanada.ca/PriorityDraw.

A Look Back

The head-to-head history has been a one-sided one, with Canada winning 16 of 17 meetings (the other was a 0-0 tie in 1999, the only scoreless draw in World Juniors history).

The biggest Canadian win came at the 2022 World Juniors, the COVID-delayed summer tournament played in Edmonton, when Mason McTavish recorded the seventh and most recent four-goal game by a Canadian (and also added two assists) as part of an 11-1 victory.

It’ll be the fifth time the teams have met in a playoff game—Canada earned wins in the quarterfinals in 1997 (7-2), 2020 (6-1) and 2023 (4-3 in OT, see above), and in the semifinals in 2015 (5-1).

All-time record: Canada leads 16-0-1 (1-0 in OT)
Canada goals: 90
Slovakia goals: 21

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. FINLAND (DEC. 31)

Canada’s National Junior Team closes out the preliminary round—and 2025—on Wednesday night when it faces off with Finland in a first-place showdown in Group B at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Last Game

Canada made it three wins from as many prelim games Monday, flexing its offensive muscle in a 9-1 win over Denmark. Gavin McKenna led the way with a hat trick—the first by a Canadian at the World Juniors since Connor Bedard and Dylan Guenther had three each in a victory over Germany in 2023—while Porter Martone chipped in with a pair of goals and Brady Martin had three assists. In total, 14 skaters recorded at least a point.

The Finns dropped an overtime heartbreaker to Czechia in their last outing, falling 2-1 on Monday afternoon. Emil Hemming provided the lone goal with 19.3 seconds left in the third period to force OT, and Petteri Rimpinen was terrific in goal in a 24-save effort.

Last Meeting

Finland provided the opposition for Canada in the tournament opener a year ago in Ottawa, with the Canadians earning a 4-0 win on Boxing Day. McKenna opened the scoring late in the first period, future No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer finished it in the dying seconds of the third and Carter George was perfect between the pipes to post a 31-save shutout.

What to Watch

McKenna continues to impress with the Maple Leaf on his chest. The pride of Whitehorse is the only player in the tournament with multiple points in every contest, and sits atop the scoring race with seven points (3-4—7) through three games, one ahead of a quintet of players that includes linemate Michael Hage (2-4—6). He showcased his release on his first two goals before tucking home a highlight-reel hat trick marker early in the third period. The reigning CHL Player of the Year after a 129-point season in the Western Hockey League last year, McKenna has simply dominated international competition at every level of the Program of Excellence. Across the World U17 Hockey Challenge, Hlinka Gretzky Cup, IIHF U18 World Championship and two World Juniors, he has now racked up 42 points (22-20—42) in just 27 games.

As they typically are at the World Juniors, the Finns are flush with talent. Fourteen players are property of NHL teams, although only one was a first-round selection—Hemming went 29th overall to the Dallas Stars in 2024. They’ve also got experience, with 11 players returning from the team that lost the gold medal game in overtime to the United States a year ago in Ottawa. But through three games, it’s not an NHL prospect or a returnee helping lead the charge offensively. Jasper Kuhta, who has averaged almost a point per game with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s this season (17-13—30 in 32 GP), sits tied for ninth in tournament scoring with a goal and four assists through three games. He’s right alongside Philadelphia Flyers draft pick (107th overall in 2024) Heikki Ruohonen, a 2025 silver medallist and Harvard University forward who has an identical stat line.

Be There Next Year!

The holiday hockey tradition returns to Canadian ice a year from now when Edmonton and Red Deer host the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. Fans interested in ticket packages can register until Jan. 6 for the Priority Ticket Draw at HockeyCanada.ca/PriorityDraw.

A Look Back

Going all the way back to the first World Juniors in 1977, only the United States (50 games played) has been a more frequent foe for Canada than the Finns (43).

After alternating wins and losses through the mid-to-late-2010s, Canada has taken control of the head-to-head history, winning each of the last six meetings. That includes four prelim victories, a shutout win for the Canadians in the 2020 semifinals and the memorable 2022 gold medal game in Edmonton, when Kent Johnson netted the golden goal in overtime for the Canadians.

All-time record: Canada leads 28-9-6 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 172
Finland goals: 107

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

Canada’s National Junior Team looks to make it three-for-three in Group B play at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship when it faces off against Denmark in its penultimate prelim game on Monday night.

Last Game

The Canadians were pushed past 60 minutes by Latvia for the second year in a row, but Michael Hage provided the overtime heroics with a power-play goal just 44 seconds into the extra period to give Canada a narrow 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon. Cole Reschny scored the other Canadian goal, while Gavin McKenna set up both markers.

Denmark dropped its second game in a many tries on Saturday night, falling 7-2 to Czechia. Tristan Petersen scored in the first period and Oliver Larsen netted in the second for the Danes, who were within a goal midway through the middle frame before the Czechs pulled away. Anton Wilde was busy between the pipes, finishing with 45 saves.

Last Meeting

The teams clashed just six days ago in pre-tournament play in Mankato, Minnesota, with Canada earning a comfortable 13-2 win. McKenna led the charge with two goals and three assists, Porter Martone added two and two, and Zayne Parekh chipped in with a goal and three helpers for the Canadians, who scored seven times in the third period.

For the last time Canada and Denmark met at the World Juniors, you have to go all the way back to Boxing Day 2018 in Vancouver. Maxime Comtois tied a Canadian record with four goals, Morgan Frost had a hat trick and two assists and Canada blanked the Danes 14-0 to open the tournament. In all, 19 Canadians recorded at least a point, including goaltender Michael DiPietro, who added an assist to his 14-save shutout.

What to Watch

Hage is making the most of his first appearance in the Maple Leaf, co-leading the team—and the tournament—in scoring with four points in two games, including goals in both. A first-round selection (21st overall) of the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, Hage was a standout with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens program, leading the Jr. Canadiens to a GTHL U16 AAA title in 2022 (on a team that included Martone) and winning a silver medal at the OHL Cup. He took his talents south of the border, playing two seasons with the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League before joining the University of Michigan. All he has done with the Wolverines is average more than a point per game (23-39—62 in 53 games), win Big Ten Rookie of the Year last season and lead the team to a No. 1 national ranking this year while sitting tied for second in NCAA scoring.

The Danes are back in the Top Division for the first time since 2019 and they have brought a youthful roster to Minnesota; 13 of the 24 players are eligible to return for the 2027 tournament in Edmonton and Red Deer, should Denmark secure their place. The roster includes just one NHL draft pick—Mads Klyvø was the 112th pick by the Florida Panthers in 2025—and two players plying their trade in the Canadian Hockey League this season— Petersen has 17 points (8-9—17) in 31 games with the Penticton Vees in their WHL expansion season, and Anton Linde has contributed 12 points (4-8—12) in 26 games with the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens.

Be There Next Year!

The holiday hockey tradition returns to Canadian ice a year from now when Edmonton and Red Deer host the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. Fans interested in ticket packages can register until Jan. 6 for the Priority Ticket Draw at HockeyCanada.ca/PriorityDraw.

A Look Back

While has been seven years since the Canadians and Danes have met at the World Juniors, they were once upon a time frequent foes, facing off five times in eight tournaments from 2012-19.

The most recent meeting, mentioned above, was the most offensively charged for the Canadians, but that’s not to say there haven’t been other standout performances. Scott Harrington scored once and added three assists in a 10-2 win in Edmonton in 2012, while Curtis Lazar (2-1—3) and Connor McDavid (1-2—3) had matching three-point efforts in an 8-0 quarterfinal victory in Toronto in 2015.

All-time record: Canada leads 6-0
Canada goals: 50
Denmark goals: 4

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

After a wild start to the preliminary round, Canada’s National Junior Team gets right back to action at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship when it takes on Latvia in a Minneapolis matinee on Saturday.

Last Game

Canada got off to a winning start Friday night, scoring four goals in the third period to beat Czechia 7-5 in a Group B thriller. Zayne Parekh scored twice for the Canadians, who had leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 4-3 and erased a 3-2 deficit before goals 2:40 apart from Tij Iginla and Ethan MacKenzie early in the final frame finally earned them the three points. MacKenzie and Michael Hage led the offensive charge with a goal and two assists apiece.

The Latvians last saw game action on Monday, when they closed out their pre-tournament schedule with a 3-1 loss to Slovakia in Bemidji, Minnesota. Markuss Sieradzkis opened the scoring on a power play just before the midway mark of the first period, but that would be it for offence. Nils Roberts Maurins went the distance between the pipes for Latvia, making 26 saves.

Last Meeting

Canadian fans don’t need to be reminded of this one. A year ago to the day, Latvia shocked Canada 3-2 in a shootout in front of home fans in Ottawa. Jett Luchanko opened the scoring early in the second period and Calum Ritchie put the Canadians ahead with 5:38 left, but the Latvians battled back and triumphed in an eight-round shootout. Jack Ivankovic became the first 17-year-old Canadian goaltender to start a game since Jimmy Waite in 1987, making 24 saves in regulation and overtime before stopping seven of eight in the shootout.

What to Watch

Parekh reached the 30-goal plateau in each of the last two seasons with the Saginaw Spirit. The only other defenceman in OHL history to achieve that feat? That would be some guy named Bobby Orr. So… not bad company to be in. The Nobleton, Ontario, product showed off those offensive skills against the Czechs, sniping a pair of goals with picture-perfect wrist shots— first to bring Canada even late in the second period and again to temporarily give it the lead early in the third. And let’s stay on the blue line for one more. MacKenzie has twice been passed over in the NHL Draft, but the West Kelowna, B.C., native looked right at home in Canada’s first-round-heavy lineup, helping set up Iginla for the go-ahead goal before burying the eventual game-winner less than three minutes later.

Latvia returns a ton of experience from the team that dropped a one-goal heartbreaker to Sweden in the quarterfinals last year, with 12 players back. That includes four players who played as 16-year-olds in Ottawa: Rudolfs Berzkalns, Martins Klaucans, Olivers Murnieks and Roberts Naudins. Although they combined for just a goal and four assists in five games (and all but a single helper came from Murnieks), the quartet will be leaned upon to lead the offence in Minnesota. Not among that group is arguably the most notable Latvian to watch—6-foot-3 defenceman Alberts Smits, who is pegged as a potential top-10 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Smits, who just turned 18 on Dec. 2, has been terrific with Jukerit in the Liiga, the top men’s league in Finland, recording 12 points (6-6—12) in 29 games.

Be There Next Year!

The holiday hockey tradition returns to Canadian ice a year from now when Edmonton and Red Deer host the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. Fans interested in ticket packages can register until Jan. 6 for the Priority Ticket Draw at HockeyCanada.ca/PriorityDraw.

A Look Back

Prior to the shootout stunner in Ottawa, Canada has controlled the head-to-head history, outscoring the Latvians 41-4 in four wins.

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 4-1 (0-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 43
Latvia goals: 7

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

The holiday hockey tradition is back for the 50th time as Canada’s National Junior Team gets the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship underway Friday in Minneapolis against a familiar foe in Czechia.

Last Game

Canada cruised to victory in its pre-tournament finale Tuesday, getting five points (2-3—5) from Gavin McKenna in a 13-2 victory over Denmark. McKenna, Tij Iginla and Porter Martone finished with two goals apiece, Zayne Parekh chipped in with a goal and three helpers and the Canadians outshot the Danes 50-10.

Czechia closed out its exhibition schedule with a 2-1 overtime win over Slovakia on Monday night in Bemidji. Tomas Poletin tied the game with 4:37 left in the third period before Max Curran ended it at 2:17 of the extra frame. Michal Orsulak went the distance in the Czech goal, finishing with 22 saves.

Last Meeting

The last time Canada was on the ice at the World Juniors, it was the Czechs at the other end of the ice. One year ago in the quarterfinals in Ottawa, Bradly Nadeau tied the game with 4:18 to go and overtime loomed, but a very late power-play goal by the Czechs—with just 40 seconds remaining—stunned the home crowd and eliminated the Canadians in a 4-3 final.

What to Watch

The Canadian roster includes six returnees, but that’s not the story. For the first time in Program of Excellence history, two of them are goaltenders—Carter George and Jack Ivankovic. George was the unquestioned No. 1 in Ottawa, getting four of the five starts and fashioning a tournament-leading 1.75 goals-against average and .936 save percentage with two shutouts. Ivankovic appeared only once (becoming the first 17-year-old to start a game for Canada since Jimmy Waite in 1987), stopping 24 of 26 in a shootout loss to the Latvians. Neither puck-stopper is a stranger to playing lights-out hockey at the international level; Canada has won gold in each of the last two years at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, and both George (in 2024) and Ivankovic (in 2025) earned Best Goaltender honours and a place on the media all-star team. Both also own gold medals from the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and Ivankovic has one more from the 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge. So yeah, there isn’t much this duo hasn’t seen or done while wearing the Maple Leaf.

Czechia returns seven players from the team that left the nation’s capital with the bronze medal last year. An eighth, Adam Jecho, a St. Louis Blues third-rounder who broke Canadian hearts with his last-minute goal in the quarterfinals, was injured in a pre-tournament win over Latvia and won’t play in the tournament. The roster also features one player who heard his name called at the 2024 NHL Draft—Adam Jiricek, who was taken at No. 16 by the Blues (and is set for his third World Juniors)—and two selected early in 2025—Radim Mrtka, who went ninth overall to the Buffalo Sabres, and Vaclav Nestrasil, the No. 25 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks. This generation of Czech players has found success on the international stage; in addition to the bronze at the 2025 World Juniors, Czechia won bronze in 2024 and added silver medals at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2023 and 2024.

A Look Back

Although the Czechs have come out on top in the quarterfinals in each of the last two years, the head-to-head history overwhelmingly favours the Canadians.

Since the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Canada has won 21 of the 27 meetings, with another two ending in ties. This will be the fifth time the teams have faced off on Boxing Day—Canada earned wins in 2007 (3-0 behind a 44-save shutout from Jonathan Bernier), 2008 (8-1 led by three points from John Tavares) and 2021 (6-3 thanks to an Owen Power hat trick, although the tournament was cancelled just a few days later), while the Czechs got the win in 2022 (5-2).

All-time record: Canada leads 21-3-2 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 123
Czechia goals: 52

TORONTO, Ontario – Powered by TELUS, Hockey Canada has unveiled 27 players who will take part in Canada’s National Junior Team training camp at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, prior to the start of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

The initial roster, which includes three goaltenders, nine defencemen and 15 forwards was selected by National Junior Team general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON ), head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) and Mark Hunter (Petrolia, ON/London, OHL), U20 lead with the Program of Excellence management group, with input from Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations.

Head coach Dale Hunter (Petrolia, ON/London, OHL), associate coach Misha Donskov (London, ON), and assistant coaches Brad Lauer (Humboldt, SK/Spokane, WHL) and Gardiner MacDougall (Bedeque, PE/Moncton, QMJHL), as well as goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops, BC/Kamloops, WHL), also provided input.

"We are extremely excited to unveil the 27 players who will begin the road to the World Juniors at training camp in Niagara Falls,” said Millar. “This group represents the very best of Canadian junior hockey—skill, speed, sense, character, and a strong commitment to team success and the pride in representing Canada at this prestigious world championship. Our staff has worked tirelessly to identify a roster that embodies the identity we want Canada to play, and we’re confident these athletes are ready for the challenge ahead. This process and team build came with many difficult decisions. We are confident in this group as we begin our preparations for Minneapolis on December 12.”

Hockey Canada will continue to work with National Hockey League (NHL) teams regarding players who are eligible for the IIHF World Junior Championship, and roster additions will be announced as necessary, pending player availability.

Among the 27 players are:

• Six who have made their National Hockey League debuts (Brunicke, Cootes, Luchanko, Martin, Misa, Parekh)
• Six who played at the 2025 World Juniors (Beaudoin, George, Ivankovic, Luchanko, Martone, McKenna)
• Eight who won gold at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship (Carels, Cootes, Ivankovic, Martin, Reschny, Smith, Verhoeff)
• Eleven who won gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championships (Aitcheson, Beaudoin, Brunicke, Desnoyers, George, Greentree, Iginla, Ivankovic, Luchanko, Martone, McKenna)
• Eight who captured a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Desnoyers, Ivankovic, Martin, McKenna, O’Brien, Reschny, Reid, Smith)

“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to coach this exceptional group of young men as we head into the World Juniors,” added Dale Hunter . “Our goal is clear—we’re going to Minnesota to compete for a gold medal. I’m excited to get to work, bring this team together and help these players play the kind of fast, disciplined, determined hockey Canadians expect.”

Canada’s National Junior Team will host training camp from Dec. 13-22 in Niagara Falls. It will also face off against Sweden on Dec. 17 and 20 in Kitchener, and London, Ontario, before taking on Denmark on Dec. 23 in Mankato, Minnesota, in pre-tournament action.

The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day with four games, which includes Canada taking on Czechia at the 3M Arena at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, with pre-game coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. 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 Team Canada’s first two pre-tournament games.

For more information on the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit the official tournament website at IIHF.com.

Additionally, hockey fans interested in attending the IIHF World Junior Championship when it returns to Canada next year, can sign up for the 2027 World Junior Priority Draw now for free. With ticket demand expected to exceed availability, the priority draw is the best chance for fans to cheer on Team Canada in Edmonton & Red Deer. Visit HC.ca/PriorityDraw for more information.

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.