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.

FRISCO, Texas – Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team saved its best effort for last, shutting out Sweden 7-0 to win its second-consecutive gold medal at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, repeating as champions for the first time .

Canada scored seven unanswered goals—including a pair from Brady Martin (Elmira, ON/Sault Ste. Marie, OHL) —while Jack Ivankovic (Mississauga, ON/Brampton, OHL) made 28 saves for his second shutout of the medal round to lead Canada to victory.

Xavier Villeneuve (Les Cèdres, QC/Blainville-Boisbriand, LHJMQ) opened the scoring just four minutes into the first period and Canada never looked back. It led 2-0 after the first period. netted three goals in the second and added another two in the final frame.

“What a great feeling,” said head coach Cory Stillman (Peterborough, ON/Guelph, OHL). “[It’s been a] long season for these guys and you always want to finish the season with a championship with your club team. If that doesn’t pan out, you get to represent your country and that’s pretty special. We got better as the tournament went on. Tonight was the best game we played and we came out winners.”

Canada’s offence was well-rounded on Saturday night, with six different goal-scorers and 14 players registering a point.

Jack Nesbitt (Sarnia, ON/Windsor, OHL) and Ben Kindel (Coquitlam, BC/Calgary, WHL) had two-point performances, registering a goal and an assist and a pair of assists, respectively.

Jackson Smith (Calgary, AB/Tri-City, WHL), Ethan Czata (Brampton, ON/Niagara, OHL) and Braeden Cootes (Sherwood Park, AB/Seattle, WHL) all contributed with goals, improving Canada’s tournament-leading goal total to an impressive 43.

“This was one of the closest teams I’ve ever been on,” said Smith. “We came together quick, didn’t have a ton of time to get to know each other but that didn’t matter. It showed out there with how we played tonight, we are truly a team. This is an incredible feeling. There is nothing better than winning gold for Canada, and to do it twice [after winning the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup] is extra special. Hopefully, this is just the start for me and these guys.”

Cole Reschny (Macklin, SK/Victoria, WHL), Quinn Beauchesne (Ottawa, ON/Guelph, OHL), Lev Katzin (Thornhill, ON/Guelph, OHL), Alex Huang (Rosemère, QC/Chicoutimi, LHJMQ), Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, AB/Victoria, WHL), Tyler Hopkins (Campbellville, ON/Kingston, OHL) and Cameron Schmidt (Prince George, BC/Vancouver, WHL) all chipped in with assists.

“I’m so proud of this group,” said Reschny. “We got better every day, and tonight was all of our hard work coming together. It’s an amazing feeling winning gold for Canada and to do it with this group of guys is even better.”

Following the game, Ivankovic and Martin were named to the media all-star team. Ivankovic was also named Best Goaltender, an award voted on by the IIHF and tournament directorate.

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

The Canadians were undefeated throughout the tournament, beating Slovakia, Latvia, Finland and Norway and outscoring their opponents 29-5 in the preliminary round. Canada booked its spot in the gold medal game with a 3-2 overtime win over Czechia in the quarterfinals and a 4-0 semifinal win over Slovakia.

Since 2002, Canada has won six gold medals at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021, 2024, 2025), in addition to one silver (2005) and four bronze (2012, 2014, 2015, 2023).

Canada’s National Men's Under-18 Team goes for gold Saturday at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, taking on Sweden as it looks for back-to-back gold medals for the first time in tournament history.

Last Game

Canada blanked Slovakia 4-0 in its semifinal Friday to book its spot in the gold medal game. Jack Ivankovic was perfect between the pipes, making 24 saves for the shutout. Xavier Villeneuve opened the scoring early in the second period before Cole Reschny, Jack Nesbitt and Ryan Roobroeck added power-play goals in the third to provide the final margin of victory.

The Swedes earned their spot in the final by outlasting the host Americans 4-3 in their semifinal. Viggo Björck and Torkel Jennersjö scored third-period goals to break open a 2-2 game and Love Härenstam did the rest, finishing with 38 saves – 13 in the final 20 minutes – as the U.S. outshot Sweden 41-23.

Last Meeting

The pre-tournament game 12 days ago in Plano? We don’t want to talk about that. So let’s go back to the semifinals at U18 Men’s Worlds last year. The Canadians burst out of the gate, leading 4-0 after one period thanks to Liam Greentree, Gavin McKenna, Tij Iginla and Ryder Ritchie. Sweden trimmed the four-goal deficit to three after 40 minutes and got it to one with five minutes to go, but Canada saw out a 5-4 victory en route to a gold medal game in Finland.

The Canadians and Swedes also met in the preliminary-round finale at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer in Edmonton, with Canada pulling out a 2-1 victory. Ben Kindel opened the scoring just past the seven-minute mark and McKenna provided the game-winner midway through the third period, while Ivankovic was terrific in a 23-save effort.

What to Watch

He’s been mentioned in this space before, but it bears repeating – Ivankovic is really, really good. Less than three weeks shy of his 18th birthday, the Mississauga-born puck-stopper owns a résumé that includes gold medals at the Canada Winter Games, U17 World Challenge, IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship and Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and a history-making start at the World Juniors. And all he’s done in Texas is go 5-0 with a 1.27 goals-against average and .952 save percentage, both tournament-leading marks among goaltenders with at least 120 minutes of action. Put together his two U18 stints in the Maple Leaf this season (including this tournament and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup), and Ivankovic has nine wins in as many starts, allowing only nine goals.

The Swedes ice the top three scorers in the tournament – Filip Ekberg (10-8—18), Sascha Boumedienne (1-13—14) and Ivar Stenberg (8-5—13). Ekberg and Boumedienne did most of their damage in a pair of prelim games; Ekberg had four goals and an assist in a win over Switzerland and two of each in a win over Czechia, while Boumedienne had a goal and five assists against the Swiss and four helpers against the Czechs. Milton Gästrin (third amongst International skaters) is the highest-ranked skater by NHL Central Scouting in the Swedish lineup; he’s contributed three goals and 10 points in six games. And while Härenstam’s numbers don’t jump off the page, he proved against the Americans that he has the ability to steal a game.

A Look Back

The Canadians and Swedes have been very familiar foes at U18 Men’s Worlds, meeting 23 times since 2003.

It’s the first time the long-time international rivals have met for U18 gold, but they do have two prior clashes for bronze, with each winning once. In 2007, Angelo Esposito scored twice, but the Swedes earned an 8-3 victory in Finland. Seven years later, also in the Nordic nation, Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist and Mason McDonald made 38 saves in a 3-1 Canadian victory.

All-time record: Canada leads 13-10 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 94
Sweden goals: 74

Canada’s National Men's Under-18 Team is into the semifinals at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, taking on Slovakia in its final four faceoff Friday at the Comerica Center.

Last Game

Canada punched its ticket to the semifinals with a narrow 3-2 overtime win over Czechia in the quarterfinals Wednesday. Cole Reschny was the extra-time hero, scoring his second goal of the game 2:41 into the 3-on-3 period. Jackson Smith had the other goal for the Canadians, while Jack Ivankovic made 22 saves.

The Slovaks secured their medal round spot with a 3-2 quarterfinal win over Germany. Jan Chovan scored in the second period, and Lukas Tomka and Luka Radivojevic added goals in the third before the Germans made a late, but unsuccessful, push. Michal Pradel finished with 21 saves in the Slovak goal.

Last Meeting

Canada and Slovakia clashed just last Thursday in the Canadians’ prelim opener, a 9-2 victory in Allen. Cameron Schmidt, Lev Katzin, Smith, Matthew Gard and Ryan Lin all scored first-period goals as Canada took a commanding early lead with five goals in a span of 7:12. Schmidt finished with a pair of goals, as did Braeden Cootes, who added three assists for just the seventh five-point game by a Canadian in U18 Men’s Worlds history. In all, 13 of 16 skaters recorded at least a point in the win.

What to Watch

There’s no easy answer in this section going into this game, and that’s because there are so many Canadians who have been so darn good in Texas. While Cootes leads the way in scoring with 10 points (5-5—10) in five games, he’s followed closely behind by Brady Martin (1-8—9), Lev Katzin (4-4—8), Ryan Roobroeck (3-5—8) and Reschny (4-2—6). The balanced offence bodes well for Canada’s medal chances this weekend, but it also bodes well for Canadian content at the 2025 NHL Draft. While Roobroeck isn’t eligible until 2026, the others all appeared in the final North American skater rankings by NHL Central Scouting – 11th (Martin), 20th (Cootes), 25th (Reschny) and 142nd (Katzin). Throw in some of the players we haven’t mentioned above, like Smith (13th), Jack Nesbitt (15th) and Ben Kindel (21st) and this team should be very well represented in Los Angeles next month.

While Chovan – the highest-rated Slovak for the NHL Draft – has performed as expected with four goals in five games, it’s Tomas Chrenko leading the charge offensively with eight points (5-3—8). Chrenko was simply dominant with HK Nitra in the Slovak U20 league this season, recording 61 points (30-31—61) in just 28 regular-season games before posting 20 (4-16—20) in 10 playoff games. And while Pradel – the third-ranked North American goaltender by Central Scouting – lasted only one period against Canada in the prelims, the puck-stopper has been terrific otherwise, fashioning a 1.81 goals-against average and .930 save percentage across five games.

A Look Back

Canada has never lost to Slovakia at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, winning all 13 meetings (with two coming by way of overtime).

The last medal-round meeting between the teams came in the bronze medal game at the 2023 tournament in Switzerland. In that one, Matthew Wood tied the game with 70 seconds to go and Macklin Celebrini – 14 months before he was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft – was the overtime hero as Canada earned a 4-3 victory to win bronze. Wood finished with a goal and three assists, while Celebrini contributed two goals and a helper.

All-time record: Canada leads 13-0 (2-0 in OT)
Canada goals: 52
Slovakia goals: 19

Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team faces Czechia as the playoffs get underway Wednesday at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center.

Last Game

Canada finished the preliminary round undefeated with a 8-1 win over Norway on Monday. Ryan Roobroeck opened the scoring only 39 seconds into the game on his way to a four-point performance (1-3—4). Braeden Cootes had two goals and an assist and Lev Katzin scored twice. Cole Reschny, Alessandro Di Iorio and Keaton Verhoeff rounded out the scoring. Jack Ivankovic made 12 saves in the first two periods before Lucas Beckman turned aside all five shots he faced in the third.

Czechia closed the prelims Monday with a 7-3 loss to Sweden in Group B. The Swedes took a 3-0 lead before Artur Matejovsky scored with just under four minutes left in the first period. Vit Jahejsky added a power-play goal midway through the second and captin Tomas Poletin scored early in the third for the Czechs. Michal Orsulak played well in a 31-save effort.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Czechs faced off in the preliminary round last year, with Canada earning a 6-0 shutout win. Malcolm Spence needed only five seconds to open the scoring, setting a new record for the fastest goal in tournament history. Spence finished with three points (1-2—3), Gavin McKenna had a goal and two assists, Tij Iginla scored shorthanded and on the power play, and Carson Wetsch found the back of the net. Carter George made 26 saves for the shutout.

What to Watch

The newest arrival to Team Canada has made an immediate impact on the ice. Ben Kindel was added to the roster on Saturday and has a goal and three assists in two games. The 18-year-old had 35 goals and 99 points during the regular season with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, and registered eight goals and 15 points in 11 playoff games before Calgary was knocked out by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in Game 7. The Coquitlam, B.C., product was a member of Canada’s gold medal-winning entry at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer in Edmonton, contributing a goal and an assist in five games.

Adam Benak leads Czechia in scoring after the prelims with one goal and five assists in three games. A point-producer (17-42—59 in 56 games) with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms this season, he is the 58th-ranked North American skater by Central Scouting for the 2025 NHL Draft. He also starred at a pair of Hlinka Gretzky Cups, posting 10 points in five games as an underager in 2023 before following that up with 11 points in five games in Edmonton last summer. On the blueline, Radim Mrtka is hard to miss—at 6-foot-6 and over 200 pounds, he is a force on the ice for the Czechs. He’s also hard to miss because he never leaves the ice, averaging 23:42 per game through the prelims, good for third among all skaters. Mrtka spent this past season with the WHL’s Regina Pats and posted three goals and 35 points in 43 games.

A Look Back

This will be the 18th meeting between Canada and Czechia at U18 Men’s Worlds, but only the fourth time they teams have met in North America. The Canadians are undefeated when playing the Czechs in the United States, earning a 10-3 win in 2021, a 3-1 win in 2016 and a 4-3 overtime win in 2009.

The 2009 game had Canada down 3-0 after 40 minutes before John McFarland, Ryan O’Reilly and Erik Gudbranson tied the game in just over three minutes early in the third period. Brett Connolly scored the winner 83 seconds into overtime for Canada.

All-time record: Canada leads 10-7-1 (1-3 in OT)
Canada goals: 75
Czechia goals: 45

Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team jumps right back into action Monday, facing Norway to conclude the preliminary round at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center.

Last Game

Canada improved its record to 3-0 and locked up top spot in Group A on Sunday with a 5-1 win over Finland. Ben Kindel opened the scoring at 3:19 on the power play. A big second period, featuring goals from Braeden Cootes, Xavier Villeneuve and Cole Reschny, put the Canadians ahead 4-0 before Brady Martin added an empty-net goal late in the third. Jack Ivankovic was the standout, making 39 saves to neutralize the Finnish offence.

Norway was last in action Saturday, dropping a 9-1 decision to Slovakia. Niklas Aaram Olsen scored the sole goal for Norway with eight seconds left in the second period. Felix Timraz-Westin allowed six goals on 27 shots, while 15-year-old Maximillian Aas made seven saves in relief during the third period. Slovakia outshot Norway 37-23.

Last Meeting

Let’s throw it back 14 years to 2011 when Canada last played Norway at this tournament, with the Canadians earning a 5-0 shutout win. Mark Scheifele recorded two goals and an assist, while Colin Smith, Slater Koekkoek and Nick Cousins also found the back of the net. Andrew Agostini made 19 saves for the shutout.

What to Watch

The goaltending duo from the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup is continuing to dominate in international play. Ivankovic is no stranger to Canadian hockey fans as a returnee from the gold medal-winning team from last year’s U18 Men’s Worlds and making history at the World Juniors as the first 17-year-old goaltender to start a game for Canada’s National Junior Team since 1987. Through two starts, Ivankovic has fashioned a .953 save percentage and a 1.50 goals-against average. Lucas Beckman started against Latvia and registered a .941 save percentage, stopping 16 of 17 shots for the win.

Norway has three returnees from the 2024 U18 Men’s Worlds: Tinus Luc Koblar, Aaram Olsen and Andreas Pettersen. Aaram Olsen led the Norwegians at the World Juniors D1A last December with three goals and three assists in five games. The youngest Norwegian skater, 15-year-old Aas, has quickly moved from U16 to U20 with Stjernen Hockey in Norway. He played mostly with the U18 team this season, posting a 6-10 record, .910 save percentage and 3.26 goals-against average.

A Look Back

This will be the fourth meeting between Canada and Norway at U18 Men’s Worlds, and the Canadians are undefeated through the first three. In addition to 2011, Canada faced the Norwegians in 2006 (9-2 win) and 2002 (4-3 win).

All-time record: Canada leads 3-0
Canada goals: 18
Norway goals: 5

Preliminary-round play at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship continues Sunday as Canada’s National Men's Under-18 Team faces off against Finland in its third of four prelim contests.

Last Game

Canada made it two wins from as many games Friday with a comfortable 7-1 win over Latvia. Ryan Roobroeck scored twice, while Lev Katzin and Alessandro Di Iorio chipped in with a goal and an assist each. The Canadians continued to get offence from the back end, with defencemen Jackson Smith, Xavier Villeneuve and Carson Carels contributing goals (more on that below).

The Finns flxed a little offensive muscle of their own against the Latvians, posting a 10-2 victory on Saturday afternoon. Max Westergård and Eetu Orpana led the charge with a goal and three assists each for Finland, with all of Orpana’s scoring coming in a six-goal first period. In all, 15 Finns recorded at least a point as they improved to 2-1.

Last Meeting

You have to go all the way back to the quarterfinals of the 2022 U18 Men’s Worlds to find the last meeting between the Canadians and Finns. Connor Bedard was the star for Canada in that one (as he usually is when wearing the Maple Leaf), scoring a pair of goals, and Adam Fantilli added two assists, but future Nashville Predators first-rounder Joakim Kemell finished his hat trick in overtime to eliminate the Canadians, 6-5.

The last matchup at the U18 level at any event was the prelim opener at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Berkly Catton had a goal and two assists to pace the offence, but a wild six-goal third period left the Canadians on the wrong side of a 9-6 final score.

What to Watch

Let’s turn our attention to the blue line, and while Canada has been solid on the defensive end, allowing only three goals in two games, we’re more interested in the offensive exploits. Already, five of the six Canadian defencemen – Smith, Villeneuve, Carels, Ryan Lin and Quinn Beauchesne – have found the back of the net, and the sextet (also including Alex Huang) has combined for 12 points. And there’s more talent coming! Two of Canada’s highly touted 2008-born blue-liners, Daxon Rudolph and Keaton Verhoeff, have yet to debut in the tournament; that duo combined for 86 points during the regular season with the Prince Albert Raiders and Victoria Royals, respectively, and were good for 22 points in as many playoff games.

The Finnish roster includes a handful of players on the final International Skater rankings from NHL Central Scouting, including two – Lasse Boelius (12) and Atte Joki (23) – in the top 25. Boelius, who got into seven games with Ässät Pori in the Liiga, the top men’s league in Finland, this season, has been as advertised on defence, contributing a goal and three assists in three games. Joki is a rare forward leading his team in ice time, playing 18:50 per game (only one other Finn is north of 17 minutes), but the offensive numbers aren’t there; the Lukko Rauma product has yet to record a point and is a -1 despite his team scoring 17 goals in its last two games.

A Look Back

While it has been three years since they’ve met at U18 Men’s Worlds, the Canadians and Finns certainly aren’t strangers to each other. This will be their 14th meeting at the tournament, with Canada earning seven wins against six losses and a tie.

Canada and Finland have met twice for the bronze medal; the Finns earned a 6-5 shootout win in the third-place game in 2009, and Hunter Shinkaruk was the overtime hero to give Canada the bronze three years later.

All-time record: Canada leads 7-6-1 (1-3 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 43
Finland goals: 43

Coming off a tournament-opening win, Canada’s National Men's Under-18 Team gets right back to action Friday at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, taking on Latvia as prelim play continues in Group A.

Last Game

Canada started fast in its opener Thursday, scoring five first-period goals in a 9-2 win over Slovakia. The Canadians finished with four power-play goals, two from Cameron Schmidt (who also had an assist), and got a pair of goals and three assists from Braeden Cootes, and three helpers from Brady Martin. In all, 13 of the 16 Canadian skaters recorded points and Jack Ivankovic was solid when called upon in goal, finishing with 22 saves.

The Latvians worked overtime (and more) in their opener Wednesday, getting a shootout winner from Maksims Saperins to earn a 2-1 victory over Norway. Martins Klaucans scored the lone goal for Latvia in regulation, finding the back of the net just 103 seconds after the puck dropped, and Ivans Kufterins was terrific in a 21-save effort (plus all four Norwegian attempts in the shootout).

Last Meeting

Canada and Latvia clashed in the quarterfinals a year ago in Finland. Maxim Massé and Ryder Ritchie scored in the first period before Porter Martone and Jett Luchanko added insurance in the back half of the third as the Canadians continued their march to gold with a 4-0 victory. Carter George was terrific between the pipes en route to Best Goaltender honours, turning aside all 23 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the tournament.

What to Watch

It sure looks like the power play is going to be a key to the Canadians’ success in Texas, so stay tuned there. But let’s put the spotlight on Cootes, who equalled the Canadian single-game scoring record at the tournament and turned in the first five-point effort since Connor Bedard had two goals and three assists in a quarterfinal win over Czechia in 2021. The Sherwood Park, Alberta, native is no stranger to putting up points – he had 26 goals and 63 points with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, where he was one of the CHL’s few 17-year-old captains this season. He wore the ‘C’ for Canada against the Slovaks, although the leadership group has yet to be officially finalized.

Almost a third of the Latvian roster – eight of 25 – skated in North America this season, but only one suited up in the Canadian Hockey League. Karlis Flugins featured in 52 games for the OHL’s Flint Firebirds, recording 14 points (5-9—14). Latvia also has five players who helped stun Canada in a shootout at the World Juniors in Ottawa – Martins Klaucans, Olivers Murnieks, Roberts Naudins, Krisjanis Sarts and Daniels Serkins. Serkins is the one to watch in the eyes of the scouts; the Latvian captain has appeared on NHL Draft lists throughout the season after posting 22 points (9-13—22) in 35 games with SC Bern in the Swiss U20 league.

A Look Back

This is the eighth meeting between Canada and Latvia at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, with the Canadians earning wins in each of the previous seven, outscoring the Latvians 40-12.

The 2015 tournament opener in Switzerland was absolutely wild; Latvia led 3-2 after one period, only for Canada to score six unanswered goals – by six different players – in the second. Both teams then scored three goals in the final frame in what ended as an 11-6 win for the Canadians. Jeremy Roy had a hat trick, Mitchell Stephens scored twice and added an assist, and Mathew Barzal chipped in three helpers.

All-time record: Canada leads 7-0
Canada goals: 40
Latvia goals: 12

FRISCO, Texas – Twenty-five players have been named to Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team as it looks to defend its gold medal at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, April 23-May 3 in Frisco and Allen, Texas.

Three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 14 forwards – representing seven Members – were selected by head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), general manager Scott Walker (Cambridge, ON) and Kyle Turris (New Westminster, BC), of the management group, with input from Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director, hockey operations.

Among the players are 12 who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Beauchesne, Beckman, Cootes, Czata, Hopkins, Huang, Ivankovic, Kilfoil, Martin, Reschny, Schmidt, Smith), seven that suited up at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, including four who won gold with Canada White (Edwards, Lin, Rudolph, Verhoeff) and three who are making their Program of Excellence debut (Gard, Hood, Sawchyn).

“The opportunity to represent your country and defend a gold medal is not something that happens often,” Walker said. “These young men have worked hard all season and earned this opportunity to play on the international stage here in Texas. As a staff, we’re excited about the talent, work ethic and character of this group and we are excited to get things going. This tournament is an important step in athlete preparation for the World Juniors, the premier event of the Program of Excellence.”

Canada opens the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship today, taking on Slovakia (5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT). Canada will also play Latvia, Finland and Norway in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 3.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 16 and 10 tournament games, respectively. TSN will broadcast all Team Canada preliminary-round games, as well as the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal games, while RDS will broadcast all Team Canada preliminary-round games, two quarterfinals, the semifinals and medal games.

For more information on the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, please visit the official tournament website at IIHF.com .

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

Canada’s National Men's Under-18 Team starts defence of its gold medal Thursday at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, taking on Slovakia in its Group A opener in Texas.

Last Game

Canada closed outs its pre-tournament schedule Monday with an 8-3 loss to Sweden in Plano. Brady Martin and Jackson Smith scored to give the Canadians a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes, but five unanswered goals by the Swedes in the second period proved to be the difference. Braeden Cootes had the other Canadian goal on a third-period power play, and Martin finished with a goal and an assist.

The Slovaks won a thriller in the tournament opener Wednesday, needing a shootout to down Finland 1-0. Michal Pradel was the story in between the pipes; he turned aside all 34 shots he faced through regulation and overtime and was perfect on four opportunities in the shootout. Michal Svrcek and Alex Misiak provided the only offence, converting on their chances in the first and fourth rounds, respectively.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Slovaks last met at the U18 level in August, a 5-1 win for Canada in preliminary-round play at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton. Luca Romano and Cameron Schmidt scored two goals apiece for the Canadians, who held a 44-28 advantage in shots on goal.

The last faceoff between the teams at U18 Men’s Worlds came in the bronze medal game at the 2023 tournament in Switzerland. In that one, Matthew Wood tied the game with 70 seconds to go and Macklin Celebrini – 14 months before he was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft – was the overtime hero as Canada earned a 4-3 victory to win bronze. Wood finished with a goal and three assists, while Celebrini contributed two goals and a helper.

What to Watch

Canada looks to be set between the pipes, with their goaltending duo from the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup back together. Jack Ivankovic is no stranger to Canadian hockey fans; a returnee from the team that won U18 Men’s Worlds gold a year ago in Finland, he backstopped Canada to gold in Edmonton with a minuscule 0.75 goals-against average, and made a little history at the World Juniors when he became just the first 17-year-old goaltender to start a game for Canada’s National Junior Team since 1987. Lucas Beckman was an absolute workhorse with Baie-Comeau in the QMJHL this season, finishing second in minutes played (3,058), fourth in saves (1,437), fourth in save percentage (.914) and fifth in goals-against average (2.65) while earning a league-leading 31 wins for the Drakkar.

Jan Chovan is the top-rated Slovak for the 2025 NHL Draft, ranking 16th among international skaters in the final Central Scouting rankings. He was the leading scorer for Slovakia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, contributing a goal and five assists in four games. Andreas Straka is the lone Slovak skater to ply his trade in the Canadian Hockey League this season, recording 34 points (9-25—34) in 53 games with the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. He’s the 95th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. And while he likely won’t get the start against Canada in the back-to-back, keep en eye on Pradel. The third-ranked North American goaltender – one spot ahead of Ivankovic – was terrific to get his team the extra point against the Finns.

A Look Back

Canada has never lost to Slovakia at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, winning all 12 meetings (with two coming by way of overtime).

In addition to the OT thriller for bronze in 2023, the teams also needed extra time in their preliminary-round meeting at the 2017 tournament in Slovakia, when Stelio Mattheos scored his second goal of the game 2:38 into overtime to give Canada a 4-3 win over the hosts.

All-time record: Canada leads 12-0 (2-0 in OT)
Canada goals: 43
Slovakia goals: 17