2026 World Junior Championship – Pre-Tournament
Team Canada moved one step closer to finalizing their roster for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota, opening pre-tournament play with a 2-1 win over Sweden on Wednesday night in front of a sold-out Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Final: 2 (CAN) – 1 (SWE)
After a scoreless first period, Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds), skating on the top line alongside Gavin McKenna and Michael Hage, opened the scoring just 37 seconds into the second. Martin fired a one-timer from above the circles off a cross-ice feed from McKenna to give Canada a 1-0 lead.
Canada ran into penalty trouble soon after, first for too many men and then when Jett Luchanko (Brantford Bulldogs) was assessed a holding minor during the ensuing penalty kill. With the two-man advantage, Viggo Björck capitalized to tie the game at one for Sweden.
However, Martin struck again in the third period, finishing off a give-and-go sequence between McKenna and Hage on the zone entry. McKenna slid the puck to the front of the net, where Martin beat the goaltender with a smooth backhand-forehand move to restore Canada’s lead.
Despite Sweden pulling their goaltender late for the extra attacker, Canada held firm to secure the 2-1 victory. Goaltender Carter George (Owen Sound Attack) turned aside 19 shots in the win.
“I thought it was a hard-fought game,” said Head Coach Dale Hunter (London Knights) after the victory. “ It was our first game as a group, and it turned into a bit of a defensive game; both teams were playing cat-and-mouse a bit early on. I felt like we just had to be responsible defensively and look for our chances. Sweden had some looks on the power play, so we need to be a bit more disciplined and get a few more reps in on the penalty kill. We’re still getting used to each other, how we play, the new systems, but I’m happy with the effort here tonight.”
Canada returns to pre-tournament action on Saturday, December 20th, in London, Ont., where they will face Sweden for the second straight game.
OHL Player Game Stats:
Canada
- Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds) – 2G
- Carter George (Owen Sound Attack) – .950 SV%
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As the official Canadian broadcast partners of the IIHF World Junior Championship, TSN and RDS will broadcast all three of Canada’s pre-tournament games; check local listings for details.
For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, visit HockeyCanada.ca and iihf.com, or follow through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
