Saint Paul, Minn.- The deja vu- and the rivalry- is real.
A matchup teeming with WHL-developed talent saw Czechia knock out Canada for a third-straight year at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship with a 6-4 win in the semifinal showdown.
Seven of the 10 goals were scored by current and former WHLers, while the WHL contingent combined for 13 points.
Czechia will battle for its third-ever gold medal at the tournament and first since 2001 when it takes the ice against Finland on Monday, January 5 at 6:30 p.m. MST.
Oddly enough, Canada has won bronze both years that Czechia won it all (2000, 2001).
Prince Albert Raiders netminder Michal Orsulak (Tremosna, Cze.) stopped 20 of 24 shots for the Czechs in the hard-fought win.
Kelowna Rockets alternate captain Tij Iginla (Lake Country, B.C.) continued his impressive run at the tournament by scoring for a fourth consecutive game.
This time, the 2024 Utah Mammoth sixth-overall pick found twine on the powerplay by slinking to the top of the blue paint and hammering a Michael Misa centering pass past Orsulak.
Iginla’s fourth goal of the tournament also saw him tie the Canadian scoring lead.
But reigning WHL Scholastic Player of the Year and Colorado Avalanche 2024 pick Max Curran (Prague, Cze.) ensured his side wouldn’t hit the dressing room at a disadvantage.
With just over three minutes remaining in the period, Curran parked in tight to the Canadian net to scoop up a rebound and slide the puck under the pad of Jack Ivancovic for the equalizer.
The ice started to tilt in favour of the reigning bronze medalists in the second frame.
Vancouver Giants sophomore Adam Titlbach (Litvinov, Cze.) gave his side its first lead of the night thanks to more gritty work in front of the crease.
After Ivankovic paddled away a solid Titlbach opportunity, the Czechs continued to pour on the pressure in the Canadian end.
In the melee, Ivankovic lost his stick and Titlbach found himself in prime position in the slot to rifle home his first goal of the 2026 World Juniors.
Utah Mammoth prospect and Portland Winterhawks rearguard Max Psenicka was awarded the primary assist.
https://twitter.com/TheWHL/status/2008008162327281778
A pair of highly-touted Calgary Flames draft picks combined to lift Canada back to a level playing field by converting on a critical 5-on-3 powerplay in the second half of the second period.
Current Flames defender and 2024 Memorial Cup champion Zayne Parekh’s long shot appeared to redirect off the pants of former Victoria Royals centreman Cole Reschny (Macklin, Sask.) and trickled over the Czech goal line.
The goal marked Parekh’s 11th point of the tournament- putting him one point away from tying the Canadian record for points by a defenceman at the tournament.
For his part, Orsulak put on a performance for the ages.
Orsulak, who sits second in the WHL in goals-against average and boasts a league-best two shutouts, served up one highlight-reel save after another.
In a wild twist, the 18-year-old denied Michael Hage on a second-period penalty shot- but was called for tripping Hage as he cut across the ice, allowing the Montreal Canadiens prospect a second penalty shot opportunity, which Orsulak promptly steered aside.
With under a minute left in the period, Canada turned over the puck in the neutral zone, sending Curran back the other way to feed Adam Benak (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL) for the go-ahead goal.
New York Islanders prospect and Kelowna Rockets sniper Tomas Poletin (Prague, Cze.) picked up a secondary assist on the play.
Reschny may not have gotten the credit for the second-period goal, but he did it all himself to tie the game for Canada less than five minutes into the third.
The former Royals alternate captain picked up a pass below the goal line and stretched across the blue paint to beat Orsulak in close.
2025 WHL Champion and Player of the Year Gavin McKenna and Hage had the helpers.
https://twitter.com/TheWHL/status/2008024651096789465
But Czechia still had a response.
Incoming Kelowna Rocket Vojtech Cihar, who had a goal and two assists in the Boxing Day match between the rival countries, burst around his check and potted his third goal and tenth point of the tournament.
https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/2008025872394047739
But- similiarly to the 2025 World Juniors- late penalties and later goals played a role in sealing Canada’s fate.
Calls against McKenna, a Czech bench minor for too many men, and a hand-pass by Misa layered on top of each other to prevent either team from garnering much momentum.
McKenna, freshly out of the penalty box, dazzled with a dancing solo effort that went wide of the net before Captain Porter Martone hit paydirt to tie the match for a final time, with graduated Kamloops Blazers defenceman and current Pittsburgh Penguin Harrison Brunicke setting things up.
The deju vu hit as Curran put another puck on net that deflected off the skate of Poletin with 1:14 left on the clock.
In 2025, fellow Oil King (and St. Louis Blues prospect) Adam Jecho scored the dagger for the Czechs with 41 seconds left.
Cihar erased any doubt with a late empty-netter for the 6-4 final.
Canada will play Finland for bronze on Monday, January 5, at 2:30 p.m. MST.
Cihar and Reschny were named Player of the Game for their respective teams, while Iginla, Parekh, Sam O’Reilly, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora and Tomas Galvas were named their teams’ top three players.
NOTES
Everett Silvertips forward Matias Vanhanen (Nokia, Fin.) scored Finland’s lone goal of an eight-round shootout against the Swedes in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss… Former Red Deer Rebels forward Kasper Pikkarainen (Helsinki, Fin.) snagged a primary assist to tie the game.
