OTTAWA — The Canadian Tire Centre crowd reached the loudest volume it had been in the tournament when Canada's Bradley Nadeau tied the game with 4:18 remaining against Czechia.
After Porter Martone sent them into the final intermission behind just a goal, Team Canada came out of the gates flying in the third period. It left everyone in the arena thinking, "Where's this been all week?"
All of a sudden, entries became smoother, passes were hitting tape consistently, shots were getting through traffic, and white jerseys were getting to every puck battle first. There was a glimmer of hope.
That glimmer was extinguished within two minutes when Andrew Gibson took Canada's second kneeing penalty of the evening. Adam Jecho's powerplay marker with 40 seconds remaining meant in back-to-back tournaments, Team Czechia would knock out Canada in the final minute of the quarterfinals.
CZECHIA LEADS WITH UNDER A MINUTE TO GO 😱
Adam Jecho strikes on the power-play!#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/leL90nGeAx
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 3, 2025
After losing to the Canadians in the semi-finals in 2022 and in the finals in 2023, Jecho is acutely aware of how important his goal was for his nation — beyond the game's scope.
"It's always special against Canada. They are a super tough opponent to play against, [especially] with the home crowd and getting that special energy," said the Edmonton Oil Kings forward. "It's definitely a big win.
The Czechs will fight for a medal for the fourth consecutive tournament. In May, the men's team won its first gold medal at the World Championships since 2005. Jecho indicates the nation is flourishing at the junior level.
"I think it's in a great spot. The last couple of years were awesome for Czech junior hockey."
Czechia is forcing its reputation to change from a team that can cause an upset to a legitimate consistent medal contender. They pride themselves on their ability to function as a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
"We're a great group. We are together on and off the ice," explained captain Eduard Šalé, playing in his third World Juniors. "That's our mentality and I think we showed it tonight."
Every single Czechia player went up to wish goaltender Michael Hrabal good luck before the game.
Every single one.
Talk about unity! #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/5YydVO7eWD
— Kyle Watson (@kyle_nw) January 3, 2025
"When you have this jersey on you have one mindset: to play as long as you can," said Jecho. "We are super fortunate to play for this team."
In his first appearance at the tournament, Jecho says it's easy to find success with a leader like Šalé, who sets an example for the younger players.
"He's obviously an unbelievable player on the ice, but he's probably an even better person off the ice," said the 18-year-old. "He shows us the way and plays super hard every game."
Šalé's drive is evident when talking to him. When asked how it feels to be chasing the nation's all-time scoring record, he deferred focus to Saturday's semi-final matchup against the USA.
"We are focusing on the tournament," said the Seattle Kraken prospect. "I am the leader and have to do the right things to push this team in every game and try to win."
A brief history lesson
For the first time since 1980, Canada have been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the World Juniors in consecutive years.
A seventh-place finish in 1981 sparked the formation of the Program of Excellence, a milestone moment in Canadian hockey history.
In the tournament's infancy, Canada iced league all-star teams (OHL, WHL, or QMJHL) and defending Memorial Cup champions at the U20 level. It wasn't until the creation of the P.O.E. and the U17 and U18 programs that the nation sent its "best" junior-age players.
44 years later, there are more calls for drastic change in Hockey Canada's selection process. For starters, actually bringing the best players available to them.
Yes, there have been many years in which Canada has had major snubs and gone on to win gold. A few of those teams walked through the tournament. Competition has greatly increased over the years, though — can they afford to keep leaving this much talent at home?
You give yourself the best chance of winning, year in, year out, by taking the best players.
You have to trust that when these players put on the Maple Leaf, you’ll get an increase in physicality. You’ll get the PK’ers you need.
— Brock Otten (@BrockOtten) January 3, 2025
It's difficult to pose solutions when star players are nervous. This was a Team Canada full of U17, U18, and Hlinka-Gretzky Cup gold medal winners, OHL champions, and a WHL champion in captain Brayden Yager. It took them until that third period to look like it, though.
One possible solution would be pairing players who have pre-existing chemistry. Porter Martone and Carson Rehkopf have formed one of the deadliest duos in junior hockey this season but were not tried in the same lineup, let alone line or powerplay unit. Martone was also excellent alongside McKenna as he captained Canada to Hlinka gold this summer — they did not share the ice once in Ottawa.
Perhaps the pressure starts in the selection process when players are lambasted online for their inclusion over player x, y, or z. It can't be easy to play under those conditions — where each mistake feeds the narratives of faceless accounts on social media.
Hagens, BC Line shine against Switzerland
James Hagens scored twice as the USA sailed comfortably to a 7-2 win over Switzerland.
The top 2025 NHL Draft prospect is tied for second in the tournament scoring lead with eight points in five contests. He sits within touching distance of the 11 points Auston Matthews, Phil Kessel, and Matthew Tkachuk managed in their draft-eligible seasons at the World Juniors.
Having broken tournament scoring records at the U17 and U18 levels, Hagens is used to playing in the spotlight — and under the microscope.
"My dad will tell me pressure is a privilege," said the Hauppauge, NY native. "You can't let any of that stuff affect you - it's all outside noise. I'm grateful to be in that spot where there's pressure on you and your team, but when you're on the ice you have to let all that stuff go."
The confidence in Hagens' game is on full display in Ottawa and shone through today, with his line with Gabriel Perreault and Ryan Leonard combing for five of the Americans' seven goals. Against possibly the weakest competition they've faced in Team Switzerland, the 18-year-old phenom was running wild.
What a move!
James Hagens extends Team USA's lead to 2-0. #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/ip5pFcbLP9
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 2, 2025
Team USA's top line does it again!
James Hagens scores his second of the game to make it 6-1. #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/X5WEhNbT3l
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 2, 2025
Hagens says it's easy to play with a guy like Leonard:
"He works so hard. That's a guy that everyone thrives off of, he leads us on and off the ice and steps up in big moments," said Hagens. "Guys watch him play and it sets up their next shift."
Leonard emerged from the game with a few battle scars, including a busted nose, after being hit with a few high sticks and a puck to the face.
"I don't know if he'll be doing any modelling," said Hagens.
Victor Eklund turning heads with Team Sweden
With an assist on Sweden's game-winning goal, draft-eligible winger Victor Eklund took his tournament totals to two goals and four helpers through five games. The Djurgården forward trails only Hagens in scoring among first-time draft-eligibles.
“I have been incredibly impressed by Eklund’s ability to drive play below the goal line and extend possession along the wall," said Director of Scouting, Brock Otten. "Opposing defenders have had a real hard time separating him from the puck and containing him along the wall. It’s had a real positive effect on Sweden’s offence and their ability to sustain pressure.”
"With another exceptional performance in the quarterfinals against Latvia, he is showcasing his all-around game at another level," said scout Viktor Åhlund. "Eklund brings a high pace every shift, delivering hits in the neutral zone, driving hard at the net, and battling for loose pucks and rebounds. He's constantly a strong force offensively, producing top-level plays and high-IQ solutions when under pressure.
"There are more games to be played, but for now, he is the number one Swedish prospect in this draft."
Parting Notes
- New York Islanders prospect Jesse Nurmi scored his first two goals of the tournament as Team Finland narrowly defeated Slovakia, 5-3. He plays with teammate Kasper Halttunen in London (OHL).
- Finnish goaltender Petteri Rimpinen (DY+1) was excellent once again, he leads the tournament with a .941 SV% on 169 shots.
- Washington Capitals prospect Eriks Mateiko scored twice as Team Latvia fell to Sweden, 3-2. He finishes the tournament tied for the goal-scoring lead with five goals — the record for a Latvian player is six.
- Latvian goaltender Linards Feldbergs (DY+2) stopped 210 shots across five starts — an average of 42 a game.
- Team Czechia features four St. Louis Blues prospects
- 2024 NHL Draft
- 16th overall - D Adam Jiricek
- 81st overall - F Ondrej Kos
- 95th overall - F Adam Jecho
- 2023 NHL Draft
- 106th overall, Jakub Stancl
- 2024 NHL Draft
- St. Louis Blues first-rounder Dalibor Dvorský graduates from WJC eligibility with 10 goals and 20 points across 19 career games. That's the third-most by a Slovakian player in tournament history.