Canada re-group to leave 2026 World Juniors with bronze
Photo credit: Micheline Veluvolu – IIHF
It wasn’t the medal Canada came to Minnesota to win but they made sure they didn’t leave empty-handed.
After a semi-final defeat to Czechia Sunday, Canada re-grouped in less than 24 hours to beat Finland 6-3 to leave the 2026 World Juniors as bronze medallists.
“It’s nice not going home empty-handed,” said the newest Kitchener Ranger and former London Knight Sam O’Reilly (TB). “I had fun and it’s nice to get something [out of it].
“There’s been a lot of hard work the last month.”
It marked the seventh bronze medal in program history and first since 2012. It was also Canada’s first World Juniors medal since 2023 where they won gold in Halifax.
Sam O'Reilly 70 seconds in!
The @LondonKnights' #GoBolts prospect converts on a 2-on-1 as 🇨🇦 strikes first in the bronze medal game! #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/rj8196pdnd
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) January 5, 2026
“I’m really happy to leave here with something,” said Saginaw Spirit and Calgary Flames defenceman Zayne Parekh. “It’s not gold which we want obviously. We thought we do it for each other, have some pride and have some resilience.
“You’re doing it for your country at the end of the day … it’s not about us; it’s about the team … so we didn’t want to let them down in this last game.”
Just a day earlier Canada had suffered heartbreak to Czechia again after a 6-4 defeat in the semi-finals but with a medal still on the line, the 20-time gold medallists were determined to leave with something.
“It was tough to get into this one … but I’m really proud of how the group responded,” Parekh said.
Gavin McKenna❗️
The reigning CHL player of the year records his fourth point of the bronze medal game as 🇨🇦 extends its lead to 6-3! #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/r1YJcJAuAu
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) January 6, 2026
There is still a lot to be proud of for Canada – reigning CHL Player of the Year Gavin McKenna (2026) finished second in tournament scoring with 14 points while Parekh set a new Canadian record for most points in a single World Juniors with 13. And there is also a look to the future as a trio of 2026 NHL Draft prospects were in the Canadian lineup in McKenna, the Prince George Cougars’ Carson Carels and former Victoria Royal Keaton Verhoeff.
“Going home with a medal, some hardware, is always great,” said Carels who claimed his fourth international medal. “It was a hard day [Sunday], a heartbreaker but you have to wake up in the morning and try to forget about it.
“They gave us the night to mentally get over that roadblock but we jumped into this morning and everybody had fuel to win this game.”
In total, 41 past and present CHL players won medals at the 2026 World Juniors.
