Canada Captures Gold at 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship
Buffalo, NY – A total of 18 CHL players are World Junior Hockey Championship gold medalists as members of Team Canada in Buffalo following a 3-1 win over Sweden in Friday’s Gold Medal Game before a sea of red at the Key Bank Center.
The annual tournament featured a total of 58 CHL players competing for gold, with Canada emerging victorious following a thrilling finish in Buffalo.
CANADA 3 – SWEDEN 1 // GOLD MEDAL GAME
Tyler Steenbergen (Swift Current Broncos) redirected a Conor Timmins (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) point feed with 1:40 left in the third period to lift Canada to gold at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
The 3-1 win over Sweden before an energetic crowd of 17,544 featured a 35-save performance from Player of the Game Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips) as Canada returns to the top of the podium three years after winning gold at the 2015 World Juniors in Toronto.
Steenbergen’s game winner gave every Canadian forward a goal in the tournament, one that the Arizona Coyotes prospect scored at the perfect time.
“Guys were giving me grief all tournament for not scoring but I’m sure they’re pretty happy right now,” Steenbergen told TSN post-game. “It’s an unbelievable group of guys and there’s nothing like the feeling of winning gold.”
Team captain Dillon Dube (Kelowna Rockets) opened the scoring 1:49 into the second period with assists from leading scorer Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting) and Sam Steel (Regina Pats) while Ottawa Senators prospect Alex Formenton (London Knights) put the game on ice with an empty netter inside the final two minutes of regulation.
Sweden outshot Canada 36-28 as Tim Soderlund provided the lone goal in the loss shorthanded with 6:53 left in the second.
Sweden takes home its 11th silver medal in tournament history, giving the country a total of 18 dating back to 1977.
Canada takes home gold for the 17th time, contributing to an overall total of 31.
CHL GOLD MEDALISTS – CANADA:
Drake Batherson (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)
Jake Bean (Calgary Hitmen)*
Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings)*
Maxime Comtois (Victoriaville Tigres)
Dillon Dube (Kelowna Rockets)*
Cal Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
Alex Formenton (London Knights)
Jonah Gadjovich (Owen Sound Attack)
Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips)*
Brett Howden (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Boris Katchouk (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting)
Michael McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads)*
Taylor Raddysh (Erie Otters)*
Sam Steel (Regina Pats)
Tyler Steenbergen (Swift Current Broncos)
Robert Thomas (London Knights)
Conor Timmins (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
*- won silver at the 2017 World Juniors in Montreal
Victor Mete is a graduate of the London Knights
CHL SILVER MEDALISTS – SWEDEN:
Jacob Moverare (Mississauga Steelheads)
UNITED STATES 9 – CZECH REPUBLIC 3 // BRONZE MEDAL GAME
Kieffer Bellows (Portland Winterhawks) scored twice, breaking Jeremy Roenick’s U.S. National Junior Team record with his eighth and ninth goals of the tournament to lead the United States to bronze in Buffalo.
The New York Islanders prospect joined teammate Trent Frederic in fuelling the Americans to an 9-3 win over the Czech Republic, giving them medals at three consecutive World Junior tournaments for the first time ever.
Frederic netted four goals while Ryan Poehling, Joey Anderson and Patrick Harper also found the back of the net. The U.S. climbed out to an 8-0 lead with six in the second period before the Czechs clawed back with three of their own in the third.
Martin Kaut, Radovan Pavlik and Daniel Kurovsky found the scoresheet while Libor Hajek (Saskatoon Blades) and Ondrej Vala (Kamloops Blazers) had assists as the Czech Republic outshot the Americans 22-11 in the final frame.
Bellows, Kailer Yamamoto (Spokane Chiefs), Logan Brown (Windsor Spitfires) and Max Jones (London Knights) take home medals as the United States wins its sixth bronze and eleventh total medal in tournament history while the Czechs settle for fourth place.
CHL BRONZE MEDALISTS – UNITED STATES:
Kieffer Bellows (Portland Winterhawks)
Logan Brown (Windsor Spitfires)
Max Jones (London Knights)
Kailer Yamamoto (Spokane Chiefs)
2018 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA ALL-STARS – CHL:
Forward – Filip Zadina (Halifax Mooseheads) – Czech Republic
Forward – Kieffer Bellows (Portland Winterhawks) – United States
For full coverage of the 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship visit the IIHF or HockeyCanada.ca.
