DRESDEN, Germany _ Malcolm Subban made quite a debut with the national team.

The excitable goaltender turned aside all 26 shots he faced Friday as Canada opened the world under-18 championship with a 5-0 victory over the Czech Republic.

“The nerves were going at the start,” said Subban.  “Actually not so much nerves, just really more adrenaline and excitement. I try not to get nervous because I don’t want to mess up my game.”

Like his teammates, Subban was spot on. He was particularly sharp in the third period with 14 saves, which left him beaming once the final buzzer sounded.

“I can’t wait until the next game,” said Subban, the younger brother of Habs defenceman P.K. Subban. “That game was so much fun, so much different than playing the league, playing for your country and a gold medal, it was an unbelievable feeling.”

Mark Scheifele scored twice for Canada while Eric Locke, Morgan Rielly and Ryan Murphy added one goal apiece.

The Czechs were coming off an upset 2-1 win over Sweden on Thursday, but didn’t carry that momentum over. Locke scored just 1:10 into the game and Rielly and Scheifele added to the lead before the end of the first period.

“They were ready to go,” said Canadian coach Mike Williamson. “I think they were sick of hearing us (coaches) talk to them about what to do and wanted to just get out there and play. The first period was fantastic, exactly what we needed.

“They got in, they were physical, they played hard and it was a great start for us.”

Canada’s next game will be against Finland on Saturday. They’ll also face Norway and Sweden in round-robin play before the start of the medal round.

The team has spent the last week in Europe preparing for the event and passed its first test with flying colours.

“Our guys did exactly what we asked,” said Williamson. “They bought in and when we did it, we carried the game.”

The coach plans to make a decision on his goaltender with each game. Subban made a strong impression in the opening game.

“Our team played really well, but there were some times when I had to come up and make a big save,” he said. “In the last period, they got a 3-on-2 and I made a nice glove save.

“Your team’s going to make mistakes, that’s why the goalie’s there.”