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MANNHEIM, Germany — It shouldn't be that easy.

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Jordan Eberle, playing with NHL players for the first time in an international hockey tournament, led Canada to a 12-1 blowout over Norway Friday with a goal and three assists.

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It was the biggest goal output by Canada at the world hockey championship since 1967, and their five goals in just over three minutes in the second period set a Canadian record at the tournament, reports Hockey Canada.

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It shattered the previous mark of five in just over six minutes in 1982.

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"Is that all you got, kid?" ribbed captain Ray Whitney after Eberle, the Edmonton Oilers prospect and emergency injury replacement, was named Canada's player of the game.

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Eberle, filling a void left by injuries to captain Ryan Smyth and centre Steve Stamkos, said he was surprised at the ease of his debut.

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"It's funny," Eberle, the star for his hometown Regina Pats, said on the eve of his 20th birthday Saturday. "You kind of get to this level and the game almost gets a little easier. You're playing with such good players, the puck's always on your tape, and you're able to do things you aren't able to do in junior."

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Coach Craig MacTavish hesitated when asked if he was surprised at the performance by Eberle, named most valuable player of the 2010 world junior championship and Canada's all-time top scorer in that tournament.

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"I think he was capable of being one of the best players on the ice, but you're not always sure it's going to happen the first game," said MacTavish.

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The youngster wasn't even on the active roster for the preliminary round that ended Wednesday.

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Whitney, who before the game advised the youngster to "show them what you've got, kid," said Oilers' fans are in for a treat: "I think Edmonton is going to be very excited about their player they have coming in," said Whitney, 38. "He's very poised with the puck."

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Eberle's jolt of lightning helped ease — at least temporarily — any concern over the team's loss of Smyth, out for the tournament, and Stamkos.

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With a dozen goals there were plenty of Canadians making strides up the chart of the tournament scoring leaders.

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John Tavares had a hat trick while centring the top line with Stamkos still being monitored for a possible concussion.

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Evander Kane, playing on the fourth line with Eberle and Rich Peverley, had two goals while Whitney, Peverley, Marc Giordano, Steve Downie, Matt Duchene and Corey Perry had singles.

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Both Whitney and MacTavish marvelled at Eberle's playmaking ability, particularly after he intercepted a pass and set up Giordano's crucial goal that gave Canada a 3-1 lead.

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After that, the game — which started ominously when Norwegian defenceman Jonas Holas scored less than two minutes after the opening buzzer — was a laugher.

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MacTavish acknowledged that Norway, which beat Jaromir Jagr's tough Czech team earlier in the week and won a close contest against France Thursday, was tired and taken advantage of by the well-rested Canadians.

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Canada, however, still hasn't made a strong statement that it is going to contend for a medal.

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Canada finished second to the Russians the last two years and captured gold in 2007.

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Their three wins so far have come easily against Norway, Latvia and Italy. The one loss was a decisive 4-1 setback Wednesday at the hands of Canadian coach Sean Simpson's disciplined Swiss team.

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Team Canada — and especially Eberle — has to know it won't be cruising to any double-digit victories against the likes of the Swedes Sunday and Jagr's Czechs Tuesday as the qualification round continues.

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Eberle, Whitney said, will "find out it's not that easy in the next game against Sweden, for sure."

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