Congratulations to Red Deer Rebels forward Matthew Gard and athletic therapist Terence Robertson for winning gold with Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in Allen and Frisco, Texas.

It’s the first time Gard has played for Team Canada at an international event. He finished the tournament with a goal and three assists in seven games.

The Winnipeg, MB native just wrapped up his second season with the Rebels and co-led the team with 36 points. NHL Central Scouting has him ranked 37th amongst North American Skaters for the 2025 NHL Draft.

Meantime, this is the second gold medal win in as many tournaments for Robertson. He was part of Team Canada’s staff for the first time at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton.

The Canadians were undefeated throughout the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship tournament, beating Slovakia, Latvia, Finland and Norway and outscoring their opponents 43-5 in the preliminary round. Canada claimed a 3-2 overtime win over Czechia in the quarterfinals and a 4-0 semifinal win over Slovakia before blanking Sweden 7-0 in Saturday’s gold medal game.

Since 2002, Canada has won six gold medals at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021, 2024, 2025), in addition to one silver (2005) and four bronze (2012, 2014, 2015, 2023). It’s the first time Canada was won two-straight gold medals at the tournament.