Colt Carter, Canada Red take gold at U17 World Challenge
Truro, N.S.- Six Western Hockey League players hit the scoresheet as Canada Red skated to a 6-3 victory over Canada White in the gold-medal showdown at the 2025 U17 World Challenge.
The Saturday afternoon victory marks the first time Canada Red captured the championship, while denying Canada White a three-peat at the event.
Ten WHLers won gold with Canada Red, in addition to Head Coach Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert Raiders), who previously served as an assistant coach for Canada White in a gold-medal run in November of 2024, and goaltending consultant Jeff Harvey of the Saskatoon Blades.
🇨🇦🔴 captain Alexis Joseph (@SJSeaDogs) hoists the #WorldU17 trophy! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Ol126egDxg
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) November 9, 2025
Reigning WHL Rookie of the Month Chase Surkan wasted no time getting on the scoresheet as he was credited with the primary assist on Charlie Murata’s (Flint Firebirds / OHL) game-opening strike for Canada Red.
Ottawa 67s forward Brock Chitaroni levelled the match with a deft wrister for Canada White before Victoriaville Tigres second-round pick Loik Gariepy put Canada Red back on top just over a minute later- marking a combined three goals in under four minutes in the opening period.
Mirco Dufour (Everett Silvertips / Rocky View, Alta.) gave his team a 3-1 advantage as he buried a loose rebound on the doorstep of the Canada White goal to close out the first frame.
Mirco Dufour (@WHLsilvertips) cleans up out front with 57.2 seconds left in the first as 🇨🇦🔴 takes a 3-1 lead in the #WorldU17 final! pic.twitter.com/b3Aj8fCEzY
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) November 9, 2025
Another WHL pair combined to extend the lead as 2024 WHL second-overall draft pick Brock Cripps (Prince Albert Raiders / Victoria, B.C.) wheeled into the offensive zone.
He was knocked off his feet, but Blake Chorney (Vancouver Giants / Nipawin, Sask.) was right behind to pick up the puck and wire it to a wide-open Ryerson Edgar (Niagara Ice Dogs / OHL).
Canada White began chipping away at the deficit as Kaden McGregor (Peterborough Petes / OHL) redirected a shot off his chest and into the twine.
Early in the third period, 2025 WHL first-overall pick Maddox Schultz (Regina Pats / Regina, Sask.) drew his team within one after capitalizing on a penalty shot with a clever low blocker-side shot.
Maddox Schultz is clutch! 🤩
The @WHLPats' 🇨🇦⚪️ captain buries the penalty shot in the #WorldU17 final! pic.twitter.com/mVrfVMYXgI
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) November 9, 2025
The marker stood as the Canada White Captain’s sixth goal of the tournament.
But Canada Red stymied any further comeback hopes as Chorney bagged his second assist of the net with the primary helper on a Camryn Warren (North Bay Battalion / OHL) empty-netter.
St. John’s, Newfoundland’s Benjamin Veitch (Newfoundland Regiment capped off the scoring with a final empty netter to seal a 6-3 finish.
In net, Lief Oaten (Lethbridge Hurricanes / Calgary, Alta.) steered aside 38 of 41 shots to preserve the win and register a .927 save percentage.
Six-foot-2 defenceman Boston Tait (Wenatchee Wild / Estevan, Sask.) was named Canada Red’s Player of the Game, while Schultz snagged the honour for the silver medalists.
WHL Players on Canada Red
| Name | Position | Ht. | Wt. | Born | WHL Club |
| Oaten, Leif | Goaltender | 6’3” | 195 | Calgary, Alta. | Lethbridge |
| Carter, Colt | Defence | 5’9” | 162 | Drayton Valley, Alta. | Moose Jaw |
| Cripps, Brock | Defence | 5’10” | 148 | Victoria, B.C. | Prince Albert |
| Geras, Joaquin | Defence | 6’1” | 180 | Calgary, Alta. | Kamloops |
| Hayden, Owen | Defence | 6’7” | 205 | Calgary, Alta. | Kelowna |
| Tait, Boston | Defence | 6’2” | 170 | Estevan, Sask. | Wenatchee |
| Chorney, Blake | Forward | 5’11” | 183 | Nipawin, Sask. | Vancouver |
| Dufour, Mirco | Forward | 5’8” | 171 | Rocky View, Alta. | Everett |
| England, Brock | Forward | 5’11” | 165 | Airdrie, Alta. | Seattle |
| Surkan, Chase | Forward | 5’8” | 155 | Regina, Sask. | Brandon |
WHL Players on Canada White
| Name | Position | Ht. | Wt. | Born | WHL Club |
| Christie, Cash | Goaltender | 5’11” | 122 | North Vancouver, B.C. | Medicine Hat |
| Bouchard, Aden | Defence | 6’0” | 162 | Airdrie, Alta. | Tri-City |
| Hamilton, Calder | Defence | 5’9” | 135 | Martensville, Sask. | Calgary |
| Harvey, Ben | Forward | 5’8” | 164 | Edmonton, Alta. | Prince Albert |
| McKamey, Eli | Forward | 5’9” | 178 | Cowichan Bay, B.C. | Victoria |
| Pue, Liam | Forward | 6’2” | 154 | Langley, B.C. | Regina |
| Schultz, Maddox | Forward | 5’10” | 165 | Regina, Sask. | Regina |
| Schwartz, Jacob | Forward | 5’7” | 145 | Vancouver, B.C. | Victoria |
| Stroeder, Kayden | Forward | 5’10” | 150 | Lanigan, Sask. | Edmonton |
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
