Four WHLers find the scoresheet as Canada blanks Slovakia to advance to 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship gold-medal game

Frisco, Texas- Macklin, Saskatchewan’s Cole Reschny’s standout performance ensured Canada will have a chance to defend its gold medal at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship.

The Canadians downed Slovakia 4-0 in a penalty-ridden semifinal showdown on Friday afternoon.

With Canada nursing a narrow 1-0 lead in the third period, Cole Reschny – the overtime hero from Canada’s quarterfinal match against Czechia- stepped up with a furious one-timer from above the left faceoff dot less than 10 seconds into a Canadian powerplay.

Stay hot Cole Reschny! 🔥

The @victoriaroyals star and 2025 #NHLDraft prospect converts on the power play for his fifth of the #U18MensWorlds to give 🇨🇦 a 2-0 lead in their semi-final! pic.twitter.com/GLeL6WOl8M

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 2, 2025

Captain Braeden Cootes (Sherwood Park, Alta./ Seattle Thunderbirds) and WHL Rookie of the Year finalist Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. / Victoria Royals) served up the helpers on the critical goal.

The Victoria Royals star, who is ranked 25th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting heading into the 2025 NHL Draft, has five goals in four games at the tournament, in addition to a Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal from the summer of 2024.

Calgary Hitmen star Ben Kindel (Coquitlam, B.C. / NHL CSS: 21) added some insurance with a late assist before Verhoeff helped pour on the pressure late with a primary assist on Ryan Roobroeck’s powerplay marker when under two minutes remaining in regulation.

Canada will try to repeat as champions for the first time in tournament history on Saturday, May 3 at 6:00 p.m. MST.

NOTES

2025 NHL Draft-eligible defenceman Blake Fiddler (Frisco, Texas / Edmonton Oil Kings) and the United States will battle Sweden in the second semifinal at 6:00 p.m. MST.

The bronze medal match is slated for Saturday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m. MST with the gold-medal game to follow.