As the only undefeated country, Hockey Canada came out with one goal in mind: to capture the 2021 U18 World Championship. Following a run that consisted of matches against the world’s best youth during a two-week duration, the Canadians made history in Frisco, as they were handed their medals after beating the Russians.
Led behind the bench by Dave Barr, the Canadians, since the moment they arrived, never looked out of place since the start of the tournament. With names such as phenom Shane Wright, Francesco Pinelli and Connor Bedard, Canada put on a clinic while led between the pipes by Benjamin Gaudreau.
It was Gaudreau who really stole the show, making 31 saves in the victorious effort. “Tonight’s game was really exciting to be a part of. The last minute of the game felt longer than the rest of the game, so it seemed like it took a little while for the clock to finally hit zero,” the goaltender said.
“Once [Wright] put the icing on the cake with 40 seconds to play, the reality set in that we won. It was a huge win for us and it’s hard to describe the feeling, but we could not have done it with a better group of guys.”
For many players, including Wright, it was their first time skating since before the pandemic. Due to the Ontario League not being able to get a season off the ground, many players were training at home and just hoping to get calls that they’d be be able to play.
For those 18-years-old and younger, getting the call for the tournament was a whole different feeling. It allowed some of Canada’s strongest talent the chance to play together, and in some cases, succeed.
It was certainly the case for Shane Wright, who ends his tournament with nine goals along with five assists. His goal total also sets the record for most goals scored in a single U18 tournament.
“This win means the world to me. It means the world to all of my teammates, our coaches and staff, and the entire country,” the centreman said. “I could not be more proud of all the work that everyone has put in, how hard everyone has pushed and all the sacrifices we have made to get to this point. I am so happy for all the guys in our locker room.”
With the Russians continuing to battle their way back, Shane Wright dumped the empty-net winner for his fourteenth point to put the contest away. Wright took the ice in five goals, scoring a goal in each to guide his country to the championship.
Bedard, 15, wasn’t far behind him, as he scored seven goals, racking up 14 points. He finished tied for second in scoring, a plateau that he reached through seven games played. The North Vancouver, B.C. native scored his seventh goal in the early goings of Thursday night after Matvei Michkov kicked off the scoring for the Russians. The winger also added two helpers, finishing the tournament with 12 goals and 16 points in seven games.
Bedard banked a top-shelf backhand, beating Sergei Ivanov in response to a missed penalty shot. The tie didn’t last for long, as Dmitri Buchelnikov scored just two minutes later, giving Russia the lead for a second time. While that held for most of the period, Shane Wright scored a power-play goal, being his first of two, with just 45 seconds left. This would knot up the game after the first 20 minutes.
Side-by-side with a notable achievement, Bedard and Wright are two of only seven players in CHL history to be granted exceptional player status to start major junior a year early. It’s not the only space where they share a similar story, as they finished the tournament second and third in scoring, trailing only Matvei Michkov, one of Russia’s own.
From the game’s second frame, it was all Team Canada, as they added two more from Brennan Othmann and Logan Stankoven, this doubling their lead over Russia, 4-2. Putting on a display after 40 minutes, a victory was now in sight for the relentless Canadians.
After a quiet ten minutes to start the third and final period, defensemen Vladimir Grudinin made the Canadians pay, rounding out his country’s offence, as they pulled within one, 4-3. From there, Team Canada kept them at bay, as they continued to drive the game right into the end zone. Down to the last 44 seconds after Sergei Ivanov was pulled from Russia’s crease, that’s when Wright added some assurance with his ninth and last goal, leading the Canadian National Junior Team. Ivanov finished the outing, saving 29 shots of the 33 he faced.
“Just incredibly proud of the boys and just the way we worked all tournament,” he said to Bryan Mudryk during his postgame interview.
Overall, Canada has won four U18 tournaments, with their last gold medal secured back in 2013. The team was led by 15-year-old Connor McDavid, now the fearless leader of the Edmonton Oilers.
Having dominated numerous opponents, Team Canada tallied 51 goals and only let 12 go by them through the seven games they played in. This includes a 10-3 win over the Czech Republic on Monday night. Earlier on, they beat Sweden 12-1 before routing the defending silver medalists 8-1 in the semifinals.
Looking at the make-up of Team Canada’s roster for this one, 21 of the country’s 24 players on the active roster were born in 2003. The exceptions are Shane Wright and Denton Mateychuk, both of whom were born in 2004. Connor Bedard was born in 2005 and turns 16-years-old at the start of the summer.
Returning to home soil as champions, Canada finishes atop Group A, as they outscored their opponents 28-5. They did so with statement victories in North Texas, as they managed to blank Switzerland, Latvia, Belarus and Sweden.
Adding to the record books Thursday, Canada has now won four gold medals at the IIHF U18 World Championships (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021). The Canadians also own one silver (2005), as well as three bronze (2012, 2014, 2015).
“I have had a great time coaching this team. It was a lot of fun to be able to bring the gold medal back to Canada, and I was very fortunate to have two great assistant coaches in Mike Stothers and Gordie Dwyer,” said Dave Barr, who led Team Canada as bench boss. “Ultimately you are trying to win the gold medal and you never know how a game like tonight’s is going to go, but we focused on what we were able to control and that gave us a great chance to win.”