Canada’s National Junior Team has repeated as champions at the IIHF World Junior Championship for the first time since 2009, winning gold on home ice after downing Czechia 3-2 in overtime on Thursday night.
The gold medal winning team featured six Greater Toronto Hockey League alumni.
GTHL ALUMNI (6) – 2023 Canadian National Junior Team:
| NAME |
GTHL TEAM |
| Brandt Clarke | Don Mills Flyers |
| Ethan Del Mastro* | Toronto Marlboros |
| Zach Dean | Toronto Young Nationals |
| Adam Fantilli | Toronto Jr. Canadiens |
| Brennan Othmann* | Don Mills Flyers |
| Shane Wright | Don Mills Flyers |
*Won gold at the 2022 edition in Edmonton
On the game’s opening goal, Brandt Clarke (Don Mills Flyers) recorded an assist – his first of two on the night as the former Flyer went on to add a helper on the overtime winner. Captain Shane Wright (Don Mills Flyers) celebrated his 19th birthday with a backhand to give Team Canada a 2-0 lead just over four minutes into the second period. Brennan Othmann (Don Mills Flyers) also celebrated his birthday with a couple of assists on the night.
“I could not be more proud of this group. I am so excited and happy for everyone on our team, but it has not really sunk in yet. To win a gold medal at the World Juniors on my birthday is an unbelievable feeling,” said Wright, who celebrated his 19th birthday Thursday. “Playing in a gold medal game is about as high-pressure as it gets, especially when it goes to overtime, but we all felt confident and we were able to come away with the win.”
Dylan Guenther was the overtime hero, scoring the golden goal and picking up his third point of the night off a give-and-go with Joshua Roy 6:22 into the extra frame. The win gives Canada its 20th gold medal and 35th medal overall at the World Juniors.
Thomas Milic turned in another strong performance in the Canadian goal, making 24 saves.
A full game summary can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.
Canada finished the preliminary round in second place in Group A with a 3-1 record after a loss to Czechia (5-2) and wins over Germany (11-2), Austria (11-0) and Sweden (5-1). It booked a spot in the gold medal game with a 4-3 overtime win against Slovakia in the quarterfinals and a 6-2 win over the United States in the semifinals.
Fellow GTHL alumnus and U.S. National Junior Team captain Luke Hughes (Toronto Marlboros) won bronze as the U.S. downed Sweden 8-7.
For full coverage of the 2023 World Juniors, visit IIHF.com.
