Canada wins 2025 U-18 World Championship for second straight year
Canada has won gold for the second straight year after beating Sweden 7-0 at the 2025 U-18 World Championship in Texas.
It’s the first time Canada has won gold in consecutive years after having never previously made the finals in back-to-back seasons. Sweden has won medals in seven straight tournaments, with this being their second silver in that span.
Canada showed some excellent puck movement early in this one, and took advantage of a poor Swedish D-zone effort four minutes in. Xavier Villeneuve would benefit from a Swedish giveaway, scoring from inside the point to make it 1-0.
Then, at 12:31, another hard-working effort made it 2-0. Canada’s attack did a great job of moving the puck, with Cole Reschny tapping the puck to Brady Martin in front to make it a 2-0 game.
Canada took control in the second period and never looked back. Jackson Smith scored a huge one at 24:56, taking away Sweden’s steam early in the third. At 29:35, Ethan Czata’s wrister beat Love Harenstam to make it 4-0, only for Brady Martin to get his second of the night to make it 5-0 at 32:54. Braeden Cootes and Jack Nesbitt scored one each to make it 7-0, capping off the night.
The United States took home bronze in the earlier game, ending a two-year run as the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. The game required overtime, with USA and Slovakia swapping leads throughout the game. Ben Kevan would score the game-winning goal at 5:37 into the extra frame, securing USA’s first third-place finish since 2019. Slovakia, meanwhile, lost in the bronze medal game for the third straight year.
Here’s a look at the standouts from Saturday night’s championship bout:
Canada
#28 Brady Martin, RW: No one brings energy to a shift like Martin. He looked extra energized after getting ejected in the semifinal, landing a couple of big hits early on. He then scored to make it 2-0 before having a fantastic penalty kill just minutes later. Martin was all over the ice in the second and was rewarded with a beautiful goal, making it a 5-0 game. What a showing from a potential top-five prospect.
#19 Cameron Schmidt, RW: After entering as one of the most notable players on Canada, I was disappointed in Schmidt’s game. He just never seemed to make anything happen after registering three points in Canada’s first game. But he came out flying in the first and was one of the team’s top playdrivers from the get-go.
#20 Keaton Verhoeff, D (2026): Verhoeff had an assist on the 5-0 goal, but was instrumental on a few other high-end plays. The big defender was one of Canada’s best defenders from the get-go. He’s big and hard to beat, but he’s also so smart. Big blueliners who make quick, smart, effective plays and moves with pace are highly coveted.
#7 Cole Reschny, C: Every pass Reschny made looked magical. The projected first-rounder was making so many great plays in tight spaces, using a mix of simplicity and pure genius to beat Swedish defenders all night long. He had assists on both of Martin’s goals – and it was Reschny’s moves that were the most impressive. The Victoria Royals forward was one of Canada’s best players and deserves all the praise he has been getting.
#1 Jack Ivankovic, G: Ivankovic played as well tonight as we’ve seen from him all tournament. Even when it looked like Sweden was targeting him physically, nothing seemed to faze him. Ivankovic looked so dialed in, and his athleticism and steady positioning helped secure the huge victory. Ivankovic was a key part of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold this past spring and this was yet another huge tournament for him.
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