Top standouts from Canada vs. Germany at 2024 World Junior Championship
Canada has finished the round-robin on a high note, beating Germany 6-3 in a game that was much closer than the score might suggest.
With the win and second place in Group A, Canada will look to replicate their result from the gold medal game in 2023 in their game against Czechia on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Germany will play Norway on Thursday in a winner-takes-all single-game relegation contest.
It all started off poorly for the Canadians, who lost forward Conor Geekie to a head contact game misconduct at just 11 seconds in. Arizona Coyotes prospect Julian Lutz took advantage of the man advantage, scoring at 2:57 with a perfectly placed shot.
Canada didn’t waste much time getting on the board when they got to 5-on-5. At 6:20, Macklin Celebrini took the puck from his own zone and made no mistake firing it past Matthias Bittner to make it a 1-1 game. Brayden yager then scored on Canada’s own power-play chance at 14:37 in a dominant period that saw Canada outshoot Germany 13-3.
But that didn’t stop the Germans from keeping things interesting. At 21:49, Roman Kechter scored on the power play after beating a screened Mathis Rousseau with a perfectly placed wrister – giving Germany two goals on just four shots.
Missing scoring chances in close became a trend for the Canadians for the rest of the second, which kept the game tied. But the third period was all Canada, with Owen Beck, Jordan Dumais, Celebrini and Easton Cowan all scoring goals in the third. Julius Sumpf had tied the game at 47:32, but Canada made them pay for mistakes over the remainder of the game to close things out.
Canada
#17 Macklin Celebrini, C (2024 NHL Draft): Celebrini was plenty rested when he hit the ice six minutes into the game, going from his own to score the tying goal. He was consistently Canada’s best player, grabbing six shots in the first two periods alone before generating at least one chance on nearly every shift he had in the third period. Despite being 17, coach Alan Letang wants Celebrini on the ice as often as possible because when the pressure’s on, Celebrini gives it his all. That was exemplified when he scored that 5-3 goal from an impossible angle, giving Canada some much-needed breathing room.
#29 Brayden Yager, C (Pittsburgh Penguins): Did Letang finally find the right linemate for Celebrini? Yager and Celebrini clicked instantly, with the pair combining for three goals. They can both shoot, but Yager has such a heads-up offensive game that he hadn’t managed to unlock before tonight. This was Yager’s best game of the tournament, no question.
#9 Nate Danielson, RW (Detroit Red Wings): While Canada’s stars took charge today, Danielson had a couple of chances of his own and brought a ton of energy throughout the game. He’s got a strong frame, and doesn’t get pushed around easily. That allowed him to hold his own in front of the net while also playing a very effective two-way, shutdown game.
#8 Owen Beck, C (Montreal Canadiens): Beck finally registered his first goal, which felt like a long-time coming. He’s been great at serving the shutdown center role, but he and Carson Rehkopf connected for the much-needed 3-2 goal. Count me as one of many surprised that Beck didn’t record a point in the first three games given how effective he’s been.
#22 Jordan Dumais, RW (Columbus Blue Jackets): If anyone needed a goal today, it was Dumais. He has struggled all tournament long, and his power-play goal at 48:32 ended up being the game-winner. Will it help spark his confidence in the medal round, especially if Savoie can’t return?
Germany
#24 Roman Kechter, C (Undrafted): Between making the save of the year (as a center) and then scoring the tying goal on the power play, Kechter was a crucial part of Germany’s attack. That was especially important with Oswald Veit out due to a suspension. The Germans would have probably liked him to produce a bit more, but no one played a more impactful team on that squad.
#1 Matthias Bittner, G (Undrafted): Despite seemingly wanting to leave the crease any time possible (the NHL 24 tethering mechanic would suit him well), Bittner was the primary reason why the game was close to begin with. The Canadians struggled to get many high-quality chances, but Bittner came up with many big stops as the quicker, more skilled opponents made him work for it. Bittner has been great in his two games and should get Germany’s next start.
#22 Jakob Weber, D (Undrafted): Weber isn’t known for his offense, but he had a pair of assists and drew a penalty that led to a German goal. Germany hasn’t gotten much help offensively from their blueline, and Weber entered the game with no points, but he blocked shots, made some solid passes out of his own zone and played with urgency.
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