Canada Wins Back To Back Gold -IIHF U18

It takes numbers and individuals who know and understand the sport to gather 25 Canadian CHL players to come together as a team to compete in a world championship tournament.

That is exactly what the staff managed to do with the final result watching them pull off a 7-0 championship win over Sweden at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in Frisco, Texas. 

The victory gave Canada consecutive Gold medals at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship for the first time in their program’s history. 

We received the following press release from the CHL. 

Enjoy the read and congratulations!!

Having not allowed a goal over the last 144 minutes and 53 seconds of action he saw, Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads / OHL) recorded his second shutout of the tournament by stopping all 28 shots he faced in Saturday’s final. Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds / OHL) led all skaters in the gold medal game with two goals, while Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans / WHL), Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL), Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs / OHL), Braeden Cootes (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL), and Jack Nesbitt (Windsor Spitfires / OHL) also lit the lamp for Canada.

Named the Top Goalie of the tournament, Ivankovic led all netminders in goals-against average (1.05), save percentage (.960), and shutouts (2) during the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship.

In front of Ivankovic, Canada’s blueline contributed 12 goals at the U18s, led by Villeneuve (4G-4A in 7 GP) and Smith (4G-1A in 7 GP), who both recorded four goals in seven games, the most of any defencemen in the tournament. 

Canadian captain Cootes (6G-6A in 7 GP) led the team in scoring with 12 points through Canada’s undefeated run to a second straight gold medal. Following the gold-medal game, Ivankovic and Martin (3G-8A in 7 GP) were named to the tournament’s Media All-Star Team.

Although his country fell short against Canada in Saturday’s final, Swedish forward Filip Ekberg (Ottawa 67’s / OHL) put together an impressive performance in Texas as he was identified as the MVP and the Top Forward of the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship. 

Leading the tournament with 18 points (10G-8A) in seven games, Ekberg established a new single-tournament record for points by a Swede at the U18 World Championship by beating the previous mark of 16. 

In addition to being one of three CHL players to be selected to the tournament’s Media All-Star Team, Ekberg’s 10 goals were the most of any player at the tournament and now stand as the most-ever by a Swede at this event.

Earlier during the day, Blake Fiddler (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL) and the United States earned bronze by defeating Slovakia 4-3 in overtime. 

Playing in his hometown of Frisco, Texas, Fiddler registered a pair of goals and added an assist over his seven games at the tournament.

In total, 27 players from the CHL proudly took home medals at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship (see complete list below), including 13 from the Western Hockey League (WHL), 10 players from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and four from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). 

A total of 37 CHL players participated in the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship (see complete list below), which was the most of any development hockey league in the world. 

The CHL was the only development hockey league in the world to feature one player on eight of the 10 participating countries at the tournament, showcasing the league’s global impact and commitment to developing elite talent.

Among the 37 CHL players who participated in the event, 25 of them were listed in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft, including Czech defenceman Radim Mrtka (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL), Slovakian forward Andreas Straka (Québec Remparts / QMJHL), and German captain Carlos Händel (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL). 

There were also nine CHL skaters eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft who competed in the tournament, including seven members of Team Canada (Carels, Villeneuve, Di Iorio, Lin, Roobroeck, Rudolph, Verhoeff).

Following Canada’s gold medal victory on Saturday, Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs / OHL), Tyler Hopkins (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL), Alex Huang (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL), and Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants / WHL) joined Ivankovic, Erie Otters (OHL) defenceman Matthew Schaefer, and Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) forward Caleb Desnoyers as the only players to ever win gold for Team Canada at the U17s, U18s, and Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Team Canada was led by two-time Stanley Cup champion and Guelph Storm head coach Cory Stillman (Guelph Storm / OHL), who served as the squad’s bench boss. 

He was joined by associate coach Travis Crickard (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL), assistant coach Mathieu Turcotte (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL), and goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops Blazers / WHL). 

Since 2002, Canada has won six gold medals at the IIHF U18 World Championship (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021, 2024, 2025), in addition to one silver (2005) and four bronze (2012, 2014, 2015, 2023).

37 CHL PLAYERS COMPETED AT THE 2025 IIHF U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

GOLD – CANADA (25)
(G) Lucas Beckman (Baie-Comeau Drakkar / QMJHL)
(G) Burke Hood (Vancouver Giants / WHL)
(G) Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads / OHL)
(D) Quinn Beauchesne (Guelph Storm / OHL)
(D) Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars / WHL)
(D) Alex Huang (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL)
(D) Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants / WHL)
(D) Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL)
(D) Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans / WHL)
(D) Keaton Verhoeff (Victoria Royals / WHL)
(D) Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL)
(F) Braeden Cootes (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)
(F) Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)
(F) Alessandro Di Iorio (Sarnia Sting / OHL)
(F) Matthew Gard (Red Deer Rebels / WHL)
(F) Tyler Hopkins (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL)
(F) Lev Katzin (Guelph Storm / OHL)
(F) Liam Kilfoil (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL)
(F) Ben Kindel (Calgary Hitmen / WHL)
(F) Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)
(F) Jack Nesbitt (Windsor Spitfires / OHL)
(F) Cole Reschny (Victoria Royals / WHL)
(F) Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)
(F) Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants / WHL)
(F) Lukas Sawchyn (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL)

General Manager – Scott Walker (Guelph Storm / OHL)
Head Coach – Cory Stillman (Guelph Storm / OHL)
Associate Coach – Travis Crickard (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL)
Assistant Coach – Mathieu Turcotte (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL)
Goaltending Consultant – Dan De Palma (Kamloops Blazers / WHL)
Video coach – Matthew Smith (Acadie-Bathurst Titan / QMJHL)
Athletic therapists – Andy Brown (Owen Sound Attack / OHL) and Terence Robertson (Red Deer Rebels / WHL)
Team physician – Dr. Nolan Rau (Kelowna Rockets / WHL)
Strength and Conditioning Coach – Sean Young (Ottawa 67’s / OHL)

SILVER – SWEDEN (1)
(F) Filip Ekberg (Ottawa 67’s / OHL)

BRONZE – UNITED STATES (1)
(D) Blake Fiddler (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL)

CZECHIA (4)
(D) Radim Mrtka (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)
(F) Dominik Pavlík (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL)
(F) Matej Pekar (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)
(F) Vít Záhejský (Kamloops Blazers / WHL)

GERMANY (3)
(D) Max Bleicher (Owen Sound Attack / OHL)
(D) Carlos Händel (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL)
(F) David Lewandowski (Saskatoon Blades / WHL)

LATVIA (1)
(F) Karlis Flugins (Flint Firebirds / OHL)

SLOVAKIA (1)
(F) Andreas Straka (Québec Remparts / QMJHL)

SWITZERLAND (1)
(D) Elia Pedrotti (Sherbrooke Phoenix / QMJHL)