The real litmus test will come when the Canadians battle the U.S. on New Year’s Eve with first place in Group A on the line at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. Canada and the U.S. each have seven points in the standings, while Finland has five.
Oliver Bonk, Caden Price, and Mathieu Cataford scored for Canada. In front of 18,526 fans, Canada outshot winless Germany 36-25, far from its 57-27 edge versus the Latvians.
"I thought by the end we played our game," said forward Berkly Catton. "But the first two periods I didn't think were too great."
One positive for the hosts was the consistent goaltending of Carter George, who earned his second tournament shutout after Jack Ivankovic played against Latvia. Nico Pertuch also deserved full marks in the German net.
"I think it boosts the confidence of all of us," Pertuch said. "It's great to play like that, to show ourselves against some future NHL stars. It shows that German ice hockey is going in the right direction."
Instead of heading into their matchup against lower-ranked Germany on cruise control, the Dave Cameron-coached host team had big questions to answer.
Would Canada bounce back after the unprecedented 3-2 shootout loss to the Latvians? With defender Matthew Schaefer – a potential top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft – out of the tournament with an apparent shoulder injury, would the blue line cope after substituting newcomer Sawyer Mynio? And would slotting in forward Carson Rehkopf – a returnee from 2024 – in place of another top 2025 prospect in Porter Martone pan out?
The answer to these questions was a qualified "Yes." Canada won, but its transition game and overall execution was not where it's expected to be. The new roster additions did no harm but also saw limited ice time, with Rehkopf as the thirteenth forward.
Early in the first period, Canada looked somewhere between nervous and flat. Botched passes and turnovers abounded. However, a power play goal eased some tension at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Bonk’s one-timer from the bumper position, neatly set up by Easton Cowan and Catton, opened the scoring at 9:40. Bonk, a London Knights assistant captain and 2024 returnee, is the son of former Ottawa Senators and Czech star Radek Bonk.
A late-period German power play saw an aggressive Cole Beaudoin nearly score shorthanded, but he drifted the puck right through the crease as the crowd gasped.
In a scoreless second period, Canada remained guilty of overthinking the game. Pertuch made a nice stop on a Tanner Howe opportunity from the slot. A lack of urgency and accuracy blunted the host team's ability to stretch its lead on the power play, although the Germans deserved credit for solid defensive play.
"We kept together, blocked shots, brought the puck out of the zone, and kept it simple," said German captain Edwin Tropmann.
George held down the fort during a late-period German man advantage, denying Noah Samanski's quick release from the hash marks.
"We've got to cut down on penalties," Cameron said. "It's ruining our momentum."
While Canada picked up the pace in the third, outshooting its foes 17-7, it still struggled to score. Even when Catton split the German defence near the midway point, Pertuch said no with a shoulder save.
"Definitely it's tough when it's not going in, but I have trust in all our forwards," Bonk said. "They're all very skilled, so they're going to get the job done."
Price finally gave Canada some breathing room with 4:58 left, firing a centre-point wrister that hit the end boards and fortunately bounced in off the back of Pertuch's right leg.
After German coach Tobias Abstreiter pulled Pertuch for the extra attacker with just over three minutes left, George tried to score a rare goalie goal, but put the puck wide for an icing call. Germany could not muster any big chances, and Cataford found the back of the gaping cage with three seconds left.
This Canadian team does not bring the firepower that the 2021 and 2023 World Junior teams had. Those squads blew out Germany 16-2 and 11-2 respectively.
Here, WHL scoring leader Gavin McKenna has gone pointless since scoring in the 4-0 win over Finland, while captain Brayden Yager and top defenceman Tanner Molendyk have zero points, to cite just a few concerning examples.
To keep their hopes of avoiding the 2 January relegation game alive, the Germans must now defeat the Latvians in regulation time on Monday. Latvia has two points in Group A to Germany’s zero, and also has another game left versus Finland on New Year’s Eve.
"Everyone gave all they can, and we're all a little bit disappointed," said Tropmann. "But I'm proud of this team, the coaches too. Now we know tomorrow is a big game for us, and we will do everything to win it."
Canada is hoping to win its all-time leading 21st World Junior gold medal and first since 2023. For now, Bonk summed up the mentality against the U.S. on New Year's Eve: "Win at any cost."
The odds were certainly against Germany heading into this game. Only once in 29 previous tries had a German team defeated Canada at the World Juniors. It was 7-6 on 2 January 1981 in the relegation round in Kaufbeuren, West Germany. Seventh-place Canada was represented by the QMJHL’s Cornwall Royals, with a roster ranging from Dale Hawerchuk and Doug Gilmour to Marc Crawford and Scott Arniel.
