{"id":21097,"date":"2018-01-05T22:23:33","date_gmt":"2018-01-06T03:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=21097"},"modified":"2018-01-17T21:02:55","modified_gmt":"2018-01-18T02:02:55","slug":"canada-wins-2018-world-junior-hockey-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2018\/01\/05\/canada-wins-2018-world-junior-hockey-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Wins 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canada defeated Sweden tonight to claim the 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship. The Canadian team was defined throughout the tournament by their incredible depth. With only Cale Makar<\/strong><\/a> as a Top 10 NHL Draft Pick on the team, it was the team’s superior depth that led them to the gold medal.<\/p>\n

13th forward Tyler Steenbergen\u00a0<\/strong>was the hero, tipping in a Conor Timmins<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>point shot with just 1:40 left to play. His goal broke open a game that had been tied 1-1 for almost 30 minutes. He got added ice time in this game after Jonah Gadjovich<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was benched for a first-period penalty.\u00a0Alex\u00a0Formenton<\/strong> scored into an empty net to make it 3-1.<\/p>\n

Captain Dillon Dube <\/strong>gave Canada a 1-0 lead in the second pairing, shelving a shot into the top corner,\u00a0over Swedish goalie Filip Gustavsson<\/strong><\/a> early in the second period. However, that lead lasted less than a period as Tim Soderlund<\/strong> tied the game with a short-handed goal with 6:53 to play in the second.<\/p>\n

Canada Wins 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship<\/h1>\n

Canada’s power play was deadly in the tournament, clicking at 57% and scoring at least one goal in every game before tonight. However, the Swedes killed all five Canadian powerplays. The teams best chance came when Taylor Raddysh<\/strong> hit the post with under five minutes to go in the third.<\/p>\n

Throughout the tournament, Makar quarterbacked things from the blue line, while Sam Steel<\/strong>, Jordan Kyrou<\/strong>, and Drake Batherson\u00a0<\/strong>were other key contributors up front.\u00a0 Kale Clague<\/strong>, Conor Timmins<\/strong><\/a>, and Victor Mete<\/a><\/strong> were also key parts of the blue line. Behind them,\u00a0Carter Hart<\/strong> was the team’s star netminder.<\/p>\n

These are just some of the names that made the Canadians a nearly unstoppable juggernaut in the tournament. Their only loss, being a shootout loss to the Americans in a game played outdoors, in a snowstorm, at Orchard Park’s New Era Field.<\/p>\n

Sweden, led by top-rated 2018 NHL Draft prospect<\/a> Rasmus Dahlin<\/strong>, and Vancouver Canucks<\/a>\u00a0top pick Elias Pettersson<\/strong><\/a> proved to be Canada’s toughest competition all tournament long. The Swedes had won all six of their games and were the only undefeated team in preliminary round play.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, Team USA defeated the Czech Republic by a score of 9-3 to win the Bronze Medal. Kieffer Bellows\u00a0<\/strong>finished the tournament with nine goals to break Jeremy Roenick<\/a><\/strong>‘s American record for most goals at a World Junior Hockey Championship tournament.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>