Canada, Sweden to play for gold at 2025 U-18 World Championship
Canada and Sweden will play for gold at the U-18 World Championship in Texas after winning their respective semifinals on Friday.
It marks the first time Canada and Sweden will have met in the final in tournament history.
Canada will look to snag gold for the second time in a row after coming from behind to beat the United States a year ago. Canada has won gold at this tournament five times, including the last time it was held in Texas in 2021. Sweden, meanwhile, has won gold twice – 2019 and 2022. They have won medals in the past six tournaments, as well.
Slovakia is seeking its first medal at this tournament since snagging silver in 2003. The Slovaks are coming off back-to-back fourth-place finishes. USA will chase its fourth bronze ever after winning either gold or silver over the past three years.
Given the last meeting between these two teams resulted in a massive 9-1 win for Canada, today’s match was much closer. The first period didn’t see much action, but Canada would break the ice early in the second to make it 1-0. A pair of power-play goals before the halfway point of the third put Slovakia on the backburner, with Canada holding on for a 4-0 win.
The later game was much more compelling, with the teams swapping the lead at points. Sweden ultimately beat the United States 4-3 thanks to a two-goal third period effort.
Here’s a look at the top standouts from Friday in Frisco:
Canada 4, Slovakia 0
Canada
#1 Jack Ivankovic, G: Ivankovic was tremendous, especially in the first half. The Slovaks weren’t as busy on the shot counter but they took advantage of some Canadian miscues and kept Ivankovic busy. He was especially good on the five-minute penalty kill. Ivankovic could end up winning goalie of the tournament, and today’s showing helped his case.
#9 Cole Reschny, C: Reschny was everywhere early on in the game, so it was only a matter of time until he finally scored. Reschny capitalized on a power play early in the third period to make it a 2-0 game. He was also downright dominant in the faceoff dot to cap off what was one of his best showings of the tournament.
#16 Lev Katzin, LW: Yet another great showing from the undersized winger. He was one of Canada’s better playdrivers today, and he was dangerous on the power play, as usual. He made a great cross-ice pass to Ben Kindel that eventually resulted in the 3-0 goal – and he probably could have had a few other points, as well.
Slovakia
#2 Michal Pradel, G: As expected, the highly rated USHL goaltender was on point today. He was as athletic as we’ve seen him play, staying dialed in no matter what Canada threw at him. There wasn’t much he could have done on that 1-0 goal – it bounced off some bodies in front before beating him blocker side. But it could have easily been 3-0 at the halfway point if it wasn’t for how he tracked pucks through traffic.
Sweden 4, USA 3
Sweden
#15 Ivar Stenberg, RW (2026): Stenberg is so quick and smart. He was buzzing around and showing chemistry with just about anyone he skated with. He’s intelligent, creative and has a great release. Put it altogether and there’s a reason why he’s going to be taken early next year.
#14 Filip Ekberg, LW: That’s two more assists for Ekberg, who leads the tournament with 18 points. James Hagens set the record of 22 last year, but Ekberg’s performance this year is the most productive ever seen by a Swedish player. Today was just another outstanding showing.
#21 Viggo Bjorck, RW (2026): Bjorck had a goal and two assists to help push Sweden ahead. This was my favorite game I’ve seen him play. He made his passes look easy and everything he did seemed dangerous. Bjorck will be one of the first players selected in 2026 and this tournament has been a perfect example of what he’s capable of.
USA
#10 Drew Schock, D: It’s been a great tournament for Schock, who had a goal and an assist tonight. The second goal was a great effort where he rushed the puck out of his own zone, took a shot and then scored on a second chance off the boards. Schock has played some of his best hockey over the past week and a half – will it be enough to get drafted? We’ll see.
#12 Cullen Potter, C: Potter’s goal that made it 4-3 was about as easy as it gets. But he still had to fight to get into the scoring area to put it in on the seemingly empty net. He also had another assist to be USA’s most productive forward. He’s been USA’s best forward all tournament long and while it didn’t pay off tonight, Potter has continued to prove why he’s a first-round talent.