The Under-17 World Hockey Challenge is the introduction for these young players to international competition. Most of these players will not be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2027 or 2028. There have been hundreds of young men who have gone on from this tournament to the NHL, many top picks such as Alex Ovechkin, Nathan MacKinnon, Mats Sundin and Connor McDavid included. We saw some surprising performances and outcomes during the preliminary round of the U17 World Hockey Challenge. Team Czechia delivered a gritty and spirited performance and, along with the United States, finished at the top of their division, earning a bye into the semifinals. Canada White and Canada Red both finished second in their division and will face Finland and Sweden in the quarterfinals.
Day One
Canada Red kicked off the tournament with a convincing 8-4 victory over Finland. Canada relied on their depth of skilled players, while Finland relied on their systems to compete. At five-on-five, it was clear that Finland was not used to the smaller ice surface, the consistent forecheck or the pace Canada was pushing. Finnish forward Luca Santala was the quarterback for the top unit, finishing with two assists, and he summed up the difficulties for his national squad:
“The ice is smaller and the North Americans play different style than the Europeans, so it’s different, it’s faster.”
– Luca Santala (Finland forward)
However, the Finns showed improvements as the game went on; they pushed back, trying to outwork their opponents. It was on the power play (PP) where the effort paid off. They were excellent at moving the puck around the perimeter, and their use of players in motion helped open passing and shooting lanes. Canada’s lack of discipline gave Finland nine PP opportunities, where they scored all four goals.
The other matchup saw Canada White face off against Sweden, which turned out to be another high-scoring, fast-paced, physical affair. Unlike the opening game, this one was far more disciplined, with only five penalties being handed out, but not a single goal was scored.
Sweden pushed the pace from the start, using speed to the outside to put the Canadian defenders on their heels and chasing pucks behind their goal line to open up space in the slot. However, Canada adjusted quickly, using Sweden’s aggressive forecheck against them to generate transitional play, leading to a four-goal first period. Sweden made their own adjustments in the second period, scoring four goals, but Canada countered with two of their own. The third period saw Canada regain control and close it out with a 9-5 victory.
Day Two
Team USA faced Finland on Day Two. It was Finland’s second game in two days, and like their opening matchup, they had a slow start, which led to a goal against off the stick of the USA’s offensive leader, Carter Meyer. But the Finnish PP got them back into the game with a goal by Luca Santala. The USA’s penalty killing (PK) was far more effective than Canada’s killing off every penalty after that goal.
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The special teams battle continued in the second period with the USA PP striking twice to give them a solid two-goal lead. The third period saw Finland adjust and push the pace, putting pucks behind the American defenders while the trailing forwards made direct lines to the front of the net, battling through a physical American defence and scoring twice to force overtime. Mayer’s goal in the fourth round of the shoutout sealed the win for Team USA.
The second matchup of the day had Canada White facing Czechia. This game was close from the opening faceoff, with end-to-end battles and dramatic momentum swings that made for an entertaining contest. Czechia’s speed and forechecking pressure forced Canada into penalty problems early, allowing team captain Adam Nemec to open the scoring on the PP. The Canadian’s raised their compete level but couldn’t get close as Czechia played a solid defensive structure that clogged the slot, forcing shooters to the outside for goaltender Vaclav Osvald.
The game had a playoff atmosphere as Canada kept trying to grind their opponents down, exchanging shots, hits and goals, but the Czechs raised their intensity to match at every turn. It was Nemec that finally broke through, scoring a late goal in the third to take the lead.
Czechia defended its lead the rest of the way and won a pivotal game for its program, proving that it can compete and beat the best programs in the world. Tempers boiled over in the handshake line with some minor pushing and shoving that saw both sides setting a tone in case they meet again in the medal round.
Day Three
The first game of the final day of the preliminary round saw Czechia face Sweden. Czechia kept their game plan, but their intensity was not at the same level early on, which allowed Sweden to take control of the first period. Sweden used their speed, smooth puck movement, and players in motion to control the play early, taking a two-goal lead by the 11-minute mark.
However, Czechia adjusted and played a more physical game, which caused Sweden to lose focus and be pulled into playing Czechia’s style. They used this to their advantage, with a PP goal from Dominik Drabek to get back in the game. The rest of regulation was a grinding affair, with the Czechs trying to slow the pace of the game to negate Sweden’s speed, but they were unable to capitalize as Swedish goaltender Vilmer Salen Forsberg remained focused and shut the door to force overtime. At three-on-three, Sweden used their speed and mobility, with Noel Nord getting a long pass and breaking wide at top speed to score the winner.
The final preliminary game saw Canada Red vs. Team USA, with the winner taking over the top spot in Group B. Canada Red came out strong, trying to set the tone and impose their style of play, which the Americans were able to counter. After an inconsistent performance in their first game, Team USA made adjustments in facing Canada. They played a physical, yet disciplined game. As most Canada versus USA matchups are, this one was emotional with constant momentum shifts. Both teams play the North-South brand of hockey, where players need to be aware of their surroundings as they battle for every inch of ice.
Both clubs exchanged goals all night, going into the shootout tied at five apiece. Team USA was led by Carter Meyer, who scored two goals and four points on the night, and Canada was led by their top centre Alexis Joseph, who had a goal and three assists. This was the Americans’ second consecutive shootout, and Freddie Schneider’s goal in the eighth round gave Team USA the win and first place in Group B. Brock Cripps gave some insight into Canada’s approach to the quarterfinals:
“We fought through a ton of adversity tonight. The U.S. scored late in the third period, but we just kept pushing and clawed our way back into the game. A tough loss for sure, but I’m proud of the guys and the way we finished. There is never an easy path to a medal, and for us, it’s just another game for us to play and another chance for us to build confidence. The boys will hydrate tonight, get some rest, and will be ready to go in the quarterfinal.”
– Brock Cripps
While the USA earned their bye to the semifinal, Czechia backed its way into top spot in Group A with an overtime loss.
“Now we have two days rest, so just do some recovery exercises and we would be already at the semifinal. We will just focus on ourselves and trust in our game plan.”
– Lukas Kachlir
The overtime win allowed Sweden to gain momentum, but the outcome for both Canada White and Red was not what they had hoped for, as neither team earned a bye to the semis. Instead, they will face two strong teams in Finland and Sweden, making the path to repeat with both of Canada’s teams meeting in the final more difficult. While the focus for prospect watchers is the current 2026 NHL Entry Draft, these are players that will be impossible to ignore.
