In the final game on the fourth day of the 2026 World Junior Championship (WJC), Canada squared off against Denmark. The outcome of the game was as expected, with Canada controlling the game and pulling off a 9-1 win to stay unbeaten in the tournament.
Game Recap
Canada got the scoring going early, with Gavin McKenna scoring less than five minutes into the game off a pass from Michael Hage (Montreal Canadiens) on the power play to give the Canadians a 1-0 lead. Canada would go on to score two more times in the period. They did so in a two-minute span in the middle of the period, with Braeden Cootes (Vancouver Canucks) scoring off a great cross-ice pass from Tij Iginla (Utah Mammoth) to beat Denmark’s netminder, Patrick Tiedjen. Zayne Parekh (Calgary Flames) added the second goal off a rush that he jumped in and beat Tiedjen with a quick wrist shot. Canada kept Tiedjen busy in the first period, with 15 shots as they took a 3-0 lead into the locker room after the first 20 minutes.
Denmark took advantage of a turnover by the Canadians early on in the second period to get onto the scoreboard. Mads Klyvø (Florida Panthers) beat Canadian netminder Carter George (Los Angeles Kings) with a quick shot at the side of the net to get Denmark within two. Canada again took advantage of a power play opportunity, with captain Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers) scoring from his flank spot on a one-time shot to push the lead back to three, before McKenna added his second goal of the game to give Canada a 5-1 lead heading into the third.
Michael Misa (San Jose Sharks) picked up his first goal of the tournament, as Martone found him out front for a quick shot to beat Tiedjen early on in the third period, pushing the Canadian lead to 6-1. McKenna put the finishing touches on his hat trick, putting his hands on display to beat Tiedjen with a smooth move at point-blank range before tucking the puck into the back of the net for a 7-1 Canada lead halfway through the third period.
Related: Guide to the 2026 World Junior Championship
Kashawn Aitcheson (New York Islanders) added his first goal of the tournament with a goal from the top of the circle before Martone added another one less than a minute later to extend the lead to what would be the eventual final score of 9-1.
Canada is off until Dec. 31, when they take on Finland, while Denmark plays Latvia tomorrow (Dec. 30) as they look to try to avoid the relegation game.
