After they lost to Czechia in 2024, Canada was looking for revenge in the Quarterfinal of the 2025 World Junior Championship (WJC). However, the Czechs doubled down with a 4-3 win, sending the Canadians home without a medal in back-to-back seasons. What were some takeaways?
Czechia’s Strong First Period Carries Them to Victory
Czechia’s stellar first period drove home the win for them. Outscoring the Canadians 3-1, including a goal in both the first and last minute, two pretty disastrous periods after that were inconsequential. Canada tied it 3-3 late in the final frame but a tally with just 40 seconds left put the Czechs back on top. It wasn’t pretty, but they got it done.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
To be fair, Czechia was dominant in the first period. It never really felt close in that opening frame, and goaltender Michael Hrabal wasn’t challenged much aside from a shorthanded push by the Canadians that led to a goal. The Czechs did a good job outpacing an intimidating foe.
Canada’s Lack of Discipline Strikes at the Final Hour
After a remarkable comeback to tie the game at 3-3 late in the third period when all hope seemed lost, it felt like Canada actually had the upper hand for the first time all night. Momentum was fully in the Canadians’ favor, outshooting the Czechs heavily and challenging Hrabal with some high-quality shots.
But then, their lack of discipline reared its ugly head. A needless kneeing penalty with just over two minutes to go put them down a man. Czechia, with everything on the line, knew what they had to do. St. Louis Blues prospect Adam Jecho scored the biggest goal of his life with under a minute to go. Canada didn’t as much as threaten to tie the game back up.
The entire tournament, the same point has been reiterated. It was probably the biggest talking point entering this contest: Canada had to stop taking so many penalties. They opened the game with a major penalty plus a game misconduct and ended it with a last-minute power-play goal in their net.
Canada’s Even-Strength Play Wasn’t Good Enough This WJC
While Canada’s poor discipline was a major reason they lost, their even-strength struggles were the reason they were playing a tough Czechia team in the first place. Throughout the WJC, but especially after their 4-0 win against Finland, the Canadians couldn’t muster much of anything at even strength. This is where most of a hockey game is played, so it’s not too hard to see why they lost.
Following their victory over Finland, Canada scored just twice at even strength when a goalie was in the net. Between their games against Latvia, Germany, the United States, and Czechia, only Caden Price and Bradly Nadeau were able to find the back of the net. On the penalty kill in that span, Canada also scored twice, courtesy of Jett Luchanko and Tanner Howe.
It wasn’t bad luck costing Canada. A major weakness for this team was its chance generation throughout the tournament, even though they improved here in the second and third periods versus Czechia. While they generally controlled the puck quite a bit, they struggled to do much with it. Creating offense in their opponent’s zone was a consistent challenge. For the amount of time they had possession, they just weren’t scoring enough.
With a poor even-strength shot diet in the WJC, Canada can’t be too surprised with the result. Their improvements came too late—they were already trailing 3-1 in an elimination game by the time they flipped the switch.
Czechia Will Look to Medal Three Years in a Row
Czechia finished the 2023 WJC with a silver medal off an overtime Golden Goal—unfortunate, but an incredible run by them. In 2024, they won bronze despite facing Canada in the Quarterfinal. In 2025, the Czechs will look to make it three years in a row with a medal. Ideally, they’re looking for gold this time.
Only the United States and Czechia finished with a medal in both 2023 and 2024, showing how hard it is to win even in a small tournament. In 2025, those two clubs will try to make it three years in a row with something to show for all their hard work.
Now, the goal isn’t to win just any medal. It’s to win the one that counts. The Czechs were somewhat underwhelming in the final two periods of this game, but they still showed elite upside. For all their faults, Canada is the team to beat every year. Accomplishing that with authority in the opening frame is something that not every club can say. Even the Americans needed a two-goal effort late in the third period to exaggerate their preliminary win, 4-1. Czechia brought a different kind of energy.
Czechia may not be the most talented team left on paper, but they’ve performed at a high level. They haven’t won a gold medal since 2001, so they’re hungry to end the drought. Canada, the United States, and Finland have won the last 11 tournaments—it’s time for that to change.
What’s Next for Czechia?
With Canada going home, there’s nothing left for them. Czechia is still alive, though, and they’ll face the United States at 7:30 p.m. EST on Jan. 4 at the Canadian Tire Centre. The winner will advance to the gold-medal round, while the loser will compete for bronze.
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