The 2025 World Juniors Championships ended in an abrupt fashion for the Canadians, leaving more questions about Hockey Canada than ever before. While Canada struggled, many other countries thrived at the event. Steven Ellis from Daily Faceoff was boots on the ground for the duration of the event. We asked him ten questions about the competition and here’s what he had to say.
Can the United States win again next Christmas?
The Americans will have a solid group of 2006-born players, with or without James Hagens, who could be in the NHL. But will it be enough? They’ll rely heavily on Trevor Connelly and Cole Eiserman to score, but they’ll lack the secondary scoring options we’ve seen in recent years. That’s because the 2007-born USNTDP just isn’t overly strong. We’re not going to see a trio like the BC line, and they’ll be missing out on a truly game-changing goaltender like Trey Augustine. Their blueline should be good, but I don’t know if they’ll be good enough to win it all next year.
How surprising was it to see Finland make the final?
A little bit. The 2005/2006-born kids hadn’t had much success at the national team level – and I think that’s why we saw some players still looking happy despite the loss. That team didn’t have a star at any position – instead, they played well as a team and did an excellent job of fighting to the death against any team they played.
What was Canada’s biggest fault?
A mix of things. Some of the coaching decisions were baffling, like never playing Brampton Steelheads linemates and noted goal-scorers Carson Rehkopf and Porter Martone together. Why was Luca Pinelli stapled to the second line when he couldn’t get things done? Then there’s the tournament-leading penalty minutes and the injury to Matthew Schaefer. Just a cocktail of blows all tournament long.
Do you think Canada would’ve won if they took the “best available” players?
I’m just not convinced they had the right coach to make it work. If Cameron refused to play Rehkopf and Martone together, or Martone and Gavin McKenna, could we have trusted him to make the right decisions for Michael Misa or Beckett Sennecke (who, for the record, was the most outrageous cut from selection camp).
What player surprised you the most?
Linards Feldbergs out of Latvia. I’ve seen him play plenty of times – he has typically been Latvia’s backup, and has never really impressed in any of my viewings. This was different, though – he was so technically sound and rarely made many mistakes in his movements. I don’t think he’ll get drafted, but it was still great to see.
Is Canada still the top program at the U20 and young levels?
Any concerns about the true strength of Canada’s program have been greatly exaggerated. They’ve won just about everything on the junior world stage in recent years – except the WJCs. But their ability to bring so many solid pieces to every tournament and win – sometimes even without their top stars – is something worth mentioning. They’ve won gold at the past two U-17s, the last three Hlinka Gretzky Cups and the U-18 World Championship back in May. That’s a lot of titles with the 05/06/07/08 groups.
Which non-drafted player raised his draft stock the most?
Petteri Rimpinen out of Finland. I don’t think any of the first-year eligible prospects did anything too crazy to improve their stock over a two-week tourney, but Rimpinen kept his hot play flowing from the Finnish Liiga. That was great to see – although I’m not sure scouts will be too thrilled with his 6-foot frame.
Fans didn’t get to see the best of Gavin McKenna at this tournament. What former first-overall pick would you compare him to?
There’s a lot of similarities to Connor Bedard at the same age. The shot, the hockey IQ, the skating – all near the tops of his age group. We’ve seen so much dominant hockey from him already, and I can’t wait to see what he does in a leading role next winter.
What stood out to you the most in this tournament?
How good the Washington Capitals’ prospects performed. Obviously, Ryan Leonard – the tournament MVP – was fantastic. But then there’s Cole Hutson, who was one of the best defenders (and the tournament scoring leader). Petr Sikora did a great job of frustrating just about everyone, and Eriks Mateiko is one of the biggest reasons why Latvia avoided the relegation round. Overall, Caps fans have to be thrilled.
