The 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship gets underway Thursday in Finland,
with
Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team facing off against Sweden in its preliminary round opener at Vantaa Trio
Areena.
Last Game
The Canadians closed out pre-tournament play Tuesday with a
4-3 overtime win over Norway in Vantaa. Matthew Schaefer scored the winner 2:18 into the extra period
for Canada, which saw the Norwegians score twice in five second midway
through the third period to erase its two-goal lead. Schaefer finished with
a goal and an assist, as did Ryder Ritchie.
The Swedes finished their exhibition schedule Monday, getting two goals
from Leo Sahlin Wallenius and 26 saves from Love Härenstam to
blank Latvia 4-0 in Vierumäki. Jack Berglund and Melvin Fernström rounded out the scoring for Sweden,
while Alexander Zetterberg added two assists.
Last Meeting
The international rivals last clashed in the semifinals at U18 Men’s Worlds
a year ago, with the
Swedes posting a 7-2 victory en route to a silver medal. Macklin Celebrini and Angus MacDonell scored
first-period goals for the Canadians, but a four-goal second for the Swedes
was the difference.
What to Watch
Porter Martone is no stranger to the Maple Leaf; the Canadian captain has
played at the
World Under-17 Hockey Challenge,
IIHF U18 World Championship (as an underager) and
Hlinka Gretzky Cup over the past 17 months, winning silver, bronze and gold, respectively,
while putting up 12 goals and 23 points across 19 games. The Mississauga
Steelheads forward registered
71 points (33-38—71) in his second OHL season, and is a name to watch for the 2025 NHL Draft (he’s not eligible this
year thanks to his Oct. 25 birthday).
Sahlin Wallenius was the second-ranked Swede on the final
NHL Central Scouting rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft, coming
seventh among international skaters. He averaged almost a point a game from the blue line with the Växjö
Lakers U20 team this season (11-31—42 in 43 GP). Lunis Eriksson also
cracked the top 10 from Central Scouting, coming in at No. 10. He spent the
majority of the season playing pro with Djurgardens IF, posting 11 points
(3-8—11) in 29 HockeyAllsvenskan games.
A Look Back
The head-to-head history between the Canadians and Swedes at the IIHF U18
World Championship is almost right down the middle, with Canada holding a
narrow 11-10 advantage.
The most recent wins came at the 2021 worlds in Texas; Shane Wright had a
hat trick and Brandt Clarke added two goals and two assists in
a 12-1 preliminary-round win, while Connor Bedard scored three and Wright added a goal and three
helpers in
an 8-1 semifinal triumph.
All-time record: Canada leads 11-10 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 83
Sweden goals: 67
