Team Canada held an optional practice at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
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Gavin McKenna arrived at the World Juniors determined to silence his draft-year doubters and lead Team Canada to redemption. And, so far, it’s going to plan. Canada is 3-0 and McKenna is leading the tournament in scoring.
“It’s been going pretty well,” the Penn State freshman said. “Obviously, there’s a few more bounces that I’d like to go my way, but in terms of playing a full 200-foot game, I think I’ve done a pretty good job with that. People have talked about my compete levels and stuff, so I think I’ve showed that I’ve been competing here. I think I’ve got a little bit more, too. But, overall, I’m satisfied.”
McKenna scored three goals in Monday’s 9-1 win over Denmark, but is still shaking his head about a couple missed chances. He shot wide with an open net available late in the first period and failed to execute a lacrosse attempt in the second period.
“That was pretty close,” the 18-year-old said with a smile. “It just rolled off my stick.”
For most of the night, though, McKenna had the puck on a string.
“You see the skill,” said Team Canada captain Porter Martone. “He’s been doing it all night, every game. He’s got all the skill in the world, and he’s putting it all together. I don’t know why there’s a reason people are questioning him.”
McKenna only building momentum in Minnesota: ‘I’ve got a little bit more’ Gavin McKenna arrived at the World Juniors determined to silence his draft-year doubters and lead Canada to redemption and so far it’s going to plan. McKenna is leading the tournament in scoring but as Mark Masters reports, the projected first overall pick in 2026 is promising bigger things in the biggest games.
McKenna arrived in Minnesota with his status as the projected first overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft suddenly being debated. The Whitehorse native, who racked up 129 points in 56 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League last season, has produced four goals and 14 assists in 16 games this season while adjusting to life in the NCAA.
“His game, it’s improved since the last time I played with him at u18s and World Juniors last year,” said Martone, who is a freshman at Michigan State. “You see the full 200-foot game really coming into effect, and then when he gets into the offensive zone, he’s always had the brilliance to do what he does.”
Monday marked McKenna’s first multi-goal performance in a meaningful game this season. Sharing the moment with family made it all the sweeter.
“I got to see my uncle and auntie,” McKenna said. “I haven’t seen them for probably like four or five years now, so for them to be in the building for that game, it’s pretty cool … They were excited. I think they liked the last goal I had there. Yeah, obviously they were pretty pumped.”
McKenna’s third goal, a breakaway beauty, still had players buzzing on Tuesday.
“That was crazy,” said Team Canada winger Tij Iginla. “Just to do that on a breakaway, I don’t think a lot of players are thinking like him. That was pretty special to see.”
McKenna just shrugs.
“The goalie played it pretty well,” he said. “He kind of didn’t give me much, so I thought I’d put it around him and tuck it home.”
Danish goalie Patrick Tiedjen did not stand a chance. Other goalies are sympathetic.
“Just hope and pray when he’s coming down,” said Canadian starter Carter George. “He pump fakes like that, his hands are so quick, it’s so tough to read what he’s going to do. He’s so unpredictable. It just kind of makes it a guessing game whenever he comes down.”
“So sick,” said Finnish goalie Petteri Rimpinen. “He’s just such a special player. So skilled. You never know what he’s going to do.”
McKenna is now riding a wave of momentum into the biggest games of the tournament. The belief is the best is yet to come.
“He’s been playing great for us,” Martone said. “We need him to continue to play like that if we want a good chance of winning a gold medal.”
Is McKenna a lock to go first overall? Bryan Hayes, Jonas Siegel and Jason Strudwick are joined by OverDrive co-host and TSN Hockey analyst Jeff O’Neill to discuss whether or not Keaton Verhoeff should stay in Canada’s lineup and is Gavin McKenna a guarantee to be the first overall pick at the NHL Draft.
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Michael Misa scored his first World Juniors goal on Monday and threw the metaphorical monkey off his back at the bench afterwards.
Misa benefitted from some talk therapy during Sunday’s day away from the rink.
“Talking to people close to me, I’ve always scored goals in my life, and I knew it was going to come eventually,” the San Jose Sharks centre said. “I just had to keep shooting and I think our team, in general, did a good job of that. Yeah, it felt good.”
It was the second goal of the season for Misa and his first since scoring his first NHL goal on Oct. 26. He had gone eight straight games without scoring, including two in the NHL, two in the AHL and four since being loaned to Team Canada.
“You gotta give him a break too,” Martone said. “He just got off injury. He hasn’t played in about two months, so that’s tough coming back for anyone. I think he’s really finding his groove, so going into a big game here against Finland, I think he’s going to be ready to go.”
Misa confirmed that Monday’s game was the best he’s felt since sustaining a right ankle injury on Nov. 5. He returned from the injury on Dec. 5.
Misa was flying up and down the rink against Denmark.
“It’s pretty special to watch,” said Canadian defenceman Keaton Verhoeff. “I see him coming down, I’m not smiling. I’m a little scared when he’s coming down with a full steam of speed in practice. Having him coming in on a defenceman is nerve-wracking. He has the speed. He has the hands and he’s got the shot. That’s why he’s in the NHL.”
Misa, the second overall pick in June’s draft, is facing pressure to be an offensive driver for Team Canada, but had produced just one assist and three shots in the first two games of the World Juniors.
“I was trying to feed him as much as possible just to get him feeling good,” said defenceman Zayne Parekh, who also played with Misa on the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League. “I was trying to find him all over the ice. He played a really good game. He could’ve had a couple more too. For him, it’s about getting him going into the big games. If we get Misa’s line rolling, we’ll be really good.”
Misa is skating between Iginla and Martone, who had been limited to one empty-net goal in the first two games.
“I talked a lot with Marty right after the Latvia game,” Misa revealed. “For me and him, we want to be producing on this team and we weren’t. We talked about it and tried to find ways to breakthrough and we did a better job of it.”
“It’s starting to come,” said Martone, who had two goals and an assist against Denmark. “You see it. It takes a bit for that connection to come, but it has and hopefully it can continue on against Finland and the rest of the tournament.”
With monkey off his back, Misa ‘really finding his groove’ at World Juniors Michael Misa snapped an eight-game drought by scoring only his second goal of the season on Monday. The San Jose Sharks centre appears to be finally up to speed after being slowed by injury. “Tough coming back for anyone and I think he’s really finding his groove,” said linemate Porter Martone.
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Earlier in the preliminary round, Canada avenged losses to Czechia and Latvia at last year’s event in Ottawa. Revenge is also on their minds when it comes to the New Year’s Eve game against Finland.
Finland defeated Canada 6-3 during a heated game at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
“It was a bit chippy,” Martone recalled. “We have that in the back of our minds.”
Finland built a 5-1 lead on July 30 before things got a bit nasty.
Defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson left the game and did not return after taking a hit from behind by forward Atte Joki, who was ejected. Aitcheson ended up being OK and returning for the next game.
“It’s hockey,” said Aitcheson. “It happens. I’m a guy that throws some big hits too so they’re going to know they got to keep their heads up next game.”
Michael Hage took a run at Aatos Koivu late in the third period and they started yelling at each other in the penalty box. The pair of Montreal Canadiens prospects made up immediately after the game.
“It was summer hockey,” said Koivu, who scored twice in the game. “We played very well … If I have to guess, I think they’re going to come a little harder than last time for sure.”
“We got a lot of skill, but we need to be hard skill tomorrow,” Martone said. “When the games get tough, you need to be a tough team to play against.”
With a win over Finland on Wednesday, Canada can clinch top spot in Group B.
‘In the back of our minds’: Canada remembers chippy summer game with Finland Canada and Finland already met once this year over the summer in a chippy contest that neither team has forgotten about. Both teams are expecting fireworks for their New Year’s Eve clash on Wednesday.
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With Canada and Finland staying at the same hotel, Koivu and Hage have caught up in person ahead of Wednesday’s showdown.
“It’s going to be fun,” Koivu said. “We’re good buddies. We both like to compete. We want to win a lot and it’s probably going to show out there. We’re going to compete against each other and do whatever it takes to win.”
🇨🇦Michael Hage on getting into it with his Habs Development Camp roommate 🇫🇮Aatos Koivu:
“I knew it was going to be fine after the game. It was, honestly, pretty funny.”
on post-game conversation: “Pretty normal, honestly. It felt like it didn’t even happen”@BarDown https://t.co/PxUHHEAwKQ
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) July 31, 2025
Hage is among Canada’s top players so far with two goals and four assists.
“He’s on fire,” Koivu said. “Yeah, he’s been amazing. We definitely have to keep an eye out for him and play hard against him.”
Koivu has produced one goal and one assist.
“It’s been alright,” he said of his performance. “Last game was a little bit tough. A lot of PK and didn’t do too much 5-on-5 until the third period. We have a lot to improve, but I’m feeling pretty good.”
“There’s been good shifts and also bad shifts,” said head coach Lauri Mikkola. “Aatos is playing like our whole team is playing.”
Koivu is grateful to be able to lean on his family for support, including father Saku Koivu, who played for Finland twice at the World Juniors.
“Before the World Juniors he just said, ‘Go out there. Make the best of it. Have fun. It’s going to be a tournament that you’ll remember for the rest of your life, but it goes by pretty fast. Enjoy every second, every moment, and make the best of it.’”
Koivu will ‘do whatever it takes’ to beat Canada, fellow Habs prospect Hage Aatos Koivu looks ahead to Finland’s much anticipated matchup with Canada on New Year’s Eve and why there will be a little extra on the line going up against fellow Canadiens prospect Michael Hage.
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Martone leaned on his father, former Peterborough Petes captain Mike Martone, after being named Canada’s captain.
“I remember my dad said after I got captain, ‘Just be yourself, be who you are, and play your game,’” Martone said. “That’s what I need to do to be the best leader I can be. And if that is playing on the edge a little bit then that’s what I need to do to be the best version of myself.”
After Team Canada took heat for leaving the ice without shaking hands with Czechia following the Boxing Day win, Martone took responsibility. He also apologized for tapping Czech forward Adam Novotny on the backside after scoring the empty-net goal that night.
“He’s a really loud, charismatic guy,” Aitcheson said. “He likes to speak up and hold others accountable. He’s good that way and in taking accountability himself in the media. That’s not an easy thing to do. It shows his character and how mature he is.”
Through it all, Martone is continuing to bring the same energy.
“It’s someone we know what we’re getting from on any given night,” said Iginla. “We know he’ll bring his best effort.”
Martone played for Canada at the 2025 senior men’s World Championship. Sidney Crosby served as captain of that team.
“I was with him for a month and got to see what he does,” Martone said. “You get to see what he does day in, day out and how he conducts himself. That’s my favourite leader [in hockey] and it’s cool I got to learn from him.”
One moment, in particular, resonated for Martone, who was subbed in as an injury replacement during that event.
“Before my first game against Sweden, we were walking out of the room and he just told me to be myself out there on the ice and ‘Just go play our game,’” Martone told TSN. “I thought that was pretty cool with him being one of the best players in the world. Telling me that really gave me a lot of confidence going into that game.”
Martone takes cues from Crosby as he embraces leadership role with Canada Porter Martone has been learning on the job on how to be a team captain for Canada’s World Juniors squad and his upbringing has given him a good sense of what it means to lead with integrity. As far as who he tries to model his leadership style from, Sidney Crosby is the easy answer.
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George faced just one shot in the first period and only 13 shots overall on Monday night.
“Tough one mentally,” he admitted. “It was a good team win and glad we got the win, but it was definitely a lot of waiting around and a lot of sitting around there and trying to find different ways to stay in it mentally.”
What did he do?
“A lot of visualization,” the 19-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont. said. “Just visualizing making saves … It’s pretty tough, but you just gotta find a way to make the next save.”
George got a boost from a dedicated cheering section that was making a lot of noise whenever he made any save.
“It was awesome,” he said with a big smile. “They all travelled down [Monday]. It’s a couple of my best buddies and a lot of family friends, who were down. It was awesome to see them and pretty fun to see how loud they got for me. I really appreciated that.”
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George may have an .870 save percentage through two games, but there’s plenty of respect for him on the Finnish side.
“He’s probably the best goalie of this age group,” said Rimpinen, who has started all three games for Finland while posting a .907 save percentage. “Special goalie.”
George shutout Finland on Boxing Day last year and finished the tournament with the top save percentage at .936.
Rimpinen finished second in that category (.933) while helping Finland win the silver medal. He ended up winning the IIHF directorate award as the tournament’s top goalie.
Passed over in his first year of eligibility, Rimpinen was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round of last June’s draft. George, a second-round pick in 2024, is also a Kings prospect.
“I worked with him maybe four days at the development camp,” Rimpinen noted.
Now, the pair will go head-to-head on New Year’s Eve at the World Juniors.
“It’s a huge challenge for us, but I also think we have every chance to win that game,” Rimpinen said. “It’s going to be a special game. New Year’s Eve, best time of the year, World Juniors hockey, and I hope that there’s going to be a little more people watching that game. It will be the best game of the tournament so far.”
Canada Ice Chips: Who will be the King of the crease on New Year’s eve? Canada’s clash with Finland on New Year’s eve will feature a pair of Kings’ goaltending prospects. Mark Masters has more on the goaltending duel and why Petteri Rimpinen is turning heads for more than just his play.
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Verhoeff earned a positive review for his World Junior debut on Monday night.
“He was good,” said head coach Dale Hunter. “He was good and solid. He played well and no defensive [issues] so it was good.”
Verhoeff, who was playing for the first time since facing Denmark in a pre-tournament game on Dec. 23, felt he needed a few shifts to get back in a groove.
“Once I found my stride I was able to get better throughout the game,” the University of North Dakota freshman said.
The draft-eligible defenceman noted that during his stint as a healthy scratch he was laser-focused during video sessions and putting in extra work in the gym to stay game ready.
What did Verhoeff show on Monday?
“Just my adaptability,” the 17-year-old said. “Being able to come into a game and playing my style and playing the way I know I can [while making] the smart play and the smart reads, and making sure I’m playing a smart, reliable game.”
Verhoeff picked up an assist in the first period.
Draft-eligible Verhoeff shows adaptability in much-anticipated World Junior debut After sitting as a healthy scratch in the first two games, 17-year-old defenceman Keaton Verhoeff looked comfortable in his World Junior debut with Canada on Monday. The University of North Dakota freshman was proud of the “adaptability” he showed.
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Hunter is leaning on the line of Cole Beaudoin, Caleb Desnoyers and Sam O’Reilly to start periods.
“They’re forecheck guys,” said Hunter, who is also the head coach of the London Knights. “We get the puck in their zone and get some pressure.”
“They’re workhorses, all three of them,” said Aitcheson. “They play the right way. They’re responsible defensively. They don’t cheat for offence. They’re willing to do whatever it takes for our team. That’s going to be a very key line for us especially in elimination games and going against top lines.”
Beaudoin is one of six returning players on the roster while O’Reilly plays for Hunter in London.
“It means a lot,” Beaudoin said when asked about the starting gig. “Just going out there and getting the momentum, getting the energy up for the team. It’s about trying to get that faceoff, trying to get a big hit, whatever it might be, get it in their end first and build the momentum. It’s an honour that he trusts me to start the games.”
Beaudoin is an alternate captain with Canada and wears the ‘C’ for the Barrie Colts where he plays with Finnish forward Emil Hemming.
“He’s a workhorse,” Hemming said. “He works on the ice, off the ice, a lot of extra. I look up to him with the work ethic.”
How will thorough victory over Denmark set Canada up for stiffer test against Finland? Canada’s big win over Denmark was a victory in more ways than just on the final scoreboard as Michael Misa and Porter Martone had their most productive performances with six points combined. TSN’s James Duthie is joined by TSN Hockey analysts Frankie Corrado and Cheryl Pounder to explain what the Canadians can build on and what they can expect from Finland in Wednesday’s game.
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The architect of Canada’s Olympic team, St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, watched Canada’s practice on Tuesday from the stands. He also delivered a pep talk to the players earlier in the day.
The message?
“Just embrace and enjoy the opportunity,” relayed assistant coach Misha Donskov, who is also part of the Olympic staff. “Be proud to be Canadian. It’s a special opportunity, special tournament. He told them to enjoy it and embrace it.”
Armstrong is in town to announce Canada’s Olympic roster on Wednesday.
“It was really cool,” said Iginla. “He’s been around the game for a long time and won at all sorts of levels. It was cool to see him and hear from him.”
Armstrong fires up World Junior team as Olympic buzz hits Minnesota Team Canada’s general manager for the Olympics, Doug Armstrong paid a visit to the Country’s World Junior team on Tuesday. He shared some inspirational words to the junior team as buzz grows for the roster announcement on Wednesday.
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Team Canada lines in Monday’s game:
Iginla – Misa – Martone
McKenna – Hage – Martin
Desnoyers – Beaudoin – O’Reilly
Luchanko – Reschny – Cootes
Bear
Reid – Parekh
MacKenzie – Brunicke
Aitcheson – Danford
Verhoeff
George starts
Ivankovic
Scratches: Greentree, Carels, Ravensbergen