Playing its first game at the World Under-18 Hockey Championship on Thursday, Canada delivered one of the worst performances in international history, falling 8-0 to Sweden in a duel of the preliminary round presented in Porrentruy, Switzerland.
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Defending champions of the competition, the winners netted five goals in 13:28 in the opening period to drive away goalkeeper Carson Bjarnason and seal the game. He blocked only two pucks before being replaced by Gabriel D’Aigle.
Ranked sixth on the National League Central Scouting’s final list of top European prospects, Otto Stenberg lived up to his rank by scoring two goals and as many assists. Still behind him in this order of hopes of the Old Continent eligible for the next amateur draft, Axel Sandin Pellikka was not left behind with his five points, including one goal.
Among the losers, Lukas Dragicevic (18th among North Americans) will want to forget the game quickly. He finished with a differential of -5. Porter Martone and Andrew Gibson received game misconduct penalties for illegal acts: the former checked from behind, while the latter elbowed.
Canada hadn’t lost by at least seven goals at this tournament since the bronze-medal final in 2016. The Maple Leaf representatives will look to do better against the Germans on Friday.