Canada's national junior hockey team kicked off its final preparations for the upcoming world championship with a narrow victory on home ice. Brady Martin scored two goals to lead Canada to a 2-1 win over Sweden in a pre-tournament matchup at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
Dynamic Duo Delivers for Canada
The offensive story of the game was the connection between Martin and the highly-touted Gavin McKenna. Martin, selected fifth overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2024 NHL Draft, opened the scoring just 39 seconds into the second period. The goal came on a powerful one-timer from distance, set up perfectly by a cross-ice pass from McKenna.
Sweden managed to tie the game midway through the second period during a two-man advantage. Viggo Bjorck capitalized on the 5-on-3 power play after Canada took penalties for too many men and holding.
The game-winning goal came early in the third period, again from the stick of Martin. McKenna, a projected top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, was the catalyst once more. He executed a slick give-and-go with Michael Hage to enter the Swedish zone before sliding a backhand pass to the front of the net, where Martin finished with a deft deke past Swedish goaltender Herman Liv at the 9:02 mark.
Goaltending and Looking Ahead
Canadian netminder Carter George was solid between the pipes, turning aside 19 of the 20 shots he faced to secure the win. At the other end, Liv made 24 saves for Sweden in a losing effort.
This was the first of two exhibition games between the rivals ahead of the official tournament. The teams will meet again for another pre-tournament contest on Saturday, December 20th in London, Ontario.
The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship is set to begin on December 26th in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. Canada will open its round-robin schedule against Czechia in Minneapolis. The team is determined to improve on a disappointing fifth-place finish on home soil in Ottawa last year, which saw them eliminated in the quarterfinals for a second consecutive tournament.
