For the second year in a row, Team Canada captured gold at the World Juniors thanks to an overtime goal. This year, it was Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Guenther who scored 6:22 into extra time to capture Canada’s 20th gold medal at the tournament. Here are five takeaways from the game.
Guenther’s Golden Game
When it was announced Guenther would be part of Team Canada this year, the expectation was he was going to score goals and be a leader on this team. Well, that is exactly what he did, scoring seven goals in the tournament, which included two in the gold medal game. He had a hand in all three of Canada’s goals recording an assist on Shane Wright’s 2-0 tally and was named Canada’s player of the game for his efforts.
While Guenther dominated on the power play, in the end, the only goal that matters was the one he scored at even strength. Driving the net, he was able to collect a perfect cross-crease pass from Joshua Roy to beat Tomáš Suchánek for the tournament winner. The Arizona Coyotes have a special player here who looks ready to dominate the NHL after his performance at the 2023 World Juniors.
Birthday Boy Leads Canada To Victory
On his 19th birthday, Wright scored a crucial goal and led Canada to victory. After not recording a point in the quarter-finals or semi-finals, Captain Canada had a monster game winning over 50% of his faceoffs and recording five shots on goal in 21:28 of ice time. He now joins an exclusive list of players to captain Canada to gold at the World Juniors, which includes Curtis Lazar, Kris Letang and Mason McTavish.
Related: 2023 Guide to the World Junior Championship
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It has been a tough few months for Wright leading up to the tournament, so watching him deliver when Canada needed him most was a great sight. From being stuck in the Seattle Kraken press box to all the rumours surrounding him being traded at the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) level, he can now put everything aside for one night at least and celebrate being a champion. He faced a ton of pressure wearing the “C” for Canada at this tournament, but faced it head-on and can now celebrate his birthday with a gold medal around his neck.
54 Seconds To Forget
Canada was on its way to winning in regulation, but a disastrous 54-second span almost cost them gold. With 7:30 left in the third, Jiri Kulich scored Czechia’s first goal of the game to make the score 1-0, followed by Jakob Kos scoring with 6:36 left in the game. Czechia also…
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