At last year’s World Juniors, Canada was sent home in the quarterfinals by Czechia, ensuring that the country would not play for a medal.
The Canadians are hoping to avoid that same fate in 2025.
Canada and Czechia square off in a quarterfinal contest that is a rematch of the 2024 quarterfinals. Last year in Sweden, the Czechs stunned the Canadians with a 3-2 win, sending those donning the maple leaf home without a World Juniors medal for the first time since 2019.
LIVE: Watch the 2025 World Juniors on Fubo (U.S. only)
This winter, Dave Cameron’s Team Canada finished third in Group A after losing to the USA. 4-1, on New Year’s Eve. The Canadians beat Finland and Germany in group play, but were shockingly upset by Latvia in a shootout, leading to the lower seeding.
A lack of discipline and a struggling offense have been the name of the game for Canada at this year’s World Juniors. The team is averaging 2.5 goals per game, tied for the lowest rate at the tournament despite owning the second-most shots on goal. Just two forwards — Easton Cowan and Calum Ritchie – have more than one point at the competition, with Cowan leading the crew with three points.
On the flip side, the Canadians have not yet allowed a goal at even strength, and have relied upon stout defense and goaltending to advance them this far.
Canada will face a Czechia team that ended up the No. 2 seed from Group B. The Czechs defeated Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan, but fell to Sweden to lose out on the top seed in the group. The offense is led by captain Eduard Sale (four goals, two assists), Jakub Stancl (four goals, three assists) and Vojtech Hradec (four goals, three assists).
The winner of tonight’s game will advance to the semifinals and is guaranteed a shot at winning a medal. The loser will go home without any hardware.
The Sporting News is providing all the updates and highlights from the Canada vs. Czechia quarterfinal game at the 2025 World Juniors.
MORE: World Juniors standings, schedule, results
Canada vs. Czechia live score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | F | |
| Canada | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| Czechia | 1 | – | – | – | – |
Canada vs. Czechia live updates, highlights from 2025 World Juniors quarterfinal
(All times Eastern)
First period
7:56 p.m.: Cole Beaudoin lays a nasty knee-on-knee collision with Petr Sykora, and that could be a major penalty. The Czech forward remains down on the ice, with Beaudoin going to the box. The officials are going to review, but that is not a good penalty by the Canadian forward. Once agin, discipline is an issue with this 2025 team.
7:50 p.m.: Both teams exchange chances off the rush, but it remains a 1-0 team. Czechia captain Eduard Sale put a backhand attempt on Carter George, but he was turned aside by the glove. The Canadians’ rush attempt resulted in a 2 on 0 right on Michael Hrabal, but Easton Cowan elected to shoot rather than pass to Oliver Bonk at the backdoor, resulting in a pad save by the Czech goalie.
7:49 p.m.: Just like that, it’ll be 4 on 4, as Calum Ritchie picks up a tripping penalty four seconds into Canada’s power play.
7:48 p.m.: Petr Sykora takes the first penalty of the game, getting into it with Porter Martone after the whistle. Martone shot the puck towards the net a bit after the whistle, and the Czech forward did not appreciate it. Canada to the power play 3:45 into the game.
Czechia 1, Canada 0
7:43 p.m.: GOAL! That did not take long. Czechia gets on the board first, as Petr Syrkora stays hot, potting the opening goal just 43 seconds into the game. That line is feeling it for Czechia, as the slick passing off the rush from Vojtech Hradec and Jakub Stancl set up the tap-in. That’s about as bad of a start as Canada could ask for.
PETR SIKORA OPENS THE SCORING FOR CZECHIA LESS THAN A MINUTE IN 😱#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/lUJI06mQNF
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 3, 2025
7:40 p.m.: The quarterfinal action between Canada and Czechia is underway from Ottawa.
Pregame
7:26 p.m.: Canada has to win tonight in order to stay in the hunt for a medal. Just one year removed from the fifth-place finish in Gothenburg, the Canadians are at the risk of missing out on medals in back-to-back years for the first time since early exits in 2013 and 2014.
7:15 p.m.: Dave Cameron’s decisions both before and during these World Juniors have been under a microscope. The big one heading into tonight is the decision to take Rehkopf out and put Martone back in. The two Brampton Steelheads teammates are two-thirds of one of the best lines in the OHL, but have not played together at all for Canada.
6:56 p.m.: Here is the full lineup for both sides for the quarterfinal. That Czechia line consisting Vojtech Hradek, Jakub Stancl, and Petr Sykora has been hot this tournament, combining for 11 of the teams’ 25 goals through four games. Michael Hrabal is in net for the Czechs, and with Trey Augustine on the USA side, it makes for the rare college hockey dual at this tournament. Hrabel is a sophomore at UMass and Augustine is the same at Michigan State.
Lines for Czechia vs. Canada. #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/eSLmbpWUZz
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) January 2, 2025
6:41 p.m.: The last time these two teams faced was in last year’s 2024 quarterfinal, where Czechia walked away with a 3-2 win, knocking Canada out without a chance to play for a medal. The Czechs went on to lose to Sweden in the semis, but beat Finland for the bronze.
The Czechs also stunned Canada on opening night at the 2023 event, beating the host nation in front of a stunned Halifax crowd 5-2. However, the Canadians got the last laugh, taking out the European nation 3-2 in overtime of the gold medal game.
6:30 p.m.: Here is the lineup for Canada for the quarterfinals. Dave Cameron puts Porter Martone back in after he sat out the last two games. Carson Rehkopf comes out of the lineup. Carter George will be in net for the Canadians.
Team Canada’s lines:
Nadeau – Ritchie – Cowan
McKenna – Catton – Pinelli
Howe – Yager – Martone
Beaudoin – Luchanko – Gauthier
CatafordMolendyk – Gibson
Dickinson – Bonk
Mynio – Price
AkeyGeorge starts
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) January 2, 2025
What channel is Canada vs. Czechia on today?
- TV channels: TSN (Canada) | NHL Network (United States)
- Live stream: TSN app (Canada) | Fubo (United States)
Canada vs. Czechia will air on TSN in Canada and NHL Network in the U.S.
Viewers can also stream the game on the TSN app in Canada and Fubo in the U.S.
Canada vs. Czechia start time
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 2
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | 4:30 p.m. PT
The Canada vs. Czechia quarterfinal will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 2. The game is being played at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, the home of the Senators.
The winner of the contest advances to the semifinals on Saturday, and is guaranteed to have a chance to play for a medal. The loser will not be able to win a medal at the 2025 tournament.
2025 World Juniors schedule
Thursday, Dec. 26
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Sweden 5, Slovakia 1 | FINAL |
| USA 10, Germany 4 | FINAL |
| Czechia 5, Switzerland 1 | FINAL |
| Canada 4, Finland 0 | FINAL |
Friday, Dec. 27
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Slovakia 2, Switzerland 1 | FINAL |
| Finland 3, Germany 1 | FINAL |
| Sweden 8, Kazakhstan 1 | FINAL |
| Latvia 3, Canada 2 (SO) | FINAL |
Saturday, Dec. 28
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Czechia 14, Kazakhstan 2 | FINAL |
| USA 5, Latvia 1 | FINAL |
Sunday, Dec. 29
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Sweden 7, Switzerland 5 | FINAL |
| Finland 4, USA 3 (OT) | FINAL |
| Czechia 4, Slovakia 2 | FINAL |
| Canada 3, Germany 0 | FINAL |
Monday, Dec. 30
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Slovakia 5, Kazakhstan 4 (OT) | FINAL |
| Latvia 4, Germany 3 (OT) | FINAL |
Tuesday, Dec. 31
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Switzerland 3, Kazakhstan 1 | FINAL |
| Finland 3, Latvia 0 | FINAL |
| Sweden 4, Czechia 2 | FINAL |
| USA 4, Canada 1 | FINAL |
Thursday, Jan. 2
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Germany 4, Kazakhstan 3 – Relegation Game | FINAL |
| Sweden 3, Latvia 2 – Quarterfinal | FINAL |
| USA 7, Switzerland 2 – Quarterfinal | FINAL |
| Finland vs. Slovakia – Quarterfinal | 5 p.m. |
| Canada vs. Czechia – Quarterfinal | 7:30 p.m. |
Saturday, Jan. 4
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD – Semifinal | 3:30 p.m. |
| TBD vs. TBD – Semifinal | 7:30 p.m. |
Sunday, Jan. 5
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| TBD vs. TBD – Bronze Medal Game | 3:30 p.m. |
| TBD vs. TBD – Gold Medal Game | 7:30 p.m. |
