By Hockey Canada

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Canada's National Junior Team has won the bronze medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship after defeating Finland 6-3 in the third-place game Monday at Grand Casino Arena.

Gavin McKenna (Whitehorse, YT/Penn State University, Big Ten) finished with a goal and three assists, while Michael Hage (Mississauga, ON/University of Michigan, Big Ten) recorded four helpers.

Hage led the tournament with 15 points (2-13—15). His 13 assists are the second-most by a Canadian in a single tournament, trailing only Connor Bedard (14 in 2023).

Zayne Parekh (Nobleton, ON/Calgary, NHL) had a goal and an assist to set a pair of Canadian records—most points by a defenceman at a World Juniors (13), surpassing Bryan McCabe (1995) and Alex Pietrangelo (2010), and most goals by a defenceman at a World Juniors (5), one more than Kris Russell (2007) and Thomas Chabot (2017).

“We came into today a little down, obviously, but we worked hard to get our heads in the right place and come to work like any other day,” Parekh said following the game. “After the first 20 minutes, we said to each other—why not? Let’s do this for the country and we got the job done. It’s bittersweet for me when you talk about the record, because you want to win [a gold medal] and today was tough, but I’m proud of the group, and those are friends for life.”

Sam O’Reilly (Toronto, ON/London, OHL) scored twice, while Braeden Cootes (Sherwood Park, AB/Seattle, WHL) and captain Porter Martone (Peterborough, ON/Michigan State University, Big Ten) rounded out the scoring for the Canadians, who led 3-2 after one period and 5-3 after two before McKenna finished the scoring in the final frame.

“Tough turnaround from last night to today, but I’m proud of how we regrouped,” said Martone. “I love how resilient we were today. There were a lot of tears shed last night and ton of disappointment in that room, so to reset and respond the way we did with a full 60-minute effort is something I will remember for a long time.”

Tij Iginla (Lake Country, BC/Kelowna, BC), Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, AB/University of North Dakota, NCHC) andLiam Greentree (Oshawa, ON/Windsor, OHL)all found the scoresheet with assists.

Carter George (Thunder Bay, ON/Owen Sound, OHL) made 32 saves in his eighth and final World Juniors appearance across two tournaments.

A full game summary can be found here.

“It really is a good feeling. Credit to the boys to bounce back, both teams really; losing in the semifinals is hard, but I thought both teams came today and gave it their all,” said head coach Dale Hunter (Petrolia, ON/London, OHL). “You always want to win the gold, but the boys came out hard and worked and have something to be proud of.”

Since 1977, Canada has won 20 gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship, along with 10 silver and six bronze.

The 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, from Dec. 26, 2026-Jan. 5, 2027. Hockey fans interested in attending the tournament can sign up for the 2027 World Juniors Priority Draw for free. The deadline to enter is tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. MT. Visit HockeyCanada.ca/PriorityDraw for more information.

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