Shane Wright of the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs scored a hat trick to lead Canada to a 12-1 thumping of Sweden in their first round-robin game of the tournament in Frisco and Plano, Texas.
Defenceman Brandt Clarke (Barrie Colts) scored twice and finished with four points, while Francisco Pinelli (Kitchener Rangers) added a goal and two assists. Nolan Allan (Prince Albert Raiders), Mason McTavish (Peterborough Petes), Logan Stankoven (Kamloops Blazers), Brett Harrison (Oshawa Generals), Wyatt Johnson (Windsor Spitfires) and Ryan Winterton (Hamilton Bulldogs) all had single goals.
Moose Jaw Warriors Bantam Draft pick Corson Ceulemans had an assist in the contest; defenceman Denton Mateychuk did not play.
The route was especially impressive for players from the Ontario Hockey League. Unlike their counterparts out west, the OHL was unable to put together a season and officially cancelled their campaign last week, meaning the majority of skaters from the league hadn’t played a meaningful game in over a year.
Canada continues their tournament against Latvia on Wednesday night before facing Switzerland Friday and closing out their round robin against Belarus Saturday.
Moose Jaw Warriors Import Draft pick Martin Rysavy and the Czech Republic are also in action Wednesday when they take on Finland. They close out their round robin with games against the United States Thursday and Russia Saturday.
The top four teams from each pool advance to the quarter-finals beginning Monday.
