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Moose Jaw Warriors coming home with gold from World Under-18 Hockey Championship

Defenceman Mateychuk, former prospect Ceulemans, goaltending consultant Weninger and former general manager Millar returning from Texas after winning first U18 title since 2013
Team Canada gold celeb
Members of Team Canada gather for the traditional team photo after winning the World Under-18 Hockey Championship gold medal.
When Team Canada won the World Under-18 Hockey Championship on Thursday night, there were no shortage of folks affiliated with the Moose Jaw Warriors picking up gold medals.

And after the kind of performance the national team put together in Frisco, Texas over the last few weeks, you better believe they did so with all sorts of pride in their accomplishments.

Canada capped a perfect run through the event with a 5-3 victory over Russia, overcoming a pair of one-goal deficits in the first period before taking the lead in the second and holding off a late-game charge in the final frame.

Warriors fans had a chance to see firsthand what could have been with former Warriors prospect Corson Ceulemans. The AJHL Brooks Bandits standout and University of Wisconsin commit was selected by the Warriors in the fifth round of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft and was one of the standout defenceman at the tournament.

He picked up an assist on Regina Pats phenom Connor Bedard’s incredible first-period goal in the final and finished the tournament with a goal and eight points through six games while going plus-11.

Ceulemans is slated to play for Wisconsin next season and ranked as high as 11th for the 2021 NHL Draft.

Warriors defenceman Denton Mateychuk was a late addition to the tournament after Carson Lambos from the Winnipeg Ice was forced out due to injury. An underage player at the event, the 16-year-old Mateychuk would see action in three round-robin games but wouldn’t hit the scoresheet.

Canada’s goaltending was on point throughout the tournament, allowing only five goals through four round-robin games and turning in a steady showing as they rolled through the playoffs. Warriors goaltending coach Matt Weninger had a hand in that, as he served as Team Canada’s goaltending consultant for the tournament.

And, of course, there’s the guy who put it all together.

Former Warriors general manager Alan Millar joined Hockey Canada as the organizing body’s director of player personnel at the end of February, with the World U18 team his first official assignment.

Millar put together one of the most dominant Team Canada sides in the tournament’s history, as they outscored the opposition 51-12 through their eight games and sent notice that the next wave of Canadian talent was rolling through the system.

Team Canada wasn’t the only squad with connections to the Warriors.

Czech Republic forward Martin Rysavy -- Moose Jaw’s first pick, sixth overall in the 2020 Canadian Hockey League import draft -- emerged as one of the leaders for his squad. 

The 17-year-old capped the tournament with two goals and three points in five games and minus-four overall, recording a team-best 18 shots in the process.

The Czech Republic finished fourth in Pool B with a 1-2-1 record before falling 10-3 to Canada in the quarter-final.

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