Ten OHLers on team Canada White win Gold at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Prince Edward Island.
Jack Nesbitt, Tyler Hopkins, Ethan Czata, Wesley Royston, Owen Griffin, Rylan Singh, Matthew Schaefer, Cameron Reid, Carson Cameron, and Jack Ivankovic have won gold at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge while representing the OHL.
Canada White beat the United States 2-1 in a thrilling overtime win. Ethan Czata was the only OHLer to have his finger prints on the scoresheet, picking up one assist. Cameron Schmidt from Vancouver in the WHL scored the game winning goal.
Kingston Frontenacs forward Tyler Hopkins had the most points of any OHL player on this team, picking up five assists through the eight games. His U16 minor hockey teammate, and Canada White's captain Matthew Schaefer (ER) had one goal and four points in the tournament. Other honourable mentions include Ethan Czata (NIA) who had four points, and Owen Griffin (OSH) who had three.
As expected, OHL first round pick Jack Ivankovic (MIS) was stellar in-between the pipes. He ended up taking over the starting job in this tournament, getting into all eight games. He concluded the tournament with a .923% save percentage while only allowing 2.51 goals against average.
Ivankovic was named "Goaltender of the Tournament" by leading his team to the gold medal. Matthew Schaefer was also on the final "All-Star Team" of the tournament.
This Canada White team finished last in the round-robin portion of the tournament, with an 0-2-2-1 record. They were able to climb back game-by-game to get themselves to the finals against the United States, and eventually get the win.
Goaltender Jack Ivankovic certainly caught the most eyes in this tournament from an OHL perspective. He has most definitely boosted his stock with his numbers and performance at this tournament. He was a huge reason why Canada White was able to battle back from the round-robin, and capture gold in the final.