BASEL, Switzerland – Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team has won the bronze medal at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship, edging Slovakia 4-3 in overtime on Sunday afternoon.

Macklin Celebrini (Vancouver, B.C./Chicago, USHL) etched his name into the record book with two goals, including the overtime winner, and an assist. The 16-year-old finished the tournament with a team-leading 15 points, equaling Tyson Jost (2016) for the most by a Canadian at one U18 Worlds.

“This win means everything to us,” said Celebrini. “It’s not the colour we wanted, but we showed a lot of character in this game, pushed through and found a way. I’m real proud of this team.”

“There have been some special 16-year-olds play in this tournament, and Macklin is no exception,” said head coach Jeff Truitt (Rosetown, Sask./Prince Albert, WHL). “He is a dynamic player, and he wants the spotlight. He has been a clutch guy for us all tournament, and especially today. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

Matthew Wood (Nanaimo, B.C./University of Connecticut, HE) finished with a goal and three assists, tying the game with 1:10 left in the third period to force overtime. Colby Barlow (Orillia, Ont./Owen Sound, OHL) rounded out the scoring for Canada.

“When the chips were down in a bronze medal game, we wanted to come home with a medal, and that’s what we did here today,” said Truitt. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t come home with one of the other two colours, but this was a great hockey game, and we got the win.”

Gabriel D’Aigle (Sorel-Tracy, Que./Victoriaville, QMJHL) becomes the first 16-year-old goaltender to ever start a game at the tournament and finished with 26 saves.

A full game summary and recap can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

Since 2002, Canada has won four gold medals at the IIHF U18 World Championship (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021), in addition to one silver (2005) and four bronze (2012, 2014, 2015, 2023).

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.