Squad decisions haunt Canada with shocking WJC defeat

The entire Canadian team was noticeably confused after their 3-2 penalty shootout loss to Latvia at the 2025 World Junior Championships. Canada’s second game of the group stage was a shocking wake-up call for one of the world’s premier hockey teams. After a fifth-place finish at last year’s event, all of Hockey Canada has been vocal about how this year’s tournament is about redemption and reclaiming the gold medal.

A loss to the Latvian team made one thing clear for Canada: their squad is not built to win at this event. There was a lot of talk at Hockey Canada’s selection camp, and notable names were left off the final roster.

The most glaring omission involved striker Beckett Sennecke and winger Michael Misa, who was slated for the 2025 draft. Sennecke is a big, physical winger prospect for the Anaheim Ducks who excels on offense and can be quite a nuisance on defense. He arrived late to the Canadian selection camp, which definitely hurt his chances, but he would be the perfect addition to this team.

Where he would have helped the most would be on the power play. To their credit, the Canadiens were able to score a huge power play goal against Latvia, but they only ended the game with that one power play opportunity. Sennecke has the vision, shooting ability and net-front skills that could have made the difference against Latvia and made an impact throughout the tournament.

Misa has been one of the best players in the entire CHL this season and he is pushing himself to be the first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He is currently averaging a goal per game in 30 contests and has 61 points this season. He has undeniable offensive ability, but is also eager to be physical on the ice. His game fits perfectly with Canada’s mission to be tougher and stronger in all three areas of the game, but he didn’t even receive an invitation to selection camp.

Canada’s power play, as currently constructed, is costing them goals and wins. They chose Tanner Howe, a troublesome forward himself, as the netminder option, and he was ineffective in that role in two games. Having Sennecke in that role or being Misa’s playmaker instead feels like a tough decision in retrospect.

Defense was just as big a problem for Canada. The power play should be led by 2025 draft-eligible Matthew Schaefer at quarterback. He looked at home in the role against Finland, but an upper body injury could deprive Canada of its best attacking defender for the rest of the tournament.

Now there is no one left who could fill his role and be as productive. Oliver Bonk isn’t a top power-play defender, but Canada shut him down first on all four power-play chances against Latvia.

Would having one of Zayn Parekh or Carter Yakemchuk solve this problem for Canada? The two defensive lapses were the most glaring, but Canada would welcome either after seeing the consequences of missing a No. 1 defender. Parekh and Yakemchuk have similar skill sets to Bonk, Schaefer and Sam Dickinson, but it’s clear that the trio Canada selected weren’t the top three possible options.

Be sure to bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting reports and more!