Celebrini's 5 points power Canada to blowout win over Latvia at world juniors

Macklin Celebrini knew there would be lots of eyes on him in Sweden.

The presumptive top pick at the 2024 NHL draft hasn't blinked.

Celebrini had a goal and four assists in a dominant performance from start to finish as Canada hammered Latvia 10-0 at the world junior hockey championship on Wednesday.

"Making this team, it was an honour, a childhood dream," said the 17-year-old from Vancouver. "I'm just trying to enjoy it and do whatever I can to help us win."

Celebrini's five points were two short of the national record for a single game at the under-20 tournament — a mark held by six players, including Connor Bedard at the 2023 event in Halifax.

"Really special doing this at a young age," said Matthew Wood, whose goal and two assists were overshadowed by his linemate. "His habits are unbelievable, his skill's unbelievable.

"The real deal."

Welcome to the Macklin Celebrini show. <br><br>Macklin Celebrini se donne en spectacle à Göteborg.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldJuniors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldJuniors</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MondialJunior?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MondialJunior</a> <a href="https://t.co/0VERAFMKHc">pic.twitter.com/0VERAFMKHc</a>

Conor Geekie and Carson Rehkopf, with two each, also scored for Canada, while Fraser Minten and Brayden Yager both had a goal and an assist.

Owen Allard and Matthew Poitras rounded out the deluge, while Denton Mateychuk and Ty Nelson had two assists apiece.

Mathis Rousseau made 22 saves for the shutout less than 30 hours after leading the Canadians to a 5-2 victory over Finland in their opener.

Linards Feldbergs allowed seven goals on 31 shots for the overmatched Latvians, who dropped their first game 6-0 to hosts