'Little adversity doesn't hurt anyone': Canada regroups after world junior loss to Sweden

Fraser Minten has seen his team play to its supposed identity in spurts.

Canada's captain knows the buzzword — "relentless" — constantly bandied about the country's camp at the world junior hockey championship is a standard the group needs to get to more often.

That, in turn, should lead to more offence. There also isn't much time to figure it out.

Canada, which was shut out for the first time at the under-20 event since 2021 when Sweden blanked the two-time defending gold medallists 2-0 on Friday inside a frothing Scandinavium arena, hasn't really got going at the tournament.

The Canadians beat Finland 5-2 in their opener — the score was a little misleading thanks to a pair of empty-net goals — and dismantled hapless Latvia 10-0 before falling to the hosts.

The well-drilled Swedes suffocated Canada's attack, and a 10-minute lull cost the North Americans.

"We've got to get there for the whole game," Minten said after Saturday's practice of coming at opponents in waves. "Speed is probably our biggest advantage, and our depth."

Head coach Alan Letang said that's been an emphasis since Day 1 for a squad lacking the game-breakers of past world juniors teams.

"When you say the word 'relentless' the meaning is you need it for 60 minutes," he said. "If we don't have it for 60 then, yeah, it's not enough.

"That's the whole point."

Canada, which faces Germany in its final preliminary round matchup Sunday, has six points from its three games, and needs a victory of any kind to guarantee second in Group A. Sweden secured top spot with Friday's triumph.

"We weren't expecting to win every single game," said forward Conor Geekie. "A little adversity doesn't hurt anyone."

Star centre Macklin Celebrini, the 17-year-old projected to go