Team Canada held a practice at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, Ont. on Tuesday.
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It feels like Canada enters this year’s World Juniors with an advantage between the pipes. That’s certainly how it feels to the team’s goalies.
“Yeah, I’d say so,” Owen Sound Attack netminder Carter George agreed. “I mean, we have two guys who went to it last year, and obviously [Joshua] Ravensbergen is a first-round pick. We have three great goalies here, and I feel pretty confident in the group.”
George led the World Juniors with a .936 save percentage in four games last year. Jack Ivankovic, who served as Canada’s back-up goalie in Ottawa, is also back in the mix this year. This is the first time Canada has had two returning goalies at the same World Juniors.
“It could be a big advantage,” said Ivankovic, who is a freshman at the University of Michigan. “I’m super confident in my game and I know probably the other two guys are confident about their game.”
George (57th overall in 2024) and Ivankovic (58th overall in 2025) are second-round picks by the Los Angeles Kings and the Nashville Predators respectively while the third goalie at Canada’s training camp, Joshua Ravensbergen of the Prince George Cougars, was selected 30th overall by the San Jose Sharks in June.
“It’s huge to have such special goalies back there,” said centre Michael Hage, who plays with Ivankovic at Michigan. “It just gives everyone in front of them so much confidence, and even when there is a breakdown or you make a mistake, they have your back. It’s a big deal.”
As the incumbent starter, does George believe the No. 1 job is his to lose?
“Yeah, for sure,” the 19-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont. said. “The competition’s been awesome. It’s a lot of fun having that friendly battle on ice. I want to go out there and prove that I’m the guy and be the backbone for this team. I want to be the guy to make saves in those big moments. I want to make the save with 50 seconds left and I want to be the guy to show up in the elimination games.”
Dale Hunter isn’t ready to anoint anyone quite yet.
“The exhibition games are the big telltale, and we’ll go from there,” Canada’s head coach said.
Canada will play three pre-tournament games before their Boxing Day opener with the first one coming on Wednesday night in Kitchener, Ont. against Sweden. Hunter declined to reveal the team’s goaltending plan for the game, but George and Ivankovic are expected to dress.
“All three of us want to be the guy,” Ivankovic said. “We’re each going to come in and have that mentality that we’re going to be the guy.”
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George posted two shutouts last year at the World Juniors and was named one of Canada’s top three players by the team’s management group. The quarterfinal loss to Czechia was devastating, but George feels the experience in Ottawa made him a better goalie.
“There are still lots of positives coming out of last year’s tournament,” he said. “I think, for me, just the confidence of knowing I can play at that level and bringing that confidence into the tournament this year will be huge for me. The experience of playing in front of a big crowd, the fans, the media and all that, I think that experience alone will allow me to be able to be more comfortable in those situations this year.”
George has certainly impressed Hunter, also the London Knights coach, with his play in the Ontario Hockey League.
“He makes the big save,” Hunter noted. “We had a good team last year [that went on to win the Memorial Cup] and they had a young team and he had to stand on his head every time he played against us, and he came up big all the time.”
George is 10-9-2 with an .899 save percentage this season. Developing a leadership role has been a focus for him this season.
“Being a year older now with a younger group of guys, I think it’s big for me to kind of step up and be a leader in that room,” he said. “That was probably the biggest adjustment this year.”
His best leadership moment so far?
“I don’t know,” George said with a laugh. “Probably snapping on the guys after a first period and then us winning the game after ... probably something like that.”
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George and Ivankovic have struck up a friendship over the years as they came up through the Hockey Canada system.
“He’s awesome,” Ivankovic said. “We talk all the time during the season. We’ve kind of been chirping each other. I tried to score the other night and it didn’t happen. He texted me and let me know that he had one.”
George scored in the OHL last season and almost scored at the World Juniors as well.
Ivankovic has not scored, but he does have the better numbers this season. Ivankovic, who played in the OHL last season, is off to a strong start in the NCAA with a 16-4-0 record and .927 save percentage.
“The transition’s been pretty easy for me,” the 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ont. said.
“He’s just really poised and calm back there,” Hage observed. “Like so quiet, but just so confident ... He’s been our best player.”
Ivankovic went 25-12-5 with a .903 save percentage with the Brampton Steelheads last season. Where has he improved the most?
“My skating,” Ivankovic said. “I took that to another level. I mean I think that’s the biggest thing in goaltending is you got to be able to skate and that’s something I’ve been working on ... You’re moving around the crease whether you’re up or you’re down, getting to plays early, and beating the plays.”
Ivankovic got into one game at the World Juniors last year against Latvia, stopping 24 of 26 shots and then seven of eight in the shootout. But Ivankovic took the loss as Canada’s skaters failed to solve Linards Feldbergs at the other end.
“I had dreamed about playing in that tournament since I was seven,” Ivankovic said. “Finally getting that first experience, that was pretty cool and this year I’ve taken it to another step and we’re here to win gold.”
While teams are allowed to carry three goalies at the World Juniors, Hockey Canada announced they plan to only take two.
While George and Ivankovic have both won gold medals at the under-18 level, Ravensbergen has never worn the Maple Leaf in an international competition although he has played twice at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
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Former NHLer Kyle Turris delivered a presentation to the players on the subject of shootouts on Tuesday.
“I like that it’s kind of a game within the game,” said Turris, who scored on 38 per cent of his shootout attempts during his playing days. “You have to find ways to beat the goalie and be creative about it. It’s so challenging to do now, so little things, subtle things make a big difference.”
The team held a shootout competition at the end of practice with Hage, Gavin McKenna and Marek Vanacker being the only skaters to score. All three missed on their second chances, which allowed the goalies to celebrate a win.
Smooth move by Michael Hage in shootout work @BarDown pic.twitter.com/lMVedr30e9
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) December 16, 2025
After that competition, Turris brought the forwards together to run through some moves following practice.
“He gave me a tip and it ended up working out and then I went back to him and asked him what to do, and he told me something different and it worked again,” said Barrie Colts centre Cole Beaudoin with a big smile. “Super sweet to learn from him.”
What are the best tips?
“Just different scenarios,” Beaudoin said. “Going against a goalie that’s southpaw or just changing speed, just different little stick placements, different fakes, head fakes, stick fakes.”
No one wanted to give away too much after the session, and Turris did not go into specifics. In fact, he actually stressed a simple approach.
“Just having a plan and sticking to it, whatever you’re comfortable with,” he advised. “I didn’t have the hands that a lot of these guys have. I just tried to keep it simple and shoot the puck and found different ways to do that.”
How much does the goalie influence things?
“Quite a bit,” Turris said. “I always watched the pre-scout on the goalies so you have an idea going in. I always liked to shoot third as well so I could watch the two guys go in front of me and get live feedback and either change my attempt or just be confident in what I was gonna do.”
Canada did not need a shootout victory to claim gold when Turris led the team in scoring in 2008, but they did need an overtime goal in the finals against Sweden.
“I remember every bit of it very well,” Turris said of the tournament. “Matt Halischuk scoring the winner in overtime and, yeah, I think we were number four of five consecutive gold medals. The team that we had, the friendships we made, it was special. It was one of the greatest memories of my career.”
Where does he keep his gold medal?
“That’s a good question,” the 36-year-old from New Westminster, B.C. said with a smile. “I have all the memories, but the one thing I don’t remember is where we put the gold medal. I think my dad has it at his place.”
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Tuesday’s practice marked Canada’s third on-ice session of the camp and for the third straight time they worked on special teams. And, for the first time, the top power-play unit got in a groove.
“They were looking real good,” said George. “The first two days they didn’t have much, and then today they were looking really good, so I’m excited to see what they do now.”
The unit clicked on four straight reps at one point with McKenna scoring twice and setting up two more.
“We were attacking,” said Calgary Flames defenceman Zayne Parekh, who quarterbacks the unit. “Gav was on a heater today. He had a really good skate. I think we scored every time we were out there, so it was fun.”
While Parekh started at the top of the zone and McKenna set up on the flank, there was a lot of switching places as the puck zipped around.
“A lot of movement on it, and it confuses the PK,” said Hunter. “They did a great job.”
The top unit featured a new look on Tuesday as Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes replaced Tij Iginla on a flank while Brady Martin took the net-front spot previously occupied by Porter Martone.
Iginla and Martone will be healthy scratches on Wednesday, Hunter confirmed. Beaudoin will also be a scratch.
Hunter did not reveal who will sit out on the back end, but Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford skated as the ninth defenceman and projects to be a scratch.
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Hage moved up to the top-line centre spot at Tuesday’s practice skating between McKenna and Martin.
“He’s had some good scrimmages here,” Hunter noted. “He was good in the summer tournament.
He can really score."
Hage is tied for the Wolverines scoring lead with 28 points in 20 games this season.
“He drives every play for us,” Ivankovic said. “Whether it’s 5-5 or the power play, he wants to puck in his hands and he makes a big-time difference for us.”
Hage feels he’s improved at both ends of the ice during his sophomore campaign.
“I feel like I’ve been better at just killing plays as a centre defensively, getting pins,” he said. “It helps everyone on the ice when you kill plays, and you get to go play offence.”
Hage also feels like he’s a more effective forechecker this season.
“I feel like I have a really good stick, and I’m using that to create offence, and making it hard on defencemen when they try to exit the zone,” he said.
Hage skated as a right winger in the first two practices before shifting back to his natural position on Tuesday.
“I put him at centre because I know with his club team he’s playing centre and he played it well,” Hunter said. “We got lots of centres, so somebody has to play the wing. I’m just experimenting.”
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Lines at Tuesday’s practice:
McKenna - Hage - Martin
Bear - Reschny - Cootes
Desnoyers - Luchanko - Greentree
Vanacker - O’Brien - O’Reilly
Iginla - Beaudoin - Martone
MacKenzie - Parekh
Aitcheson - Verhoeff
Reid - Smith
Carels - Brunicke
Danford
George
Ivankovic
Ravensbergen
Absent: Misa
Power play units at Tuesday’s practice:
QB: Parekh
Flanks: McKenna, Cootes
Middle: Reschny
Net front: Martin
QB: Smith
Flanks: Hage, Luchanko
Middle: O’Brien
Net front: Greentree
