Canada dropped its opening game at the World Junior Summer Showcase on Wednesday, falling 2-1 to defending champion Finland in overtime.
Philadelphia Flyers first-rounder Travis Konecny opened the scoring for Canada late in the first period, taking a feed from Tyson Jost and snapping a shot past Finnish goalie Veini Vehvillainen.
Canada carried the play for most of the game and led after two periods, but an Eeli Tolvanen goal at 12:41 of the third period pulled Finland even before Arttu Ruotsalainen ended the game 1:22 into the extra frame. Canada outshot Finland 35-20 and went 0-for-5 on the power play.
Kamloops Blazers’ Connor Ingram started in goal for Canada and stopped all 13 shots he faced. Saginaw Spirit’s Evan Cormier replaced Ingram midway through the second period and allowed two goals on seven shots.
A number of Canada’s top players weren’t in the lineup on Wednesday, including 2016 leading scorers Mitch Marner and Dylan Strome, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, the third-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. Fellow top-five picks Patrik Laine, Jesse Puljujärvi and Olli Juolevi are not attending camp for Finland.
Canada’s next game is Friday against Sweden, followed by a showdown with the United States on Saturday.
PAQUETTE OUT OF IVAN HLINKA
Canada was dealt another blow for the upcoming Ivan Hlinka Memorial on Wednesday, as it was announced defenceman Jacob Paquette won’t play in the tournament due to injury.
Josh Brook of the Moose Jaw Warriors will replace Paquette on Canada’s blue line.
The news comes one day after Windsor Spitfires forward Gabriel Vilardi, a projected first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, was left off the roster because of an injury.
Canada will be vying for its ninth-straight gold medal at the under-18 tournament when they open play against Slovakia on Monday. For the full roster click here.
