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U18s Matchup With Canada Ignites Historic Rivalry

By Laney Byler, 04/18/18, 6:15AM EDT

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U.S. vs. Canada Rivalry Alive at Under-18 World Championship

Ask Jordan Greenway (Canton, N.Y./Minnesota Wild) his favorite memory from playing with USA Hockey at the junior level. He won’t even hesitate.

“The World Juniors, it’s not even close. World Juniors. Unbelievable.”

The International Ice Hockey Federation’s Under-20 World Championship has been a staple in the international hockey community for years, and is commonly known as one of the richest tournaments for skill and healthy competition at the junior level.

For many, the tournament allows the opportunity for players to face teams such as Russia, Sweden or Finland. But for Greenway, a part of what made that experience so great was the chance to play in a championship game riddled with rivalry — USA vs. Canada.

“That was pretty crazy,” Greenway said. “That was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever been a part of, to be honest. We had a great team, it was pretty similar to my NTDP team. But just playing in Canada, obviously the big USA-Canada rivalry made it that much more special. Playing them in the gold medal game in front of all of their fans, it was something else.

“It was a great, great experience…  Everyone wants to do that when they’re younger, right? Play in the World Juniors. That was something I got to be a part of, which is an honor. And then to go over there and win the gold in Canada makes it ten times better.”

Team USA’s rivalry with Canada begins even before the World Junior Championship. Greenway experienced it two times before winning gold at the World Juniors, both as part of the U.S. National Under-17 Team at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team at the International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men’s World Championship.

The U.S. and Canada’s participation in these tournaments helps build up anticipation to fuel international championships like the World Juniors.

“A lot of the players for other countries, especially Canada, we’ve played against when we were younger in youth tournaments,” said U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team defenseman Bode Wilde (Birmingham, Mich./USAH NTDP). “In terms of the rivalry there, we’ve been competing against a lot of these kids since a young age. It’s more than just pride for your country sometimes, there’s just a lot of history between you and them and it makes it that much more interesting.”

“It’s special to be a part of,” added U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team head coach Seth Appert (Cottage Grove, Minn./USAH NTDP). “Anytime you have the opportunity to put our country’s jersey on, it’s always special. And when it happens to be against your rival in Canada, and it’s in an IIHF world championship event, it heightens that even more.”


Team USA defenseman Bode Wilde is ready for U.S. vs. Canada showdown

As two premier countries known for feeding players into top hockey leagues across the world, the U.S. and Canada have a natural abundance for high-intensity competition during these international tournaments. The opportunity allows for younger players to not only travel to new places, but hone in on skills that will help them in future high-level leagues.

As the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship approaches, Team USA will have the chance for its players to face this type of environment as they travel to Russia. And with an upcoming rivalry game with Canada tomorrow, the team is looking forward to gaining experiences such as the one that Greenway had years ago.

“This is in a bigger spotlight than we’ve ever been in, in our careers,” said Trevor Janicke (Maple Grove, Minn./USAH NTDP). “It’s like a stepping stone to the World Juniors where it’s an even bigger spotlight… Throwing on the USA sweater to play against the Canadians is an unreal feeling and it’s something you have to take advantage of every time you do it.”

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U.S. Schedule

Date Opponent Round Time (Local/ET)/Results Location Television
Sun., April 15 France Exhibition W, 15-0 Traktor Ice Rink
Chelyabinsk, Russia
NHL Network
Thurs., April 19 Canada Preliminary L, 4-6 Metallurg Ice Rink
Magnitogorsk, Russia
NHL Network
Fri., April 20 Switzerland Preliminary W, 8-5 Metallurg Ice Rink
Magnitogorsk, Russia
NHL Network
Sun., April 22 Sweden Preliminary L, 1-3 Metallurg Ice Rink
Magnitogorsk, Russia
NHL Network
Tues., April 24 Belarus Preliminary W, 8-0 Metallurg Ice Rink
Magnitogorsk, Russia
NHL Network
Thurs., April 26 Russia Quarterfinals W, 5-1 Traktor Ice Rink
Chelyabinsk, Russia
NHL Network
Sat., April 28 Czech Republic Semifinals W, 4-1 Traktor Ice Rink
Chelyabinsk, Russia
NHL Network
Sun., April 29 Finland Gold Medal Game L, 2-3 Traktor Ice Rink
Chelyabinsk, Russia
NHL Network

2018 U18 Men's Worlds News