Day 2 Recap: Sweden Wins a Shootout Thriller, Canada Red Rallies Past the USA at the U17 World Challenge

OAKVILLE — Day 2 at the 2026 U17 World Challenge delivered drama at both ends of the schedule. In the afternoon, Sweden outlasted Czechia in a five-round shootout behind a 31-save night from Otto Berggren. In the evening, in front of a sold-out crowd, Canada Red erased an early 2-0 deficit to beat the United States 6-4, powered by Kash Kwajah and a perfect penalty kill. Here's how both games unfolded, and who stood out.

Dahl's shootout winner lifts Sweden past Czechia, 3-2

Czechia controlled most of the play, but Sweden had the answer in the shootout. Joakim Dahl scored the winner in the fifth round as Sweden beat Czechia 3-2 at the 2026 U17 World Challenge on Monday.

Czechia struck first just 2:26 in. Defenceman Matyas Michalek picked off a play at the offensive blue line, stepped wide around a defender, drove the net and banged in his own rebound, with Matej Balvin and Vojtech Huttl assisting. Sweden answered at 12:01 when Isak Alvudd, set up by Wilson Boumedienne after a breakdown behind the Czech net, slid one five-hole from the slot. Czechia outshot Sweden 14-5 in the period but had to settle for a 1-1 tie, with Tomas Albrecht ringing a shot off the post.

Sweden took its first lead on the power play 4:31 into the second. Boumedienne started a tic-tac-toe sequence and Viking Simon banged home the rebound, with Melker Wersall also assisting. Boumedienne nearly made it 3-1 late in the period, getting in alone behind the defence and beating the goalie, only to hit the post.

“I felt good,” Boumedienne said. “Still building chemistry with my linemates, obviously, first game of the tournament, but all in all, it was good.”

Czechia drew even on its own power play at 9:53 of the third. Albrecht moved his feet at the point to find a lane, and Balvin tipped his shot home, with David Jahn picking up the second assist. Neither team scored in the rest of regulation or overtime, and Czechia finished with a 33-24 edge in shots.

Otto Berggren made 31 saves for Sweden and stopped four of five Czech shooters. Jakub Jirota gave Czechia the shootout lead in the fourth round, snapping one bar-down over the glove, but Ludvig Langermo Neuman answered with the move of the night. He faked forehand, went backhand, faked the backhand and came back to his forehand, leaving the goalie sprawled out of his net. After Matyas Novotny stopped Dominik Zelezny, Dahl faked a shot, pulled it to his backhand and ripped it home to win it.

“It was a fun game, tight,” Boumedienne said. “We battled back and forth all periods, and threw in a little bit of a shootout there. But no, it was a good game.”

Standouts
Ludvig Langermo Neuman (SWE): Sweden's most dangerous forward off the rush, with real speed down the wing, and the highlight-reel shootout goal that kept Sweden alive.
Wilson Boumedienne (SWE): two assists, a breakaway off the post and a constant threat through the neutral zone, with heads-up, one-touch passing all night. The younger brother of Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Sascha Boumedienne (28th overall, 2025) models his game after Macklin Celebrini, and called his favourite player of all time a fellow Swede, Peter Forsberg. “I feel like I’m a 200-foot player,” he said. “I try to work hard and do good things on both ends of the ice.”
Otto Berggren (SWE): 31 saves on 33 and four stops in the shootout to steal a game Czechia controlled on the shot clock.
Matyas Michalek (CZE): opened the scoring, kept getting pucks through traffic from the point, and shut down a fast rush with smart body position.
Tomas Albrecht (CZE): an assist, a shot off the post and some slick puck skill, including a two-man dangle in his own zone.
Matej Balvin (CZE): a power-play goal and an assist.

Kwajah, Canada Red rally past the United States, 6-4

Down 2-0 early and 3-1 in the second, Canada Red stormed back to beat the United States 6-4 at the 2026 U17 World Challenge on Monday night. Kash Kwajah scored twice, including the goal of the tournament so far, and Canada's penalty kill went a perfect 6 for 6.

The Canada–USA rivalry had a sold-out Sixteen Mile Sports Complex buzzing from the opening shift, when a massive collision just inside the blue line sent players from both teams flying. The Americans struck first at 12:40 left in the first period. Dean Stevens faked like he was going around the net, then threw a no-look pass back behind him to Jack Quealy, who buried it into a basically open net. Joey Cullen made it 2-0 at 6:18 left, picking up a loose puck in the crease and toe-dragging it past a sprawling Owen Loftus.

“You never want to get down 2-0 early in the game,” said Canada captain Liam Pue. “We were definitely gripping our sticks a little tight, but we just told the boys to relax: ‘We’re fine, we’ve got this.’ Once we got that first one, we definitely loosened up and knew we had this.”

That first one came on the power play with 2:53 left in the period, when Kwajah banged home the rebound of a Lucas Matheson point shot and the building erupted. Stevens restored the two-goal lead three minutes into the second with an absolutely filthy finish, deking and going backhand over Loftus’s blocker. Canada answered when Ben Oliverio’s harmless-looking point shot found its way through traffic, and Drew Bate tied it 3-3 with 1:45 left in the period, deflecting in the rebound of a Kwajah rocket.

“I think we just needed to be a little grittier, get to the dirty areas,” Bate said. “We were able to score a few dirty goals, and that’s what got our team going.”

Bate gave Canada its first lead 4:32 into the third, wrapping his stick around the post to slide in a deflected Zaac Charbonneau shot, but Stevens tied it again just 38 seconds later. Kyler Lauder put Canada back in front at 13:02 left, banging home Landon Roulston’s far-post shot with a defender draped all over him.

Then came the play of the night. With Canada on the power play, Kwajah picked up the puck and came up the middle absolutely flying, caught three American defenders flat-footed, split them and fired it five-hole for a 6-4 lead with 11:32 to go.

“I know the boys always have my back,” Kwajah said. “So if I made that move and it didn’t work, I know they were there for me. But they were angling me and there was a little gap, so I tried to split it, and I guess it worked.”

Canada’s penalty kill was the difference on a night the Americans outshot them 41-36. The U.S. went 0 for 6 on the power play, with Brady Ondrus leading a strong kill and Canada even generating a shorthanded 2-on-0 at the end of the first period. Loftus made 37 saves, while Canada went 2 for 3 with the man advantage. Pue, who said after the Finland loss that Canada had “enough shots to win a hockey game,” saw that come true.

“We never gave up,” Pue said. “We kept pushing and shooting the puck, getting in his eyes, and we had a couple of greasy goals, but that’s what we needed.”

Standouts
Kash Kwajah (CAN): two goals and two assists, both goals on the power play, and the goal of the tournament so far. Relentless on the forecheck, with a ton of pace and intensity. “The faster I move my legs, the more time and space I create for myself,” he said.
Drew Bate (CAN): Canada’s player of the game with two goals, both Johnny-on-the-spot finishes around the net, including the go-ahead goal in the third.
Owen Loftus (CAN): 37 saves on 41, anchoring a penalty kill that went 6 for 6.
Dean Stevens (USA): the American player of the game with two goals and an assist, including a slick no-look feed on the opener and a filthy backhand finish.
Jack Quealy (USA): a goal and two assists.
Joey Cullen (USA): a goal and a constant threat with the puck, showing nifty hands down low and along the walls.
Tanner Adams (CAN): two assists, including the setup on Kwajah’s highlight-reel winner, plus a thunderous hit at the defensive blue line.

Full scouting reports at PuckBunker.com