USA Shocks Canada to Win 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship Title

The United States has a favorable history against Canada in title games at the World Junior Men's Hockey Championship, having won three of its four titles against its northern neighbors (2004, 2010, 2017).

Tuesday's championship game continued the strong tradition.

The United States won its fifth title with a 2-0 defeat of Team Canada, with Boston College/Florida Panthers goalkeeper Spencer Knight securing the shutout with 34 saves—the first championship shutout in nine years.

Without production from his teammates, Canada netminder Devon Levi prevented the champions from running up the score by making 19 saves. 

Notable Performers

• Trevor Zegras, F, USA (Anaheim Ducks): 1 goal, 1 assist
• Alex Turcotte, C, USA (Los Angeles Kings): GW goal
• Spencer Knight, GK, USA (Boston College/Florida Panthers): 34 saves
• Devon Levi, GK, Canada (Northeastern/Florida Panthers): 19 saves

Trevor Zegras Breaks Down Devon Levi

Devon Levi was far from a household name heading into this year's tournament, having played in the Central Canada Hockey League at the Junior A level and missing out on a chance to make a name for himself at the NCAA level as a freshman this year at Northeastern, since the Hockey East season was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the Florida Panthers recruit had been the hero for Canada throughout the World Juniors. He entered Tuesday's finale with a 0.53 goals against average and a 97.5 save percentage, which could break a record set by Carey Price in 2007 (97.5 save percentage). He has posted three shutouts through six games, and the Canadians hadn't allowed a goal at even strength throughout the tournament before Tuesday.

But for all the dominance in net, Team USA has been able to counter with a standout star on offense: Trevor Zegras.

Heading into Tuesday's game, the forward was tied with Canada forward Dylan Cozens for the lead in points with 16. Zegras had tallied six goals, but his prowess shines in creating chances for his teammates. He was credited with 10 assists through five games.  

On Tuesday, he continued his scoring. After assisting on Alex Turcotte's opening goal in the first period (the first even-strength goal allowed by Canada all tournament), he scored his own to give them some breathing room 32 seconds into the middle period. 

With the assist, he tied the record for most career assists at the tournament (20), and his goal gave him a tie for the all-time career points record (27). 

While Canada struggled to get on the board, Levi prevented any extraneous damage, ending the night with 19 saves.

Spencer Knight Stands Up to Canada's Balanced Attack 

On the other side of the ice from Levi was the tournament's second-ranked goaltender, Spencer Knight.

The Boston College netminder and Florida Panthers recruit posted a 1.98 goals against average while saving 92.2 percent of pucks that came his way entering Tuesday, though he entered the championship game off of a shaky semifinal outing that saw the United States nearly eliminated by Finland. The Finns found two third-period goals to even the score before Arthur Kaliyev was the last-chance hero for the U.S. with a goal under the two-minute mark.

Canada has boasted a balanced attack throughout the tournament. In Monday's semifinal game against Russia, five different skaters scored in the team's 5-0 shutout victory. 

But on Sunday, Canada couldn't find any production that could get past Knight in net. Even as the top line of Bowen Byram, Jamie Drysdale, Jakob Pelletier, Connor McMichael and Dylan Cozens piled on to him for a total of 14 shots, Knight was a wall between the pipes, even as Canada played with six skaters for much of the final two minutes. 

Knight made 34 saves to lead the U.S. to victory. 

What's Next? 

The 2022 World Junior Men's Hockey Championship will be played in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, from Dec. 26, 2021 through Jan. 5, 2022.

The 2022 tournament was originally awarded to Sweden, but it was moved to the two Alberta cities that were set to host this year's tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic forced them into a bubble format in Edmonton.

Sweden will host the 2024 tournament.