Canadian Teenagers in NHL Prove Hockey Canada System Still Works

The Canadian hockey system isn't broken. That's the message from analyst Jason Gregor, who believes criticism following Canada's World Junior Championship loss to Czechia has gone too far and ignores overwhelming evidence that the country continues producing elite talent.

Six Canadian teenagers are currently playing in the NHL and performing well. Macklin Celebrini, Beckett Sennecke, Berkly Catton and Ben Kindel are making impacts as forwards, while Matthew Schaefer and Sam Dickinson are proving themselves on the blue line.

Those six players were all eligible to represent Canada at the World Juniors but are instead competing at hockey's highest level. Gregor argues that having six teenagers good enough to play in the NHL demonstrates the strength of Canada's development system, not its weakness.

One Loss Doesn't Define a System

The fact that these players are thriving against grown men in professional hockey validates the pathway that brought them to this point. Moreover, this criticism against Hockey Canada’s developmental system intensified after their SF loss to Czechia at the World Juniors.

However, while critics believe that this defeat exposed everything that’s wrong with how Canada develops young players, Gregor notes that this reaction was completely overblown.

Forwards:
Macklin Celebrini
Beckett Sennecke
Berkly Catton
Ben Kindel

Defencemen:
Matthew Schaefer
Sam Dickinson

Players who were eligible to play for Canada at WJC but are currently in the NHL. Claims the Canadian system is broken due to one loss to Czechia. Overblown.

You…
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) January 6, 2026

"Trying to use a loss in a game, which was a great game, which was a one-game-winner-take-all, as a basis that the Canadian system is broken is a major reach," Gregor said. He explained how the format of the tournament also needs to be taken into consideration.

In a tournament like the World Juniors, where everything comes down to single-elimination games, drawing broad conclusions from one result is particularly problematic. Great teams lose individual games all the time without it reflecting systematic failure.

Gregor also identified what he sees as arrogance in the criticism. "It illustrates a bit of arrogance in thinking Canada has to win every major tourney or the system is broken," he noted.

Valid Concerns Exist

However, just because Gregor defended Hockey Canada doesn’t mean that their system is perfect. The analyst was quick to accept that there are some valid issues to address. This includes points like the pressure put on young players, the overall cost of youth hockey, and the proliferation of academies.

Add to that the year-round hockey schedules that prevent children from playing multiple sports and it is evident that the players are not getting enough recovery time. Those concerns deserve rational discussion about how to improve the experience for young players and their families.

He continued, "In fact, it is so good that six of them are in the NHL as teenagers and playing well." The evidence supports Gregor's position. Canada continues producing NHL talent at an elite rate, with teenagers making immediate impacts at the highest level of professional hockey.

One tournament loss doesn't change that reality, and pretending otherwise ignores what's happening right in front of everyone watching the NHL.

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