9 NL players lead Canada to gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships

Nine young athletes from Newfoundland and Labrador hit the ball at the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic, taking home a gold medal along the way.

The Canadian team beat Slovakia 1-0 on Thursday and won the championship.

Cassie Drover, 18, says she’s been playing hockey for 15 years and was scouted for Team Canada in 2022 after winning gold at Nationals in Winnipeg.

But this game, he said, was “unmatched.”

“I can’t even put into words what it felt like to even get the chance to go. But to come home with a gold medal is just incredible for me,” she said.

“I think I’m still in shock, like it doesn’t feel real.”

Danielle Close, the team’s general manager, helped get them there. A childhood athlete himself, Close is all too aware of the challenges of sport and the rewards it brings.

He described the victory as “surreal”.

“I’m 47 years old, so I come from a sport where I haven’t been told anything but yes when it comes to playing,” he said.

“I didn’t have the opportunities that these girls had. So for me, them winning the gold was just that. It was just that final feeling of ‘yeah, I’ve done it and finally. I finally did it’. And here I am. And these girls believed in me for four years.”

Close said it’s important that female athletes have these opportunities. His advice to anyone who wants to be in the sport is “never stop”.

All round support

However, you can learn more from the game than winning.

In the semi-finals, Canada beat Great Britain 18-0. Close said the teams took a photo together and cheered each other on.

“Every goal that was scored on those goaltenders, all eighteen goals. Those goaltenders, they had 63 shots in the game. That’s unheard of,” he said.

Drovers said the support from other teams was heartwarming. He said they built relationships with British and American teams.

Before the gold medal game, both teams had Canadian jerseys to cheer them on.

“They were rooting for us the whole game and it was crazy to see all that support,” Drover said.

“There is so much heart”

Drover said representing the province and Canada was “everything.”

“After every game, the winning team stood on the blue line and played your national anthem. And to stand there with 22 of my best friends that I just met was a crazy feeling, and it’s just like nothing else.”

And with so much of the team coming from this province, Close said the number of athletes from Newfoundland and Labrador on those teams is growing.

“I’m honestly nine players from Newfoundland, they’re second to none. The families, the players from these families just believe in their kids and they believe in the program,” he said.

“There’s only so much heart.”

The nine members of Team Canada from Newfoundland and Labrador are

• Brooke Lannon, Placentia
• Jenni Simpson, Glovertown
• Renee Falkner, St. John’s
• Ashley Hayley, St. John’s
• Julia Butler, Portugal Cove-St Philips
• Jayme Guy, Arnold’s Cove
• Cassie Drover, Upper Island Cove
• Alyson Thomas, L’Anse or Clair; and
• Maggie Jones, Marystown

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