Image Credit: Kamloops Blazers

By Victor Kaisar

World Juniors

Blazers’ Matteo Koci wins back-to-back World Juniors bronze medals

Jan 5, 2025 | 4:15 PM

OTTAWA — Kamloops Blazers defenceman Matteo Koci is a two-time World Juniors bronze medalist.

The 19-year-old was playing for his native Czechia, who needed a 14-round shootout to beat Sweden 3-2 in Sunday’s (Jan. 5) bronze medal game at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

It’s Czechia’s third consecutive medal at the World Juniors, after they won a bronze in 2024 and a silver in 2023.

Eduard Sale scored on two of his five shootout attempts with Jakub Stancl also found the back of the net in the marathon shootout that was dominated by goaltenders Michael Hrabal of Czechia and Marcus Gidlof of Sweden.

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Alex Sandin Pellikka and Otto Stenberg scored in the shootout for Sweden, who were reigning silver medalists.

Stancl and Sale scored for the Czechs in regulation but Sweden fought back twice through David Edstrom.

Czechia finished second in Group B with a 3-0-0-1 record in four games. They beat Switzerland 5-1, demolished Kazakhstan 14-2, and then doubled up Slovakia 4-2 before falling 4-2 to Sweden, who topped the group, on New Year’s Eve.

The Czechs then upset Canada 4-3 in the quarterfinals before falling 4-1 to the United States in the semi-finals.

Koci – who helped scrape ice during the 2020 World Juniors in Ostrava – played a depth role for Czechia as the seventh defenceman. He was held scoreless in seven games, and finished with a minus-1 rating and two penalty minutes.

The six-foot tall, left shot defenceman, has a goal and five assists in 23 games with the Blazers this season.