Celebrini leads Canada past Italy 6-0 at world hockey championship

Macklin Celebrini is not waiting for a future turn at center stage. The 19-year-old captain scored twice and added a third point as Canada blanked Italy 6-0 at the world hockey championship in Switzerland, a result that reinforced how quickly Canada is handing elite prospects major responsibility.

Canada scored three times in the first period and never let Italy settle in. Celebrini’s first goal came late in the opening frame on a classic power-play finish, when Porter Martone found him with a cross-ice pass and Celebrini snapped a one-timer from the right circle to make it 3-0. His second came in the middle period, a backhand lifted high into the net to push the lead to 4-0. Sidney Crosby picked up the first assist on that goal, a clean sign of the blend Canada is trying to build between established stars and the next wave.

Dylan Holloway, Fraser Minten, Evan Bouchard and Ryan O’Reilly also scored, while Cam Talbot stopped all 19 shots he faced for the shutout. Celebrini’s command of the game drew more than stat-line attention from teammates. Bouchard called him “one of the best players in the NHL,” a striking assessment of a player who is already wearing the captain’s letter for Hockey Canada and is still the youngest player on the roster. The message from Canada’s bench was obvious: this is no longer only about potential, but about immediate production in pressure games.

The victory left Canada 2-0 in Group B with an 11-3 goal differential after opening the tournament with a 5-3 win over Sweden. Canada will have a day off before facing Denmark on Monday, May 18, while Italy, back in the top division for the first time since 2022 after hosting the Milan Olympics, played Slovakia on Sunday, May 17. Ryan O’Reilly said Canada is “getting more comfortable within our system,” a fair description of a group that is finding speed, depth and structure early.

Italy gave up too many goals, as Phil Pietroniro put it, and the gap showed. But the larger story in Canada is how fast Celebrini has moved from prized prospect to driver of results, and how Canada is already asking him to lead while Crosby, O’Reilly and the rest of the veterans supply the framework around him. In a tournament that has already seen Finland stay perfect, Switzerland remain unbeaten and Slovenia stun Czechia in overtime, Canada looks increasingly dangerous because its youngest star is producing like a cornerstone.