Carter George says he is looking for redemption as he returns to Team Canada for the 2026 World Juniors.
The 6-foot-2 netminder was Canada’s primary starter in last year’s edition of the tournament on home ice in Ottawa as they fell in the quarter-finals in heartbreaking fashion.
Canada faced Czechia in the quarter-finals, who jumped out to an early 3-1 lead. The Canadians were able claw their way back to tie the game late in the third period but Czechia scored the winner with 40 seconds remaining to eliminate Canada.
“I feel like, as a team, we kind of let Canada down last year,” George told TSN prior to his arrival at selection camp. “This year, I know we’re all pretty hungry to get back to it and get the gold medal.”
The Thunder Bay, Ont., native has had tremendous success when he wears the Maple Leaf, despite the loss last season.
George took home gold at both the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2024 Under-18 World Hockey Championship, where he was named the tournament’s best goaltender.
Even after losing in last year’s World Juniors, he led the tournament with a 1.76 goals-against average, .935 save percentage, and put up two shutouts. He went 2-1-1-0 overall, and all seven goals he allowed came against the United States on New Year’s Eve and against Czechia in the quarter-final.
George believes that the experience of last year’s failure will only help the returning players be ready for what’s ahead, and it’s something they can pass along to the guys experiencing the World Junior stage for the first time,
“There are a lot of guys from last year’s tournament that are returning this year, so guys have a lot of experience, and I think that’ll help the rest of the team,” said George. “Things like dealing with the pressure, the media, and playing in big games, those are all huge bonuses for experiences going into this year.”
Canada’s failure to medal last year marked the first time since time since 2013 and 2014 that they have gone home empty-handed in back-to-back years and third time overall.
The country is now trying to avoid missing the podium for a third straight year, something that hasn’t happened since the three-year stretch of 1979 to 1981.
Despite the ever-present pressure from fans to be victorious, George believes that it won’t be an issue when open the tournament in Minnesota on Boxing Day.
“I think the pressure comes from wanting to represent your country the best as possible, and you don’t want to let them down,” said George. “But at the same time, I think we’re going to have a good group of guys this year that are going to be able to handle it.”
George describes himself as an outgoing, but competitive player who can be the backbone for his team. He sees himself as the type of leader in the locker room who teammates know can be counted on in the big moments.
On the ice, he says he has a calm presence and is patient, makes good reads, and thinks his puck-handling ability is a strength.
“Growing up, I wanted my game to be like Carey Price as someone who is calm, cool, and collected in the net,” said George. “But as I got older, I realized he’s 6-foot-4 and I’m not, so I can’t do everything he does. Nowadays, Jeremy Swayman and Igor Shesterkin are the guys I can look to and relate.”
The 19-year-old has been a pillar for the Owen Sound Attack over the past four seasons, going 57-55-17 with a 3.22 GAA and .908 save percentage during his Ontario Hockey League career.
Despite his personal success, the Attack have struggled to find team success during George’s tenure, making the playoffs only twice and failing to win a game.
This year, Owen Sound sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 17-14-4 record with George leading the way, going 10-9-2 with a 3.12 GAA and .899 save percentage. He believes this year’s team has the talent to make some noise in the OHL.
“There are really two things I want this year,” said George. “I want to win a gold medal [at the World Juniors] and I want to win an OHL championship. “I think we have a special group this year and we’re just as good as any other team in the league. When we look at all the top teams around the league, we compete well against them when we’re playing our game. So I’m looking forward to seeing what we do.”
George’s strong play led him to be drafted 57th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2024 NHL Draft, who happened to be his favourite team growing up. After the Attack’s season ended last year, he had the opportunity to finish the American Hockey League season with the Ontario Reign.
He appeared in two games in the AHL, going 2-0-0 with a shutout to wrap up his 2024-25 campaign.
That gave him his first taste of professional hockey action and left him wanting more.
“That was a super cool experience, and I think it will be very beneficial for me in the future just knowing that I can play at that level,” said George. “[The AHL game] was definitely a way more structured game than junior with less breakdowns. I found it fun to make that adjustment and it was a cool moment to get my first pro game at such a young age.”
