It was a guaranteed golden moment for Barrie at this year’s World Junior hockey championship, when the U.S. and Finland squared off in the gold medal game on Sunday.
Two Barrie Colts participating in this year’s tournament helped their respective squads reach the finals, but they were on opposite sides of the ice when the puck was dropped at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
Ultimately, Barrie goaltender Sam Hillebrandt (undrafted) and the U.S. emerged victorious after a thrilling 4-3 overtime win that left Colts’ forward Emil Hemming (Dallas Stars first-round pick in 2024) and the Finnish team with silver medals.
For the second consecutive year, Hillebrandt served as the American team’s third goalie, behind Trey Augustine, who returned to the World Juniors after backstopping the U.S. to a gold medal in 2024.
As such, Hillebrandt, who turns 20 in February and won’t be eligible next year, didn’t see any ice time during the tournament, but still left with his second World Juniors gold.
While Hemming featured in all seven of Finland’s games, where he posted one goal and three assists to help Finland secure its first medal in three years.
The 18-year-old Hemming will still be eligible to represent Finland at next year’s tournament, which will be held in Minnesota.
The Colts were also represented by defenseman Beau Akey (Edmonton Oilers second-round pick in 2023) and forward Cole Beaudoin (Utah Hockey Club first-round pick in 2024), both of whom donned the Canadian jersey, but their tournaments ended early when Czechia bounced Canada in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
