Published May 05, 2025 • 2 minute readTeam Canada forward Liam Kilfoil, right, tries to strip the puck from Finland’s Lasse Boelius during an April 27 IIHF Under-18 World Hockey Championship in Texas. Photo by IIHFLiam Kilfoil and Carlos Handel of the Halifax Mooseheads made their mark at the recent World Under-18 Hockey Championship in Texas.Most noteworthy was the way both players contributed to team goals, with Kilfoil achieving the ultimate result with a gold medal for Canada. Kilfoil didn’t score during the tournament but provided key two-way value on the third line. Canada beat Sweden 7-0 in the championship game on Saturday.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentHandel was the captain for Germany and he played huge minutes in every conceivable situation. He finished the tournament with two goals and two assists but it was his leadership and experience that were most important to his team.“Of course I’m emotional now,” he said in a tournament interview shortly after Germany’s elimination in a 3-2 quarter-final loss to Slovakia. “It’s just my job, I would say, to be a leader for this group. It’s always amazing to wear the C. If you watch the great players who wore it before, it’s just amazing. There are great players in the NHL now who are German and they wore the C, too. So that’s just amazing and it’s always great to represent your country. It’s the best thing that’s out there.”Making it to the quarter-final round was enough to help Germany secure its spot at next year’s tournament. There is a relegation component at every IIHF event so securing a berth for 2026 is always a critical victory for non-powerhouses like Germany.Article content“Of course there are positives,” Handel said. “I think we had a very good group this year and we want to be great. We want to win (more) games and we want to get to the semifinals. Germany is growing in hockey, I think, and our (standing) should be higher. The coming years there are great players coming and I think it should always be our first standard to get to the quarter-finals, do our best and stay in the top division but also go further and be great and make Germany proud.”This is the second time Handel has played for Germany at the world under-18 level and he was also a key member of the country’s world junior team in December and January in Ottawa. Handel and Kilfoil both played at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup under-18 tournament this past August.Kilfoil had three points in five games at the summer U18 event and Handel had three points in eight games. Handel was also named one of Germany’s top three players at the world juniors by the tournament awards committee.Article contentBoth players are eligible for this year’s NHL draft and some scouts project them to be picked as high as the second round. Handel had 26 points in 52 games as a QMJHL rookie this year, while establishing himself as an efficient all-purpose defender with very few holes in his game.The five-foot-11 Kifloil improved from 20 points as a QMJHL rookie in 2023-24 to 46 points as a sophomore this season. He is a skilled forward who plays with high energy and was an assistant captain for the Mooseheads at 17 years old, making him the youngest player on the team to wear a letter.The draft is in Los Angeles, June 27-28.Article content
Mooseheads’ Liam Kilfoil, Carlos Handel distinguish themselves at World Under-18 championship
