Gabe Perreault leads US into the World Juniors semifinals, while tournament favorite Canada gets knocked out

GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Gabe Perreault scored twice and five other players had a goal as the U.S. routed Latvia 7-2 Tuesday to advance to the semifinals of the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Perreault, the New York Rangers’ 2023 first-round pick and the son of Chicago Blackhawks development coach Yanic Perreault, also had an assist as part of a dominant game by the Hinsdale native’s line. Fellow 18-year-olds Will Smith, the No. 4 pick by the San Jose Sharks, and Ryan Leonard, selected No. 8 by the Washington Capitals, combined for three points.

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Blackhawks first-round pick Oliver Moore had a goal and an assist for the U.S., which will face Finland on Thursday (12:30 p.m., NHL Network) with a spot in the gold medal game at stake.

The Americans’ victory came after tournament favorite Canada was knocked out in stunning fashion with a 3-2 quarterfinal loss to Czechia. St. Louis Blues prospect Jakub Stancl scored the go-ahead goal with 11.7 seconds left.

“It feels like the world’s ending a bit,” Canada captain Fraser Minten said. “Such an unbelievable opportunity for all of us in our careers. You never really know if you’re going to get another look representing your country or playing on such a global stage.”

The Canadians carried the play for most of the final 40 minutes before Stancl fired a shot on goal in the dying seconds of regulation that deflected off the leg of Canada defenseman Oliver Bonk — the son of Czech-born former NHL forward Radek Bonk — and beat goaltender Mathis Rousseau.

“Felt like I gripped my stick a bit too tight,” said Matthew Poitras, whom the Boston Bruins loaned to Canada for the tournament. “I feel like I kind of let some of these guys down, let the country down.”

Canada had won the previous two world junior tournaments and three of the past four. The only player back from the 2023 championship team, Owen Beck, said he and his teammates weren’t sure how they lost after erasing a two-goal deficit.

“Our heads are kind of just spinning right now,” Beck said. “It’s a horrible way to end things off here.”

Host Sweden beat Switzerland 3-2 in overtime and will face the Czechs in the semifinals. Finland beat Slovakia 4-3 in OT to set up the matchup with the U.S.