Stryker Zablocki helps lead Canada to gold at U18 Women’s World Championships

Stryker Zablocki helped bring home the gold for Team Canada.

The Prince Albert, Sask. product wasn’t just on the Canadian team for the U18 Women’s World Championship but was the tournament’s leading scorer as well. She recorded eight goals and four assists in six games at the tournament.

“I don’t think it’s quite sunk in. It’s a bit surreal thinking about it — to call me a world champ and the rest of my team a world champ, it’s so crazy to me,” the 17-year-old forward told Jamie Nye and Locker on The Green Zone on Thursday.

The Canadian team went a perfect 6-0 at the tournament which culminated in a 3-0 win over the U.S. team for the gold medal in Vantaa, Finland.

“All the girls on the team had a team-first mentality and that helped us a lot in the big games. No one was doing it for themselves and it was just for our team. Everyone ultimately wanted to get the win,” Zablocki said.

Zablocki isn’t a stranger to facing top their competition. She was a part of the Esso Cup-winning Regina Rebels team last season. This was her second time playing at the U18 Women’s World Championships, also playing in the 2024 tournament.

That year, Canada lost to Czechia 4-2 in the semifinals before beating Finland 8-1 for bronze.

Zablocki said that disappointment from that tournament helped drive them to gold this time around.

“The returners from last year were super disappointed and we wanted to go into this year winning. We didn’t want to feel the way we did last year,” Zablocki said. “We were super motivated going into it and we motivated all the younger girls in their first year to feel the same way.”

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Zablocki is set to play her university hockey at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. To prepare herself for the change, she is playing her final year of high school hockey with Bishop Kearney in Rochester, N.Y.

This was the first international tournament where she lined up against some of her teammates playing for a different country.

“It’s crazy. I remember lining up at a draw against one of my teammates and there weren’t any smiles — just straight seriousness,” Zablocki said. “Just complete competitors at that point.”

While she did earn some bragging rights over her Bishop Kearney teammates who played for the States, she’s not making a big deal about it.

“There’s no bad blood between us. We’re coming back to being friends and being on the same team. Just leave what happened at worlds at worlds,” Zablocki said.

Zablocki will return to Saskatchewan in the final part of the school year, where she will also get back to another of her passions — track and field.

She won a gold medal at NACAC U18 Championships in Athletics in San Jose in 2023 as a part of the 4X400 metre relay team for Canada.

She admitted she had thought about how cool it would be to compete at the Winter and Summer Olympics.

“That would be amazing. Right now, I would have to put more work into track for that to happen,” Zablocki said.

Once she finishes high school and college, she hopes to one day play in the PWHL where some of her idols are now skating.

“It’s just so cool to see how established it is becoming. There is so many good talents and players in the league and hopefully that can continue in the years to come,” Zablocki said.