It was a play that could’ve happened on any night in Victoria – Keaton Verhoeff flying up the ice, Cole Reschny reading the play, finding space. But this wasn’t just any night. And this wasn’t Victoria. This was overtime at the U18 World Championship quarterfinal in Texas, with Team Canada’s tournament fate hanging in the balance.
And just like they’ve done all season for the Royals, Verhoeff and Reschny found each other in stride.
Verhoeff, just 16 years old and skating like he had miles of open road ahead of him, took off through the neutral zone with purpose.
He weaved past a Czech defender, looked up, and spotted Reschny cutting toward the net. The pass was soft and perfectly placed – the kind of play only two players who’ve spent months on the same wavelength could connect on.
Reschny took it in stride, pulled it to the backhand, quickly to the forehand, and tucked it neatly past Frantisek Poletin's blocker side. Just like that, it was over – 3-2, Canada. The bench cleared, the celebration was on, and two Royals were at the centre of it all.
COLE RESCHNY CALLS GAME IN OT😤
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) April 30, 2025
The @victoriaroyals’ star #NHLDraft prospect sends 🇨🇦 to the semis❗️ #U18MensWorlds pic.twitter.com/OdSlJr93gD
“We’ve got a really special team here,” Reschny said after the game, still smiling from the win. “It’s important for me to keep playing this season. It’s a special year for me, with it being my draft year. Playing hockey is what I love, so there was no doubt I wanted to be here.”
The pair had been making their mark throughout the tournament, but this moment – when familiarity met pressure and instinct took over – was something else entirely.
Canada had to work for it. Czechia opened the scoring just six minutes in, and the Canadians had to wait until the final seconds of the first period to tie it. Jackson Smith, a defenceman from the Tri-City Americans, found the equalizer with just 20 seconds on the clock.
In the second, Czechia struck again, this time through Youngstown Phantoms forward Adam Benak – a top-ranked draft prospect. The response came quickly. Just 45 seconds later, Reschny got his first of the game. He found open ice in the high slot, took a pass from Brady Martin, and beat Poletin to the blocker side – a warm-up, it turns out, for what would come later.
The third period was tense, but scoreless. That set the stage for overtime, and for Verhoeff and Reschny to do what they’ve done so many times before – create something special.
Through three games, Reschny has four goals and two assists to go with a +6 rating. Verhoeff has chipped in with a goal and an assist of his own and sits at +2 – impressive numbers for the youngest player on the team.
Next up, Canada faces Slovakia on Friday, May 2 in the semifinals. And if this Royals connection has anything to say about it, there’s still more story left to write.
On the other side of the bracket, USA will face Sweden, with the winner of each game meeting in the gold medal game on Saturday, May 3.
