Two wins and a draw show Canada can play with the best in the world
The Men’s National Team delivered an impressive performance at the 31st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Entering the tournament as the lowest-ranked side, the Red Caribou showed off resilient defense and a creative attacking unit that demonstrated the ability to finish against some of the world’s best. Canada finished fifth place with two wins against Korea and a memorable first-match draw against world number three Belgium.
Their campaign began with a 1–1 draw against Belgium, the eventual champions of the tournament. Matthew Sarmento scored for Canada in that opener, his first of four goals during the tournament. Sean Davis and Brendan Guraliuk also delivered four goals during the tournament, showing off the team’s offensive talent.
Despite narrow defeats to Malaysia (2–3) and New Zealand (2–4), Canada bounced back with a 3–2 win over Korea in pool play and capped the tournament with another victory over the same opponent in the placement match. The tournament also showed off the emergence of young talent developing as the core of the team.
Davis and Guraliuk were in prolific form, each scoring four goals across the competition, placing them among the event’s top scorers. Davis struck twice against Malaysia and added two more in later matches, while Guraliuk converted key penalty corners, including goals versus New Zealand and Korea. Jyoth Sidhu and Flynn McCulloch celebrated their first senior international goals during the tournament.
These performances underline the depth and promise in head coach, Patrick Tshutshani’s squad as they build toward major international targets.
Tshutshani emphasized the bigger picture in an interview with Sports 247 saying, “these opportunities are great for us. We’re playing high-ranked teams, and it’s about building this group for what’s next — World Cup qualification.”
Canada’s performance in Ipoh reinforces that they are far more dangerous than their ranking suggests. The team now returns to domestic clubs and a national camp environment to sharpen up ahead of the upcoming World Cup Qualifier, the final step toward securing a spot at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.
