Dylan Garand starts Canada's opener vs. Czechia

Dylan Garand started Canada's World Junior Championship opener against Czechia on Sunday.

Canada head coach Dave Cameron didn't commit to Garand for the whole tournament when asked about that Saturday.

"We'll go game by game with that," Cameron said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "Generally, guys don't get benched for (good) play. He's got the net and he's going to want to keep it."

Garand stopped 14 of 15 shots he faced in Thursday's tuneup game against Russia, which Canada won 6-4. Sebastian Cossa replaced Garand halfway through the contest and allowed three goals on 11 shots.

After that matchup, Cameron said he didn't "really have a plan yet" in terms of his starting netminder and called the decision "a work in progress," according to The Canadian Press' Steven Sandor.

Garand is 15-4-0 with a .932 save percentage in 19 games with the WHL's Kamloops Blazers this season. He played one game for Canada at the previous tournament.

The 19-year-old signed his entry-level contract with the New York Rangers hours before Thursday's tilt. The Rangers drafted him 103rd overall in 2020.