2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Top standouts as Sweden, USA set for gold medal game
Sweden and the United States are off to the gold medal game at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup after winning their respective semifinal games on Friday.
Regardless of the outcome, Sweden will secure its seventh medal in the past eight tournaments, having won bronze in Edmonton last spring. Sweden has one gold medal, taking the title over Finland in 2007. Finland, meanwhile, last won a medal in 2022. Their last medal before that was a decade before, when they took silver after losing to Canada. Regardless, it’s a big improvement from their seventh-place finish a year ago.
USA will look to win gold for just the second time ever after winning for the first time since 2003. Canada will play in the bronze medal game for the fourth time ever, winning it just once.
After losing 4-3 to Switzerland on Wednesday, the Finns could have easily been dejected and given up after trailing 2-1 heading into the third. Instead, they scored four goals in the first eight minutes of the third period to make it 5-2. But the Swedes never gave up, and after forcing overtime, Marcus Nordmark scored the game-winner to win the game in a massive comeback effort.
Canada, meanwhile, had failed to trail at any point in the tournament prior to the first period. After finding themselves down 3-1 to the United States entering the third, Canada managed to tie the game up to force extra time. The Americans managed to score on all their shootout attempts, beating Canada for the first time in over 20 years.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Friday night:
Canada 3, USA 4 (SO)
Canada
#5 Carson Carels, D: Carels might have taken a penalty in the second, but I liked his two game. He made a great read to help set up the 1-1 goal, but he also prevented two American goals in the first period thanks to some incredible defensive coverage. He’s a smart defender who will likely move up draft boards as the season goes on because he’s competent at both ends of the ice. He had to leave the game after taking a skate up high but I still liked his overall performance.
#11 Tynan Lawrence, C: When Canada needed someone to take over and score big, Lawrence delivered. He used a screen from Liam Ruck to make it 3-2 early in the third, converting after failing to capitalize on many other impressive chances. Lawrence battles as hard as anyone and it’s why he has been able to dominate shifts at the rate he has.
#14 Mathis Preston, LW: Preston scored a big goal to make it 3-3, forcing overtime in the process. Like in the game against Switzerland, he seemed to take his game to another level in the third period, with what seemed like his fifth-best opportunity being the one that ultimately went in. He has been so good this week.
#16 Ethan Belchetz, LW: It’s fascinating just how much skill Belchetz plays with as a big, 6-foot-5 forward. He deked past two Americans before getting the puck to Carson Carels, who then fed him back for the 1-1 goal. Belchetz has been Canada’s most consistent forward throughout the tournament, remaining active on the scoresheet while also bringing the boom whenever possible.
USA
#35 Brady Knowling, G: The Canadians kept him busy early on, and he showed up to the dance. He did an excellent job of getting pucks out of danger and he had no issues tracking shots through traffic. Of all the games he played at this tournament, this was his best performance. Canada kept him busy and he looked up for the task.
#8 Nathan Bienstock, D: As a smaller defender (and USA’s seventh), it’s easy to overlook Bienstock. However, I really liked his tournament because he consistently found ways to put himself into physical situations. He made every shift count, shoving guys around and starting rushes from his own zone. Bienstock plays with skill, but as a 5-foot-8 defender, it’s not going to help his draft stock.
#11 Blake Zielenski, RW: Yet another standout night for Zielenski. He made some quick moves early in the shift that led to the 1-0 goal. Then, with Canada trying to find a way to get back into the game at the other end, Zielenski scored in his fourth straight game to make it 3-1 before scoring the shootout-clincher. I also liked how he moved the puck on the power play and how he rarely made a mistake at speed.
#7 Noah Davidson, LW (2027): The Boston College commit scored on a great effort to make it 1-0, and then worked his tail off to make the 3-1 goal happen. His work ethic has really impressed me at this event, often using his big frame to bully opponents into making mistakes. Today felt like his best game.
Finland 5, Sweden 6 (OT)
Finland
#3 Samu Alalauri, D: Alalauri has been Finland’s best defenseman today, and he capitalized with a third-period goal. Alalauri’s offensive awareness has made him so dangerous, and he has the defensive zone coverage to impress, as well. I loved his performance in the second half, even though he had some difficult assignments as the Swedes managed to claw their way back.
#13 Oliver Suvanto, C: Suvanto really wants to prove himself on the national team level. He hovered around the 65 percent faceoff rate for most of the night. He also scored the first Finish goal off a feed from Hemming. Suvanto has been so impressive all week long and I am excited to see how his year develops.
#21 Olli Wahlroos, LW: This was Wahlroos’ best game of the tournament. He had a pair of assists and three shots to boot to give the top line a nice boost. He was the primary setup man for Hemming, who was a man on a mission with the puck. I really liked what I saw from him with and without the puck.
#27 Oscar Hemming, RW: Think Hemming was motivated? He scored early in the third period to spin things around positively for the Finns, and he assisted on the first Finnish goal, as well. More impressively, though, were his eight shots in the first 40 minutes of play. That’s nearly a shot per minute given his 10:37 of ice time in that span. He’s big, aggressive and has a big shot to boot. He was one of Finland’s top players every single game.
Sweden
#2 Axel Elofsson, D: Elofsson scored Sweden’s second and third goals, added an assist and he also led all Swedes in ice time. The small but skilled forward knows how to keep himself moving at all times and he’s not afraid of anybody in 1-on-1 situations. His size will hurt his draft stock but he has the skill to dominate at events like this.
#5 Hjalmar Clithe, D: Clithe was one of my favorite defenders today. He played with a big physical edge, and he had a couple of close looks, too. He battles hard and hits harder, and he is stout in his own zone. No-nonsense, all the time.
#12 Marcus Nordmark, LW: Not only was Nordmark Sweden’s top shot generator, but he scored – three times, including the overtime winner. He has consistently been one of the top players in the tournament, finding ways to generate offense from all over the attacking zone. I like how he shoots, hits and chases after pucks to win battles consistently. Nordmark has been the best player in this tournament, no question about it.
#17 Elmer Hermansson, RW: Hermansson was quiet early in this one but then proceeded to get two assists in the final seven minutes to help Sweden tie the game. He had a few shots early but couldn’t get anything past the Finnish keeper. He saved his best hockey for last, which is never a bad thing.