2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Verhoeff, Nordmark highlight standouts on Day 1
The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup kicked off on Monday in Czechia and Slovakia, with Sweden, Canada, Czechia and the United States taking home victories.
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is the first major international event on the scouting calendar, with this year’s edition featuring the top 2026 and 2027 prospects.
Blowouts aren’t uncommon at this tournament, and the Swedes were the first to pull one off this year. Marcus Nordmark led the way with a goal and four points to help the Swedes crush Germany 10-0. Canada, meanwhile, gave up a 2-0 advantage late in the first period, but they ended up closing out the day with a 5-3 victory over Finland.
Both host nations played at night, with Czechia taking a one-sided 6-2 victory over Switzerland. Slovakia, meanwhile, was carried by 2009-born Oliver Ozogany, but it wasn’t enough as the Americans won the game 6-3.
Here’s a look at the top standouts from Day 1:
Canada 5, Finland 3
Canada
#3 Keaton Verhoeff, D: Verhoeff was all over the ice today. He scored in the first period and then made a great play that would have led to a 3-2 goal had it not been waved off for goaltender interference. The North Dakota commit would go on to register an assist early in the third period on the 4-2 goal. Verhoeff is a huge, skilled defender who proved to be way too much for the Finns to contain, and he only got better as the game wore on. He’ll be one of the first players taken at the 2026 NHL Draft.
#11 Tynan Lawrence, C: I loved Lawrence’s game today. He just kept driving the net, shoving guys around and generating quality chances in high-danger areas. The USHL star has always impressed when wearing Canadian colors because few players are determined to win puck battles like he does. I liked his effort on the 2-0 goal, but I’m surprised he didn’t have more offense.
#14 Mathis Preston, RW: Preston is so, so skilled. He’s so fast, and he has the hands and the hockey IQ to follow. I thought he had a decent showing at selection camp a few weeks back, but he has looked a lot more comfortable and dominant with the puck heading to Europe. He didn’t score, but he seemed involved in just about every dangerous moment his line had.
#15 Ethan Belchetz, LW: Belchetz had a goal, two assists and a (failed) Michigan attempt in a great effort for the big forward. Even ignoring his offense, I liked how miserable he made the Finnish defenders whenever he entered the zone. He’s a huge 6-foot-5 forward who gets into the zone and creates havoc, and he has the raw skill to finish just about any play.
#17 Alessandro Di Iorio, C: Di Iorio always seems to come alive when he dons the Canadian uniform. He does an excellent job of driving to the net and generating quality chances. He’s strong, but he can beat you with quick hands if he needs to. He feels so sneaky – like he does a great job of skating into the zone undetected, allowing himself to get into high-quality scoring situations.
Finland
#6 Juho Piiparinen, D: This was an all-around steady effort from the Tappara Tampere defender. He’s a fluid skater who takes up a lot of space and doesn’t let guys push him around. I liked how engaged he was at both ends, and while I don’t have any data to back it up, it felt like the Finns spent more time in the Canadian zone when Piiparinen was on the ice.
#13 Oliver Suvanto, C: I really liked how aggressive Suvanto was, allowing linemates Vilho Vanhatalo and Oscar Hemming to create some quality opportunities. Suvanto was lucky to leave the game without a penalty after hitting Jean-Christoph Lemieux along the boards, but he made the most of it with some great passing work and overall speed. At 6-foot-3, it’s hard to miss him out there.
#19 Vilho Vanhatalo, RW: From the second the game started, you noticed Vanhatalo’s presence out there. He plays with a ton of skill for a big forward, and the high-end Canadian blueline struggled to contain him. Vanhatalo plays like a prototypical power forward, but he also has the speed and skill to win battles without relying on his frame, too. His goal with under four minutes to go gave the Finns some life, although it didn’t end up changing much in the end.
#27 Oscar Hemming, LW: What a day for Hemming, who had a goal and an assist today. He does so much to open up space for his linemates and he has a nice shot to boot. At 6-foot-4, he’s big, strong and tough to contain and I love watching him enter the zone because he rarely makes a poor decision with the puck.
#31 William Gammals, G: Gammals was tested often and early, and while he allowed two goals early, he was lights out most of the rest of the night. Canada was clearly the more dangerous team, but Gammals held the fort down low and gave the team very little to shoot at despite being just six feet. I hadn’t seen him play a full game beforehand, but I loved Gammals’ athleticism and puck-tracking today.
Germany 0, Sweden 10
Germany
#9 Max Penkin, C (2027): Penkin is considered to be one of the top young players out of Germany since Leon Draisaitl and it’s easy to see why. He was great in the faceoff dot and one of the few German players who could rush the puck up the ice to generate scoring chances. While I expect this to be an ugly tournament for Germany, Penkin is one of the more skilled forwards in the entire tournament.
Sweden
#17 Elton Hermansson, RW: Hermansson had a goal and two assists today. He also made some other high-end plays that could have easily led to goals. His hockey sense allows him to stand out – he’s so smart and rarely loses a 1-on-1 battle. I like him on the power play, but he’s also exceptionally talented at managing plays while under pressure.
#16 Oscar Holmzertz, C: Holmertz had a pair of goals today, including one on a breakaway to make it 8-0. He always plays on the edge of putting himself offside, but he makes the opportunities matter when he’s rushing in all alone. He might cheat up the ice a bit too much, but I like that he can rely on his teammates to make a play, allowing him to get himself into scoring lanes.
#12 Marcus Nordmark, LW: With a goal and three assists, Nordmark is already well on his way to securing the tournament scoring title. He has been productive at just about every level thanks to his high-level processing and playmaking. He can shoot, too, and I thought he could have had another goal today, too. Nordmark is going to be a problem for defenders the rest of the season.
#25 Max Isaksson, LW: Isaksson impressed me at the U-17s a year ago thanks to his good work ethic. He didn’t produce much then, but he started this week off with two points to make up for it. He was also defensively responsible while landing a couple of decent hits, too. I like Isaksson as a support forward who won’t make many mistakes.
Czechia 6, Switzerland 2
Czechia
#4 Lukas Kachlir, D (2027): Kachlir was credited with two goals and two assists in one of the best performances of any player on Day 1. He’s small, but he might be one of the most skilled Czech defenders we’ve seen in years. He moves well, always seems to be under control, and can fire a missile from the point. Kachlir might be young, but his impact is massive.
#21 Jaukb Vanecek, D: The Liberec defender had a secondary assist on the 2-1 goal, but he was the one who brought the puck into the zone and made it happen. He’s strong, smart and carries the puck with so much confidence. The Czechs will lean on their blueline to continue generating chances, and I expect Vanecek to play heavy minutes as a result.
#24 Vojtech Svancar, LW: Svancar was a big part of the scoring early in the game, snagging a pair of assists to kick off the game. The undersized forward entered the tournament on a bit of a heater from exhibition play and stayed hot today with some great footwork and spatial awareness. Svancar has grown a bit over the past year and it feels like he’s playing with something to prove.
#29 Simon Belohorsky, LW (2027): The big, skilled winger scored twice today, including the fifth Czech goal that saw him outlast three Swiss players before firing it home. Belohorsky is smart and knows when to release his shot and when to keep things a bit more reserved. Belohorsky is going to be one of Czechia’s primary scoring threats this week.
Switzerland
#8 Philip Moser, D (2027): Moser had a good game with the puck and was rewarded with the 5-2 goal. He had some issues with physical play, but I thought he did a good job of rushing the puck out of the zone and skating the puck out of danger. He doesn’t have a history of being a notable offensive threat but I liked the way he moved today and made things happen.
#30 Pascal Kunz, G: The stats don’t tell the story here. Sure, he allowed a bunch of goals, but a good majority of them were weird bounces that he couldn’t have done anything about. The six-foot goaltender is athletic, quick and does a good job of staying cool under pressure. The result didn’t accurately reflect how well he played through traffic today.
Slovakia 3, USA 6
Slovakia
#9 Oliver Ozogany, LW (2027): The 2009-born forward might be one of the youngest players in the tournament, but he had one of the most electric debuts around. He scored three goals for the Slovaks, carrying the team offensively in a game that would have been completely one-sided otherwise. I love his shot, and he’s got a big frame to boot. Ozogany was extremely productive playing AAA hockey last year and I’m excited to see where he takes his game from here.
#30 Samuel Hrenák, G: Goaltending is always important for the Slovaks at a tournament like this, and Hrenák had to be busy. The 6-foot-4 goaltender rarely looked uncomfortable tonight, moving fluidly while tracking pucks quite well. Hrenák, a Fargo Force draft pick, had some bright moments against Canada at the U-18s a few months back. But today’s performance was arguably his most impressive on the national team level because he just looked dialed in.
USA
#9 Jack Hextall, C: Hextall is the most complete player on the Americans. He was able to settle the play down to set up the 3-2 goal in the second period to give the team some momentum heading into the third. He was buzzing all over the ice, but it was actually his patience I liked the most. He continued to make great passes throughout the third period but wasn’t able to get back on the scoresheet. Still, what a great performance.
#24 Kalder Varga, LW: I really like Varga, who scored on a breakaway goal he created himself. The smart WHLer does a good job of anticipating open spaces and exploits them with his speed and skill. Varga was a bit quieter down the stretch but I liked him on the power play and it feels like he thrives in bigger ice situations.
#35 Brady Knowling, G: It’s rare for a USA Hockey National Team Development Program player to represent the United States at this tournament, but I liked what we saw from the 6-foot-4 keeper. Knowling has great size, and while he rarely finds himself completely out of position, he has the flexibility to get himself back into the right spot. He likely wishes he could get that second goal back, but I still liked how Knowling performed while dealing with traffic.
#3 Nick Bogas, D: Bogas had a goal and an assist in the final five minutes of the game, ending the bout on a high note. But that wasn’t just a short span that I liked – I thought he was good in his zone and made few mistakes with the puck. He played a lot on the top pairing, as well. He might not be big, but he’s smart and skilled.
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