The second day of the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Czechia and Slovakia had a bit of everything, with Canada, Sweden, Finland and Slovakia taking home wins.
Canada currently holds top spot in Group A with six points ahead of their final round-robin game against the Czechs on Wednesday. Sweden, meanwhile, holds top spot in Group B.
At one point, it almost looked like Switzerland was going to pull off a bit of a miracle against Team Canada. The Canadians had a 1-0 lead heading into the third period, with the Swiss getting some outstanding goaltending all game long. In the end, though, Canada exploded for eight goals in the third period, handing them a 9-1 victory.
The United States thought they had a comfortable 3-1 lead at one point – only for everything to fall apart. The Swedes scored four unanswered goals to win the bout 5-3, giving them a perfect record heading into Wednesday.
The afternoon games were much calmer, with Finland winning 4-1 after a big third period. Germany and Slovakia, meanwhile, needed 58:48 to get on the board, with Matej Stankoven – the cousin of NHLer Logan Stankoven – ending the deadlock.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Day 2:
Canada 9, Switzerland 1
Canada
#9 Landon DuPont, D (2027): I thought DuPont was just fine against Finland. Today? One of the best players on the ice. He made a great play to help set up the 1-0 goal early in the second period and then proceeded to shut down the Swiss the rest of the way. DuPont is so skilled, outsmarting opponents with his quick hands and excellent edge work. I don’t expect this to be DuPont’s best game of the tournament, either.
#11 Tynan Lawrence, C: Lawrence is always looking to do something to positively impact a shift. He’s a playmaker who loves to scan open ice for opportunities. He also battles like a grinder around the net to win puck battles, too. Today, I just loved how he never seemed to be contained by the Swiss defenders.
#14 Mathis Preston, RW: When Canada needed a goal the most, Preston delivered. He scored three goals, with nearly all coming from high hockey IQ plays at speed. Preston loves rushing into open space, and he’ll exploit you if you give him even the smallest opening. Preston has been excellent through two games, giving the team a serious offensive boost.
#16 Ethan Belchetz, LW: Belchetz loves to create havoc anytime he can get involved physically. The power forward plays with a ton of skill and that proved to give the Swiss defenders some fits. But he also won just about every physical battle he had both offensively and defensively, and that allowed him to score a goal and an assist. I’m really excited to see what he can do when the pressure ramps up.
#19 Adam Valentini, C: Valentini’s skill was on full display in the second, scoring twice and nearly tallying another two. He’s so energetic, allowing himself to chase all game long without losing much pace. He can be a bit of a pain in the ass around the net because you can almost never keep up with his footwork. I love how he drives the middle of the zone, as well.
#24 Dimian Zhilkin, RW (2027): Zhilkin scored the opening goal early in the second and then added another during the third-period outburst. I love how energetic he is, using his small, but speedy frame to get past defenders and create opportunities in close. He has been one of Canada’s best wingers at this tournament.
Switzerland
#1 Yannis Zambelli, G: Zambelli was pummeled with shots throughout the first two periods and finished with 36 saves. Unfortunately, the 9-1 score won’t reflect just how well he played. Zambelli eventually got overtired at the end, but his fluidity in the crease and his ability to make himself play bigger than his small frame allowed him to keep the Swiss in the game.
Sweden 5, USA 3
Sweden
#12 Marcus Nordmark, LW: Need offense? Nordmark’s your guy. After a big four-point opener against Germany, he scored the 2-1 goal on the power play and then had the primary assist on the 3-3 goal. Few players make moves like he does on the man advantage, and his ability to win individual battles consistently has allowed him to finish many quality plays throughout the week already.
#14 Nils Bartholdsson, RW: Bartholdsson has proven himself as one of the most effective playmakers this week, making many high-end passing plays already. He only had an assist today, but no winger has done a better job of getting the puck around defenders before getting it where it needs to be. He’s turning heads, that’s for sure.
#17 Elton Hermansson, RW: Hermansson, a projected first-round pick in 2026, was everywhere for the Swedes today. He had a goal, an assist and four shots, with both of his points coming on the man advantage. That’s where he thrives – he can slow things down when he needs to, but has the release and the awareness to put the puck where it needs to be when under pressure.
#23 Bosse Meijer, LW: I’ve really liked Meijer’s tournament this week. He loves to shoot the puck and can dance around defenders with some quick hands. While he isn’t the most skilled, he does a good job of out-thinking opponents on the rush, which allowed him to score today.
USA
#12 Nikita Klepov, LW: Klepov was one of USA’s primary shot generators, and he ended up with an assist. The smart, skilled winger is always buzzing, looking to make moves consistently in open ice. The Saginaw Spirit forward does a great job of getting the puck into the zone and starting opportunities and it’s only a matter of time until he has an offensive explosion.
#16 Joseph Salandra, RW: I was not too familiar with the Barrie Colts forward, but I liked what I saw from Salandra. He had four shots through two periods, and I’m surprised he couldn’t find a way to beat Douglas Nilsson in the Swedish net. He plays with pace, he’s strong and he’s smart. Put that altogether and there’s a lot to like.
#19 Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, C: Gordon-Carroll has had a pair of great showings to kick off the tournament. The second-line center got the fun started this morning, stealing the puck near the blueline before rushing in with a great shot. SGC moves well, has an accurate release and isn’t afraid to mix it up in open ice if you want to challenge him physically. I like the way he thinks the game at speed – he knows when it’s better for him to just do it all himself.
Czechia 1, Finland 4
Czechia
#4 Lukas Kachlir, D (2027): He wasn’t as noticeable today, but I still thought Kachlir had a good two-way game and was elusive with the puck. Almost all his shots seemed to be clean without much interference in front and that’s partly due to his hockey IQ putting himself in high-danger situations. He is small, and that will continue to be an issue for scouts, but he seems to fly around the big European ice.
#30 František Poletin, G: After an impressive showing at the Under 18s in Texas a few months ago, I was very impressed with Poletin again today. He couldn’t do anything on the power play goals but I thought he did a really excellent job of battling through traffic and deflecting pucks out of danger. He has a good glove hand and is quick on his feet – and he had to be often today.
Finland
#13 Oliver Suvanto, C: That’s another shining performance from Suvanto. He was everywhere with his two-way game and then scored the 3-1 goal to put the game to rest. He influences the game in so many ways, from his backchecks, the way he takes lanes away and how he gets to the front of the net to try and make things happen. Suvanto has been one of my favorite players in this tournament.
#20 Luka Arkko, RW: Arkko was a pest out there. He was always chasing after someone, trying to force a goal any way he could. He scored twice today, including the opener and the empty-netter that helped seal the deal. You love energy guys like that because they give it their all every game.
#27 Oscar Hemming, LW: Hemming scored the opening goal on the power play, putting a perfectly placed wrister up high. He was taken off the top line heading into this game which was a bit surprising given how well they clicked yesterday. But in an effort to spread the wealth, I thought Hemming played a much more noticeable game on his own today. He has the size and the hockey sense to overpower opponents, and he has been very effective at getting the puck to his linemates throughout the tournament so far.
#31 William Gammals, G: That’s two great games for Gammals, who was perfect throughout this one. He might be small but I love how he tracks pucks and doesn’t let players crashing the net phase him too much. Gammals battled hard against Canada but I thought he played even better today, especially as the Czechs looked to generate every opportunity possible on the man advantage.
Germany, 0 Slovakia 1
Germany
#30 Anton Rockl, G: If it wasn’t for Rockl, this game would have been an utter disaster. He was the busiest player, having to deal with shots from just about everywhere and often with traffic in front. The Germans barely did anything to warm up Slovak keeper Denis Celko, but Rockl did everything in his power to keep his team in the hunt.
#21 Darian Rolsing, D: It seemed like the only German player who wanted to shoot was Rolsing. The Wenatchee Wild defender stands tall at 6-foot-6, but he has shown some good offensive stylings at this tournament, as well. I’d say he has been Germany’s best player overall, which, given they haven’t scored yet, isn’t a huge bar. Regardless, I expect him to get drafted this year.
Slovakia
#12 Michal Plancar, LW: Plancar was busy, trying to pepper the German goaltender with shots from just about anywhere. I liked his game around the net, where he looked to take Anton Rockl’s eyesight away in tight. Plancar is smart, quick and has a good release, but he just had nothing to show for in the end.
#2 Denis Celko, G: Celko was nowhere as busy, but with the Slovaks struggling to score, he did his job to keep things close. I liked Samuel Hrenak yesterday, so it’s good to see the Slovaks can trust their goaltenders in games like this. Celko was especially good in the second half of the game as the Germans started to find their footing.
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