2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Top performers from final day of round-robin

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Top performers from final day of round-robin

The round-robin is one of the shortest in hockey, with just three games for each team over three days.

And boy, did Wednesday’s action deliver.

The unique format meant that goal-differential mattered. For Canada, they had to win by three over Switzerland to advance, or five to win the group. With a 5-0 win, mission accomplished. For the Swedes, they needed five goals against Czechia. They won 4-2, so mission failed.

For Finland, the goal was simple: beat Slovakia, the team that allowed 14 goals the night prior. Seemed easy enough, but the Finns needed a goal with three seconds left to push forward. It ultimately worked out in the end with a 2-1 win, but it didn’t come easy. The United States also locked in a big 8-1 result, earning them a spot in the playoffs.

So, Canada and the United States will play in one semifinal, while Finland and Czechia will make up the other. Both games will be at 1:00 PM ET on Friday, with the winners moving on to the championship bout on Saturday.

Here’s a look at the top performers from the day, sans Germany, who had a rough go against the United States:

Canada

  • #10 Roger McQueen, C (2025): After scoring Canada’s first goal, he helped create a bit of traffic in front for Cole Beaudoin’s goal. That whole line was cooking, but McQueen has really started to push the envelope. He’ll go early in 2025.
  • #15 Cole Beaudoin, LW: Beaudoin was instrumental early with a goal and an assist in the first period. He’s now up to five points in three games. The Barrie Colts forward is very difficult to take off the puck, and it shows.
  • #12 Berkly Catton, C: Gee, what a surprise. His fourth of the tournament made it 3-0, which allowed Canada to advance to the medal round. He then scored a beautiful goal to make it 5-0, earning the top spot in the group and giving them some extra breathing room. The chemistry with Michael Misa and Carson Wetsch is unmatched in this tournament.
  • #31 Carter George, G: George started the tournament as the backup, but he has stolen the crease for the rest of the way. He had some solid moments against Slovakia and played his best hockey today, shutting out a Swiss team that was starting to see their advantage in the standings start to slip away.
  • #14 Ryder Ritchie, RW: Has any Canadian player helped their draft stock more than Ritchie? His work ethic has been among the best in the tournament, grinding away every shift and giving defenders fits around the ice. With two points in the first, he started off spectacularly.

Switzerland

  • #1 Christian Kirsch, G: Kirsch had some shaky moments in the opening game against Slovakia but was called upon to lead the crease today. Despite allowing five goals, Kirsch still had an excellent game for Switzerland in a game where his team didn’t register a shot in the second period. You can’t win when your team doesn’t score, right?

USA

  • #16 Trevor Connelly, LW: With the Americans missing Mac Swanson and Callum Hughes, Connelly needed to step up today, and he did. USA’s top player this week, he finally scored his first goal on a nice power-play effort, rushing to the net and jamming it over the line while losing balance. He followed it up by scoring another two to complete the hat trick. Connelly continues to cement himself as a potential first-round talent.
  • #8 JJ Monteiro, LW: Monteiro has been the team’s go-to penalty killer, grabbing points while down a man over the past two games. He kept the pressure by the blueline alive and helped create the second goal, setting up Aidan Park.
  • #23 Will Zellers, LW: Zellers simply doesn’t miss when he gets the chance to unleash a wrister. He scored twice, and has been one of USA’s best forwards throughout the medal round.
  • #17 Colin Frank, RW: A skilled winger, Frank had a bit of a quiet tournament before today. He made an excellent play to steal the puck off a German defender before sending it out to Will Zellers in the slot for the fifth goal. Hard work defines Frank’s play, especially since he doesn’t have a big frame to work with.
  • #5 Alex Bales: D: Bales was knocked off the first power-play unit against Sweden, but it didn’t stop him from scoring today. He never looks like he’s trying to overdo anything, he keeps the game simple. Bales is an agile skater that can definitely shoot the puck, but also knows when to hold on and not rush a play.

Sweden

  • #8 Gabriel Eliasson, D: Eliasson is a big, smart defender that can pinch in and play a competent rush game. He pushed the envelope on the very first shift to send Viggo Nordlund down the ice, with the 2025 draft prospect scoring on the breakaway to make it 1-0. He did an excellent job of shutting down Czechia’s high-paced attack and landed a handful of big hits. That was the best single performance from a Swedish defender in this tournament.
  • #1 Herman Liv, G: Liv took back the crease for Sweden and shut things down, with goal-differential mattering for the Swedes. It was one of the best games of his career in a Swedish uniform, and he has the best numbers in the tournament so far. Just calm, poised and positionally sound. And he also made the best save of the tournament by a mile. It’s too bad everything collapsed in front of him.
  • #26 Alexander Zetterberg, C: I really, REALLY like watching Alexander Zetterberg play. He was promoted to the top line, where the undersized center had some chemistry with Karl Sterner and Viggo Nordlund. Zetterberg is just 5-foot-7, but he’s quick, skilled and has a dynamite shot. Didn’t score today, but he had an assist and was buzzing.
  • #17 Viggo Nordlund, RW (2025): Nordlund has been on the top line all tournament for a good reason. He’s fast, doesn’t miss many chances in close and is great positionally. He saw what was transpiring on his first shift with Eliasson pushing up and Nordlund used his quick feet to get himself ahead of Czechia’s defenders. He’s been one of the most consistent performers for Sweden.

Czechia

  • #1 Jakub Milota, G: It almost looked doomed from the start when Sweden scored less than a minute in. And then when trailing by four, it didn’t help. But no matter how much Sweden kept pressing, Milota kept the door shut down the stretch to keep Czechia in it. They lost, but Milota made the saves that mattered the most.
  • #6 Jakub Fibigr, D: Fibigir’s goal to cut the lead to 4-1 took the steam out of the sails for Sweden. The Czechs showed tons of life on the power play after that, and Fibigr was the guy that helped turn the tides.

Finland

  • #1 Petteri Rimpinen, G: After a brutal offensive effort from the Finns a day ago, Rimpinen didn’t receive a ton of help, either. He was exceptionally sharp in the opening period and bounced back well after allowing an early second-period goal. He did everything possible to make sure the Finns didn’t drop this game to a Slovak team headed towards an early exit.
  • #18 Tuomas Suoniemi, C: When the Finns needed him most, they got a goal from their star center. With everyone in full-out attack mode, Suoniemi found himself at the point with three seconds to go. His slap shot blasted through traffic and in for the go-ahead goal, moving the Finns to the final. A huge moment in a big tournament for the forward.

Slovakia

  • #1 Martin Haronik, G: For the first time all tournament, Slovakia outplayed a team in a period, outshooting Finland 11-7. But the Finns still had better chances, and Haronik had to come up huge. That helped spark the momentum heading into the second, where they scored seconds into the frame. Without Haronik, the score would have been worse.
  • #19 Tobias Tomik, RW (2026): The youngest player in the tournament has nothing on the scoresheet to cheer about. But he’s been in the top six the entire time, generating pressure and energy throughout the tournament. Today was no exception, coming close on two occasions in the first 40 minutes. Remember his name.
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