2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Top performers from semifinal as Canada, Czechia advance

And then there were two.

Canada and Czechia will play for gold on Saturday at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, with the teams taking dominant victories during Friday’s semifinal action.

Both games started close, and Canada even trailed 2-1 at one point. But the team scored three goals in a four-minute span during the second period to blow things open, eventually taking the 7-2 victory. Czechia, meanwhile, had 2-1 lead after 20, but four goals in the second helped contribute to an 8-2 win.

Canada is looking to win their 24th Hlinka Gretzky Cup title, while Czechia could become just the third team to win multiple golds. Russia/Soviet Union sits second with five wins, but have been banned from the past two events.

Here’s a look at the standouts ahead of Saturday’s 11:00 AM ET championship game, with USA and Finland making up the bronze medal fight:

Canada

#7 Maxim Masse, LW: Masse’s shot wasn’t overly impressive on the 1-1 goal, but it was how he pressured defenders and showed good versatility that allowed him to stand out. The QMJHL rookie of the year has mainly played on the fourth line, but he has rarely been just average in this tournament.
#17 Porter Martone, RW (2025): Take a bow, Porter. That end-to-end goal to make it 4-2 was among the best in the tournament. Just pure skill from the Mississauga Steelheads forward that isn’t eligible until the 2025 NHL Draft. After his showing here, and at the U-18 World Championship in April, the fun isn’t done.
#19 Zayne Parekh, D: Parekh has spent most of the tournament as the seventh defender, playing a variety of roles. He has been just fine, but today, he was the best Canadian defender. He had two assists, displaying a level of calmness on the blueline that allowed him to take full control.
#8 Malcolm Spence, LW (2025): Spence was buzzing all over the ice in the first period, so it was only a matter of time until he scored. In the second, he tipped a point shot to make it 2-2, giving Canada momentum to kick off the second period. It was all Canada from there.
#31 Carter George, G: George fell apart early with two poor goals against. After that, he was on the top of his game, with some big stops throughout to keep Canada in charge. His ability to bounce back after a bad goal against has been key for Canada in this tournament.
#12 Berkly Catton, C: Again, tired of writing about Catton. He scored twice. He dominated puck possession. He’s the favorite to win MVP.

USA

#23 Will Zellers, LW: Zellers has scored in all four games for the United States. It’s not like many of his goals are these jaw-dropping plays, but it’s how he finds his spot on the ice and takes advantage of the opportunities that really allows him to cause damage. In this case, he saw goaltender Caleb Heil skating out, got himself around center ice and scored on a breakaway. He just seems to always know where he needs to be.
#16 Trevor Connelly, RW: I’m tired of writing about Connelly, because he’s consistently dominant in this tournament. And again, he scored on a nice wrister to make it 2-1. No player has been more effective on the power play, and it’s his patience that really pays off with the puck.
#31 Caleb Heil, G: Heil allowed seven goals, but it could have easily been 10+. Given how Canada played once things calmed down, penalty-wise, Heil had to be incredible to shut things down. It was a difficult loss, but you can’t pin it on the goaltending.

Czechia

#20 Ondrej Kos, LW: Kos has often been the quietest player on the top line, but it’s the simple plays that make him so effective. His give-and-go with Adam Titlbach led to the 1-0 goal, and then he scored again late. No question, Kos will get drafted this year, and being one of the best players in this tournament helps.
#9 Adam Benak, C (2025): With a three-point showing, Benak is now one point behind Eduard Sale (nine) for first in all-time scoring for Czechia at this point. And Sale did it over two years, so Benak’s single-tournament performance is quite something. Every time Benak is around the net, it seems like something happens.
#17 Adam Titlbach, RW: You can’t mention the other two without showcasing Titlbach. He has been Czechia’s second-best player, and he’s having one of the best showings of any playmaker. He just keeps finding players when nobody else can.
#5 Adam Jiricek, D: Offensively, it’s been a quiet tournament for Jiricek. But he snagged an assist on Oskar Lisler’s 6-1 goal and landed a couple of nice hits. One of the great parts about the way Jiricek succeeds is how he thinks the game. Just smart, controlled decisions with and without the puck.

Finland

#12 Emil Hemming, RW: I won’t sugarcoat it: Finland was bad. Really bad. And Emil Hemming seemed to be the only one that showed up, scoring a pair of goals. He’ll likely be the first Finnish player drafted in 2024, but, hopefully, others show up to give him help on Saturday in the bronze medal game.