2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Betts, Zielinski highlight standouts on Day 3
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup round-robin is over, with Canada, USA, Sweden and Switzerland taking home wins on Wednesday.
Canada will play USA in one semifinal on Friday, while Finland will take on the Swedes for a pair of rivalry games. Czechia will take on Slovakia in the fifth-place fight, while Germany and Switzerland will look to avoid finishing last in the seventh-place bout.
The day started with USA pumping Germany 8-1 for their most dominant victory of the tournament. For Germany, they managed to score their first goal of the week, but it wasn’t enough to matter. Switzerland, meanwhile, secured the first major upset of the week, beating Finland 4-3 in overtime to put the heat on the Finns in their hopes of moving on.
Sweden has been a dominant offensive force from the get-go, and they put an absolute pounding on Slovakia to win top spot in Group B thanks to a 7-0 win. Canada, meanwhile, came alive in the third period to beat Czechia 5-0 win, with four of the goals coming in the final stanza.
Here’s a look at the top performers from every team:
Germany 1, USA 8
Germany
#21 Darian Rolsing, D: That’s twice where I thought Rosling was Germany’s top defender. It was a difficult game overall, with the Americans throwing everything they had at the net. But Rolsing never looked flustered or out of place, and he had a few decent rushes up the ice, too.
USA
#10 Levi Harper, D: Harper continues to make some noise, scoring a goal on the rush. He might be a defender, but he knows when to scoot in and join in on the attack. Harper is skilled, quick and slippery around the ice. He might not be physically strong, but his puck game is.
#11 Blake Zielinski, RW: Zielinski made an excellent pass on a first-period goal, encompassing the skill and hockey sense that makes him intriguing. Zielinski then scored a goal and added an assist to finish with three points. He sees the ice so well, and he has the quick hands to make passes look so easy. I’ve consistently liked his play at this tournament – it feels like he has been everywhere on the attack while making his linemates more dangerous thanks to his high-end playmaking.
#13 Luke Puchner, LW: Puchner had a pair of assists today in his most impressive effort of the week. Puchner doesn’t shoot a lot but he makes the most of his passing opportunities every single night. I like how engaged he is physically despite being smaller, too.
#15 Nolan Duskocy, RW: Duskocy had a pair of points today, playing an integral role as USA’s 13th forward. He’s always looking to make a play and has the energy and skill to outwork opponents. He feels a bit underrated, but today’s game was easily the best I’ve seen from him because he was rarely not the best player on the ice.
#16 Joseph Salandra, RW: Salandra started the tournament as the 13th forward, but he continues to find himself pushing up higher in the lineup. He does things that help positively influence plays that don’t necessarily result in getting points, and he’s a hard worker, too. He might not have the points to back it up, but I think he’s been very effective.
#21 Caden Harvey, RW: Harvey had a pair of goals today, making no mistakes in tight. He doesn’t shoot a lot but he has a great release, and he’s proving difficult to move out of the crease. I’ve liked his tournament so far.
#23 Jaxon Williams, LW: I hadn’t noticed Williams too much this week, but he was everywhere today. He scored the opening goal, and then nearly had a few while calling for pucks all over the ice. I like how he kept himself in high-quality scoring situations all game long – something his father, Justin “Mr. Game 7” Williams, used to do during his NHL career.
Finland, 3 Switzerland 4 (OT)
Finland
#3 Samu Alauari, D: One scout told me before the tournament to keep an eye on Alalauri, a potential top 60 pick. There’s nothing particularly special about him, but he has great hockey IQ and gets a lot of pucks into the slot. Defensively, he’s been impressive, too. The Finns looked lackluster on Wednesday but Alauari was involved at both ends.
#27 Oscar Hemming, LW: I have really liked Hemming’s tournament. He can be a bit invisible at times but no forward seems to have more luck taking space away in front of the net. Hemming is huge at 6-foot-4 and goaltenders have had a difficult time looking past him. He scored the huge 2-1 goal to give the Fins some much-needed momentum late in the going.
Switzerland
#30 Pascal Kunz, G: Goaltending has been a bright spot for the Swiss this week, with Kunz having a pair of good showings. The Finns were active around the crease but struggled to beat him without any serious traffic in front. The Swiss were clearly outmatched in the skill department, but Kunz seemed up for the challenge.
#12 Yanis Lutz, RW: Lutz scored the opening goal of the game after getting out of the penalty box and converting on the power play. Lutz had a goal and an assist today while also helping out defensively, as well. The Swiss don’t have much skill to work with but Lutz seems to always be involved in the attack.
#20 Jonah Neuenschwander, RW: Neuenschwander is a big forward who likes to get physical. He had an assist today, but he also proved to be a handful for the Finns when rushing the net. Neuenschwander plays with a ton of power, but I wish he’d shoot the puck more. I’m still waiting for him to take over like we know he’s capable of.
Slovakia 0, Sweden 7
Slovakia
#22 Adam Goljer, D: It’s not easy being a Slovak defender at this tournament, especially when the Swedes pressure you like they did all game. But Goljer stayed calm, cool and collected and continued to battle throughout the rest of the game. Goljer is a smart defender who likes to get physical and he’s no slouch as a playmaker, either.
Sweden
#2 Axel Elofsson, RHD: Elofsson had a great three-assist effort today and even had a few scoring chances himself. The 5-foot-10 defender plays with a ton of skill and he loves exploiting opponents on the man advantage. He does shy away from physical games, which isn’t ideal. But you’ll have that when you’re on the smaller side.
#12 Marcus Nordmark, LW: Nordmark had two goals and an assist today to continue his attempt at becoming the top-scoring player in the tournament. He’s just involved in all the dangerous opportunities, including on the power play. I feel like he does a really good job of taking advantage of open space, but he also is smart enough to know when he just needs to pass the puck and not shoot it.
#18 Adam Andersson, C: Andersson doesn’t get enough praise for how much he has done this week. He had a pair of assists, but he also killed penalties, won a team-leading six faceoffs and used his speed to create chances. He has quietly had a good tournament, producing in each of the three games so far. That’s partly because he does such a good job of entering the zone to get a play started.
#17 Elton Hermansson, RW: Hermansson just has the “it” factor. You rarely see him skating slowly and not trying to get something done. He’s always engaged around the net, and he can fire from anywhere. He scored the 4-0 goal on the power play before adding another in the third to keep his hot streak alive.
Canada 5, Czechia 0
Canada
#25 Daxon Rudolph, D: I thought Rudolph was Canada’s most notable defenseman in the first half of the game and then he scored the 3-0 goal to put the game way out of reach. He might not have the offensive flash of someone like Landon DuPont, but he has great two-way awareness and already looks more engaged with the puck at this tournament than he did for most of 2024-25.
#12 Liam Ruck, RW: I’m glad the coaching staff put the twins together for a full game today because we got to see truly how dangerous they are with Mathis Preston. Ruck scored the opening goal and then added a second with about three minutes to go to finalize the victory. I love his work ethic, his defensive zone play and how mobile he is on the penalty kill. He’s an all-around player who might not be big but has all the tools to have a good NHL career.
#18 Beckham Edwards, LW: Edwards scored the 2-0 goal and then assisted on the 3-0 goal, helping to seal the deal. He moved the puck as well as anyone and it finally paid off with a pair of points. I liked how he continued to sustain pressure even late in shifts, and he made plenty of smart moves at speed.
#26 Markus Ruck, C: Markus, meanwhile, was much more involved as a support player. I liked his two-way game and I thought he was the best defensive player of his line throughout the night. His pass to Liam on the 1-0 goal was impressive, and it’s nice to see him so dangerous in the slot. I thought he was the better of the two brothers yesterday. And while Liam impressed me a bit more today, that’s two very solid performances from Markus.
#31 Gavin Betts, G: Betts isn’t a big goaltender, so he has to be athletic to make a ton of stops. Fortunately for Canada, he looked up to the task today, especially when the Czechs started to test him on the five-minute penalty kill. Betts should be the No. 1 goalie the rest of the way. It’s been good to see him continue his hot play in Czechia after an impressive performance at selection camp.
Czechia
#30 František Poletín, G: Poletín is one of the top goaltending prospects in the draft, and he showed why today. The 6-foot-2 keper moves fluidly without much hesitation and he battles so hard down low. Poletín has built a reputation of some huge performances internationally and I really liked how he kept sending pucks away from danger. Canada is a skilled team, and they kept him busy today. Sure, it fell apart late, but he still looked good.
#10 Petr Tomek, C (2027): Tomek is a small, but speedy forward who is always looking for the puck in the offensive zone. I feel like some of his shot choices need work, but Tomek is almost always in a spot to get his line moving. The Czechs needed more out of their top line today but Tomek at least seemed determined to make something happen.
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