Projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, Ryan Lin of the Vancouver Giants is one of several elite defensemen on the Canadian team at this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

“It’s unreal,” he said of the group. “Any of us can play with anyone. I mean, they’re all such great players. We’ve got a really deep group and it’s just really fun to even watch guys out there and pick a couple things up.”

Lin had two points – a goal and an assist – in Canada’s 5-3 opening win over Finland.

“I think we had a good start,” said Lin, “We were buzzing around, creating havoc on the forecheck, which is good. We got a little away from our game with the discipline part but we stayed with it, battled through some adversity. It was a good win.”

He assisted on Beckham Edwards’ goal just 58 seconds into the game and then broke a 2-2 tie by joining the rush in the dying seconds of the second period. After scoring just five goals for the Giants last season, he spoke about that.

Canada Edges Finland, Sweden Wins Big In Hlinka Gretzky Cup Openers Ethan Belchetz had three points and defensemen Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin had two points each, leading Canada to a 5-3 opening-day victory over Finland at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup’s Group A in Brno, Czechia.

“It’s been something I’ve been working on, when to join and when to maybe stay back, but I’ve been trying to join more and create more offensively, and be that offensive driver, so it was nice to get one there,” Lin said about joining the rush.

Lin was one of several players on this team that was a member of the Canadian team that won gold at the 2025 IIHF U-18 World Championship and is bringing that experience with him.

“We’re more familiar with Hockey Canada, the guys who went there, so we can bring a bit of leadership too,” he said. “I think it’s a great experience that we went there. I learned a lot and I think it’s helped me here so far.”

Canada’s 25-Man Roster For 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup The perennial powerhouse of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Canada will once again bring a formidable roster to the 2025 edition of the annual U-18 summer tournament, which runs Aug. 11 to 16 in Brno, Czechia and Trenčín, Slovakia.