16-year-old Maddox Schultz lived out a childhood dream at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and highlighted the next wave of generational Canadian hockey talent.
Maddox Schultz had been inside Rogers Place before, watching his beloved Edmonton Oilers from the stands, but the 16-year-old had never experienced the building from the ice.
That changed at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where Schultz didn't just get the opportunity to skate at Rogers Place — he represented Canada and left the building with a gold medal around his neck.
The Medicine Hat native capped a remarkable tournament with three points and Player of the Game honors in Canada's dominant 8-1 victory over the defending champion United States, finishing tied with teammate Jaakko Wycisk for the tournament lead with 10 points in five games.
"Obviously, to play in this rink is amazing. My favorite team is the Oilers," he said with a big laugh. "I'm a die-hard Oilers fan, so I've seen this rink all the time, and I've been to a couple games, but this is the first time I've skated on the sheet, so it's pretty cool."
Schultz's impact went beyond the scoresheet. He also wore an "A" for Canada, joining captain Landon DuPont and fellow alternate Alexis Joseph as part of the team's leadership group.
"It's a huge honor. Being one of the leaders on a group destined to win, it's super special," Schultz said. "It's awesome to be led by our captain, Landon (DuPont). What he does for the team night-in and night-out is incredible.
"Obviously, having Joe (Alexis Joseph) up front to help with our leadership from the forward standpoint, he's a huge role player; it's what he brings to the table and how he loves to get to the dirty areas."
Schultz's breakout performance in Edmonton came after an important developmental season with the Regina Pats. After dominating the U-18 AAA level, including a 43-goal, 93-point campaign in 2024-25, he made the jump to the WHL last year and quickly discovered how different major-junior hockey could be.
"It's super fast hockey, and everyone is super big," Schultz said of his first season with the Pats. "The physical aspect definitely, you know, showed, as the year progressed. I feel like I touched on the physical aspect of the game and started laying more hits and getting more comfortable. It was a great development year, and I am looking forward to the next year."
Following the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Schultz will return to the Pats for the 2026-27 season, looking to build on a rookie campaign that included 15 goals and 29 points. After Regina's brief playoff appearance, he believes the team is positioned to take another step forward.
Individually, Schultz isn't targeting one particular area for improvement.
"There's always room to improve. You can improve at anything," he said after considering the question. "I wouldn't say there's one specific thing I want to work on. I think you can improve anything in your game, and I thought my faceoffs lately have been good, and that was something I worked on last year. I think you can improve all things."
For Schultz, Canada's gold medal also carried significance beyond his own performance at the tournament. With the country enduring several recent disappointments on the international stage, he hopes this championship can represent the beginning of something bigger for Hockey Canada.
"Obviously, it's a touchy subject," he began. "Hockey Canada has been great to us, and they have been through so much these last couple of years, development and learning curves.
"Sometimes that's what you need. Hopefully, this is the start of something."
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