Jacob Stoller and Patrick Williams discuss first-rounders from the 2023 NHL draft who could play in the AHL next season. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk5NzUxMDYxODk5MDYwMzI3/2023_hlinka_gretzky_cup_1.jpg] With Canada taking home the gold over Czechia and the Americans capturing bronze over Finland, it’s time for one final look back at the annual kick-off to the scouting season as we go over some of the top performers from the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. BERKLY CATTON, C, CANADA The Canadians found a way to win the gold at the Hlinka and the scoreboard would indicate that they had a fairly easy time in doing so but they had moments in just about every game where they needed someone to step up and lead them through adversity. Captain Berkly Catton was that guy every time. He led the tournament in scoring and scored at least one goal in every game Canada played. There may not have been a player at the Hlinka who made a bigger impact on their team than Catton. Canada’s number one center and the best player at the Hlinka did nothing but help his draft stock heading into the biggest year of his career to this point. MICHAEL MISA, LW, CANADA What can’t this kid do? The youngest player on Team Canada and the favorite to go first overall in the 2025 NHL draft was simply exceptional during the tournament. His skill and speed were routinely on display, manipulating and deceiving defenders virtually every time he had the puck while making something good happen. Heading into his second OHL season on the back of this tournament will give him all of the confidence he could ask for. His eight points put him just two back of the tournament lead and there were a number of times where the bounces just didn’t quite go his way. SAM DICKINSON, D, CANADA There may not have been a defender at the HGC who controlled the game quite the way that Dickinson did. His ability to instantly calm the storm as soon as the puck got onto his stick in the defensive zone or the intelligence he showed in evading a forecheck and making a quick pass up ice was impressive. The London Knights blueliner defended the rush with efficiency, routinely killing play as it hit the blueline or eliminating his opponents in the corner. His scoring may not jump off the page with just three points but his command of the game jumped off the screen when you watched him. ROGER MCQUEEN, C, CANADA Aside from a penalty taken in overtime of the gold medal game, McQueen stood out in all of the best ways. His size and skill were routinely on display as he created offensive chance after offensive chance by cutting to the center of the ice with the puck and attacking the net. McQueen had defenders on his back all tournament long and it never seemed to bother him. He could be in for a big year with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL. ADAM TITLBACH, RW, CZECHIA The Czech forward is set to play for the Vancouver Giants in the WHL for the upcoming season but before he moved to Canada for the year, he was a man on a mission trying to spoil their party in his home country of Czechia at the Hlinka. Titlbach is a speedy winger who gashes defenders by getting in behind them and forcing them to play catch up. At the Hlinka, he was firing pucks from all over the ice, in different shooting positions, and finding plenty of success. Whether the puck was in his feet or extended out from his body, Titlbach was a lethal threat to score. When he wasn’t scoring, he and Adam Benak were playing keep away looking like the Harlem Globetrotters on a few shifts where their opponents couldn’t get the puck from them. It’s safe to say that the Giants are excited for Titlbach to arrive after what they just saw. ADAM BENAK, C, CZECHIA Despite being only 16, Benak may have been the best player on the ice for the Czech squad on a nightly basis. His dynamism, skill, and creativity were constantly on display and his game amped up every time the Czech squad needed a hero. Benak was pivotal in the semifinal win and his fearlessness helped force overtime in the gold medal game, taking a big hit to set up the game-tying goal late. Benak will be a player well worth keeping an eye on and could be a sneaky World Junior Championship add for the Czechs. TOMAS GALVAS, D, CZECHIA While a lot of the attention on the Czech blueline went to Adam Jiricek, and deservedly so, Tomas Galvas was a real stabilizing force for the team throughout the tournament. His abilities to calmly take the puck away from an incoming rush attacker or bait an opponent into a pass just to intercept it and move up the ice were impressive. Galvas didn’t record a point but his play in the third period and overtime of the final was as important as anyone’s when it came to pushing Canada to the brink. TREVOR CONNELLY, LW, USA It was as plain as day from game one of the Hlinka, the Americans would go as far as Connelly would take them. He was the best player on the ice for either team in almost every game the Americans played and his ability to create something out of nothing, using his skating and vision was spectacular. Connelly finished tied for the scoring lead with Catton but he did it with far less help than Catton. The Tri-City Storm forward has a chance to be one of the top Americans drafted next year and this was just the start of the hype train for him. WILL FELICIO, D, USA The Americans needed Felicio to step up and be ‘The Guy’ on the back end and he did just that. His skating and dynamic skill allowed him to be the puck mover and offensive catalyst from the backend that they needed. Felicio isn’t a big defender and he has some defensive issues at times but he used his skating and play reading to slow the opponent down and allow his team to get into position to defend as a unit. The Madison Capitols blueliner was more than happy to step up and use his shot, penetrating between the faceoff circles and unloading a quick snapshot. WILL ZELLERS, LW, USA The Americans needed Zellers to be an active contributor at this level and the Shattuck St. Mary’s forward did just that. Connelly shouldered most of the offensive load but Zellers played an excellent ‘Robin’ to his Batman. Zellers was making excellent decisions with the puck and was a hound hunting for loose pucks around the net. He isn’t the biggest player but he managed to find his way around the ice without getting pushed around by bigger defenders. He took full advantage of being a prep player at a big event representing Team USA. JJ MONTEIRO, LW, USA Monteiro’s spot on this list isn’t because of his play at five-on-five, it’s completely because of the dominance that he showed on the penalty kill. The young American was a pivotal reason for Team USA being able to prevent and score goals while short-handed. He was a constant nuisance in the defensive zone, turning pucks over and racing up ice to create a chance for himself or a teammate. Monteiro would win races to pucks after his team would clear it down the ice, keep the puck in the offensive zone, battle along the boards or even just evade opposing players. He was a menace on the penalty kill. TUOMAS SUONIEMI, C, FINLAND The Finns came into this tournament without three of their best players in this age group and needed someone to step up. Making it to the bronze medal game, despite the loss, was a pretty big accomplishment for the Finns and Suoniemi is a big reason why. The skilled and shifty forward did an excellent job of using his puck-handling ability to open space up for himself in the middle of the ice, routinely dangling defenders off their feet. His ability to jump on loose pucks around the net or recover pucks in space was evident throughout the tournament. He added his name to the list of Finns that we should all be paying attention to. EMIL HEMMING, RW, FINLAND Hemming was a player that the Finns would be looking to rely on and he did his job. The 6-foot-2 winger did a very good job of getting shots off and using defenders as a screen. He loads up his shot and accurately places it in the corners or just above the goalie's pads. Hemming uses his size to get to his spots and establish position. There were a few instances of high-level vision in his playmaking as well. He should at least get into a few Liiga contests this season and that will go a long way toward telling us exactly what kind of player he is. ALEXANDER ZETTERBERG, C, SWEDEN The Swedes may not have moved on to the medal round but Alexander Zetterberg was fantastic and did what he could to get them there. He was a lethal weapon on the powerplay, moving east-west and north-south to find new pockets of space or get himself into better spots to receive a pass. You look for a player at his size to be agile and quick through traffic and he did exactly that. There will be plenty of room to refine things, especially in his own end but he does everything asked of him and more offensively. VICTOR EKLUND, RW, SWEDEN The 2025 draft-eligible younger brother of San Jose prospect William Eklund was very good at the Hlinka. His shot is a big strength in his game but he failed to score a goal during the tournament. What was most impressive was his ability to adapt and become a facilitator. Oftentimes, you see a player unable to take advantage of their biggest strength and try to force the issue. Instead, Eklund was ready to go with a plan B, spotting teammates in transition and feeding players in the slot. DANIIL USTINKOV, D, SWITZERLAND The Hlinka is where many players put their name on the map for the upcoming draft and Swiss defender Daniil Ustinkov did exactly that. He has routinely shown that his offensive game has room to grow when put in position to use his puck skill and passing ability such as at the U18s last spring or the Hlinka now. Playing against men in the Swiss league and its second level last year for long stretches of time limited how much he could show it off but with some maturity and confidence in his own game, he could be a big riser in this year's draft. Ustinkov has a sound defensive game, predicated on cutting play off quickly which should allow him to succeed as he moves through the ranks as a pro.
