Hockey Canada has announced its 25-man roster for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The tournament will take place in Brno, Czechia, where Group A matches will be held, and in Trencin, Slovakia, for Group B matches. Canada will kick off its tournament on Aug. 11 against Finland.
Twenty players from the OHL attended Canada’s U18 Selection Camp, held in Oakville, Ontario, over the past four days. Eleven of those players have been named to the final roster, which will travel to Szekesfehervar, Hungary, for a few days of practice.
Below are the 11 OHL players who will be headed overseas and attempt to take home a fourth-straight gold medal for their country.
London Knights Sign Trio Of Prospects From The 2025 OHL Draft
On Tuesday, the reigning <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/ohl/latest-news/the-london-knights-hang-on-to-win-ohl-championship">back-to-back OHL champions, the London Knights</a>, signed three of their 2025 OHL draft picks to OHL Scholarship and Development Agreements.
Forwards
LW, Ethan Belchetz - Windsor Spitfires - 6’5”, 228lbs
C, Alessandro Di Iorio - Sarnia Sting - 6’0”, 188lbs
C, Beckham Edwards - Sarnia Sting - 6’1”, 180lbs
C, Colin Fitzgerald - Peterborough Petes - 6’2”, 208lbs
LW/RW, Jean-Cristoph Lemieux - Windsor Spitfires - 5’11”, 188lbs
LW, Pierce Mbuyi - Owen Sound Attack - 5’10”, 158lbs
C, Adam Valentini - Kitchener Rangers - 5’9”, 190lbs
RW, Dima Zhilkin - Saginaw Spirit - 5’10”, 174lbs
Defenseman
LHD, Callum Croskery - Soo Greyhounds - 6’0”, 178lbs
Goaltenders
G, Gavin Betts - Kingston Frontenacs - 5’11”, 174lbs
G, Jason Schaubel - Kitchener Rangers - 5’11”, 172lbs
5 OHL First-Round Draft Picks Remain Unsigned, Including The First Overall Pick
Training camps for the OHL are set to begin in about a month. Teams have been actively signing import players over the past two to three weeks. However, several teams have not yet signed their 2025 first-round draft picks, including two players from the top five.
Majority of the OHL representatives faced off against each other not just through the 2024-25 season, but also in the gold medal game at the 2024 U17 World Hockey Challenge.
Canada White defeated Canada Red 3-1. White’s goalie, Gavin Betts, was sensational and stood on his head in the gold medal game, stopping 38 of the 39 shots he faced. Adam Valentini — who led the tournament in scoring with nine points — and Jean-Cristoph Lemieux each recorded a goal and an assist in the tournament finale.
The gold medalists from Canada White who are on Canada’s Hlinka roster are: Belchetz, Edwards, Lemieux, Valentini, Croskery, and Schaubel. The silver medalists from Canada Red are: Di Iorio, Fitzgerald, and Mbuyi.
Braidy Wassilyn, Parker Vaughan, Alex McLean, Cole Zurawski, Lucas Ambrosio, Kohyn Eshkawkogan, Carter Hicks, Jacob Xu, and Colin Ellsworth are the nine OHL players who were cut from camp.
(Top photo credit: @AttackOHL via X.com)
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