Day one of the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup is in the books. Canada took down Finland in a close 5-3 game. Sweden took it to the Germans, winning convincingly 10-0. The United States defeated one of the host nations, Slovakia, by a score of 6-3. And Czechia, the other host nation, gave its home crowd lots to cheer about with a 6-2 win over Switzerland.
A total of 35 goals were scored in four games. The skill was on full display, featuring a plethora of OHL talent on the scoresheet.
Canada's 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Roster Finalized; 11 OHL Players Set To Represent Their Country Overseas
Hockey Canada has <a href="https://www.hlinkagretzkycup.ca/en-ca/season/2025/stats/team-rosters?teamid=306">announced its 25-man roster for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup</a>. 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.
Canada vs. Finland
Canada wasted as little time as possible scoring the tournament’s opening goal. Sarnia Sting forward Beckham Edwards fired home his wrister over the glove of Finnish netminder William Gammals 58 seconds into the game. Edwards was also utilized on the penalty kill, which stifled the Fins, as they went 0/5 on the man advantage.
Projected top-five pick for the 2026 NHL Draft, Keaton Verhoeff, had all eyes on him. The 6-foot-3, right-shot defenseman did not disappoint, earning Player of the Game honors for Canada with a goal and two assists. However, Windsor Spitfires forward Ethan Belchetz could have also gotten that same honor, as he too put together a three-point performance, which included a primary assist on Canada’s second goal, and sealed the win with an empty-netter.
Belchetz models his game after Rick Nash, and all year long we will be calling him “Rick Nash 2.0.” Although he’s still very much raw in his development, it’s uncanny to have such silky smooth hands for a player of his size (6-foot-5, 228 pounds). In the first period, he single-handedly created a scoring chance for himself by deking out both Finnish defenders off the rush.
Then, in the third period, he attempted the “michigan” but the puck rolled off his stick. Belchetz also proved to be a lot to handle for Finland, using his size to drive the middle and get to the front of the net.
After Canada had a goal called back at the beginning of the second frame, off of what could only be classified as the softest goalie interference call one would ever see, Adam Valentini sent a perfect cross-ice saucer pass over to defenseman Ryan Lin who one-timed the puck home to give Canada the lead with eight seconds to play in the period. The Kitchener Rangers forward — Valentini — finished with two primary assists.
Saginaw Spirit star rookie forward from the 2024-25 campaign, Dima Zhilkin, slid a sneaky shot below the pads of Gammals near the halfway point of the third to give his team a 4-2 lead.
Although he wasn’t involved on the scoresheet, Sarnia Sting centerman Alessandro Di Iorio was impactful on the defensive side of the puck, and like his Sting teammate Edwards, was excellent on the penalty kill. Di Iorio hunted down pucks with tenacity and pace. He’s strong on his stick to win pucks back and has an astute understanding of being “D-side” of the puck.
Gavin Betts (Kingston Frontenacs goalie) was sharp in net as well, stopping 23 of 26 that he faced. He appears poised to be the captain in the crease for Canada at this event.
Meet The 5 OHL Players Who Will Represent USA At The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Earlier, Hockey Canada announced their roster for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which included <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/ohl/latest-news/canada-s-2025-hlinka-gretzky-cup-roster-finalized-11-ohl-players-set-to-represent-their-country-overseas">11 OHL players</a>. Their biggest and longest-standing rivals in hockey, the United States, responded by announcing their <a href="https://teamusa.usahockey.com/news_article/show/1343587">23-man roster for the upcoming U18 tournament</a>.
USA vs. Slovakia
The Americans played a teeter-tooter of a game against the Slovaks. The Saginaw Spirit stole Levi Harper in the third round of the most recent OHL draft. He’s expected to play a major offensive role on the blueline for Team USA in this tournament, and he scored their first goal on the powerplay off a wicked release.
Harper’s soon-to-be new teammate, Nikita Klepov, made his name known on the scoresheet with two assists to his name coming in the second period. Klepov just recently signed his OHL contract with Saginaw last week, leaving the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL.
Oshawa Generals forward Brooks Rogowski scored one of two empty-net goals for the Americans.
Oshawa Generals’ Brooks Rogowski Commits To Michigan State
Early Sunday morning, <a href="https://chl.ca/ohl-generals/">Oshawa Generals</a> forward Brooks Rogowski announced his commitment to play D1 hockey in the NCAA for Michigan State University. He is expected to return and play his sophomore season in the OHL for the 2025-26 season.
Switzerland vs. Czechia
The Czechs have three OHL players on their roster: Ondrej Ruml, Ben Reisnecker, and Simon Belohorsky.
Belohorsky (Guelph Storm forward) scored twice in the second period, with defenseman Reisnecker assisting on his second tally. Czechia appears to have a strong squad yet again for this annual summer showcase. The hosts will take on the Canadians at 2pm EST on Wednesday, which could be a match that decides who finishes first in Group A.
Make sure you bookmark THN's OHL site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
Latest OHL News:
Kashawn Aitcheson Update Breathes Sigh Of Relief For Barrie
The OHL and their fans, especially the Barrie Colts faithful, received some good news recently regarding defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson.
Niagara IceDogs Acquire Alex Hage, Younger Brother of Montreal Canadiens Top Prospect
The Niagara IceDogs and the Peterborough Petes have made a minor trade involving the younger brother of <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-hage-and-koivu-big-winners-at-the-summer-showcase">Montreal Canadiens’ top prospect Michael Hage</a>.
Harvard Commit Luka Graziano Signs With Flint Firebirds
Flint Firebirds GM Dave McParlan has been active this summer in bringing in new pieces to his blueline for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The additions continue to come with the signing of former <a href="https://chl.ca/ohl/article/firebirds-sign-former-third-round-pick-luka-graziano/">OHL Cup champion Luka Graziano</a>.