Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Day 1 Recap

As the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup opened round-robin play, Day One brought no shortage of excitement – from dominant wins to late-game heroics, and plenty of standout performances from OHL talent. Here’s a breakdown of all the action from opening day:

 

Canada vs. Finland

Final: 5 (CAN) – 3 (FIN)

Canada opened the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 5-3 victory over Finland on Monday in Brno, Czechia. Beckham Edwards (Sarnia Sting) struck just 58 seconds in before Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires) set up captain Keaton Verhoeff for an early 2-0 advantage. Finland answered with two quick goals late in the first, including one from Oscar Hemming (Kitchener Rangers), to pull even.

Adam Valentini (Kitchener Rangers) and Belchetz combined to set up Ryan Lin for the go-ahead marker in the second period. Dimian Zhilkin (Saginaw Spirit) restored Canada’s two-goal cushion midway through the third, and Belchetz added an empty-netter to seal the win.

Gavin Betts (Kingston Frontenacs) made 22 saves in the victory as Canada improved to 1-0. 

They’ll face Switzerland (0-1) tomorrow morning (9:30 am EDT) in their next round-robin matchup.

OHL Player Game Stats:

Canada

• Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires) – 1G, 2A
• Beckham Edwards (Sarnia Sting) – 1G, 0A
• Adam Valentini (Kitchener Rangers) – 0G, 1A
• Dimian Zhilkin  (Saginaw Spirit) – 1G, 0A
• Gavin Betts (Kingston Frontenacs) – 22 SV on 25 SH

Finland

• Oscar Hemming (Kitchener Rangers)* – 1G, 0A

*- denotes prospect chosen in OHL Priority Selection or CHL Import Draft

 

Sweden vs. Germany

Final: 10 (SWE) – 0 (GER)

Sweden made their presence known in the opening game of their round-robin with a dominant 10-0 win over Germany. The game featured eight different goal scorers and nine players with multi-point performances, led by Marcus Nordmark (London Knights), who recorded four points on the night.

Goaltender Milo Tjarnlund secured the shutout and Sweden’s first victory of the tournament. 

They’ll face the United States (1-0) tomorrow morning (9:30 am EDT) in their next round-robin matchup.

OHL Player Game Stats:

Sweden

• Marcus Nordmark (London Knights)* – 1G, 3A

*- denotes prospect chosen in OHL Priority Selection or CHL Import Draft

 

Czechia vs. Switzerland

Final: 6 (CZE) – 2 (SUI)

Tied after the first period, Czechia took a commanding 5-2 lead in the second frame, highlighted by a pair of goals from Simon Belohorsky (Guelph Storm), including one assisted by Ben Reisnecker (Niagara IceDogs). That surge proved to be the difference-maker as Czechia went on to win the game 6-2.

They’ll face Finland (0-1) tomorrow morning (1:00 pm EDT) in their next round-robin matchup.

OHL Player Game Stats:

Czechia

• Simon Belohorsky  (Guelph Storm) – 2G, 0A
• Ben Reisnecker (Niagara IceDogs) – 0G, 1A

 

United States vs. Slovakia

Final: 6 (USA) – 3 (SVK)

In a back-and-forth battle, the United States managed to edge out Slovakia in the final minutes of the third period by scoring three unanswered goals to secure a 6-3 victory. Adam Goljer (Kingston Frontenacs) and Lucian Bernat (Owen Sound Attack) got on the scoresheet with assists while Slovakia rallied to tie the game three times but couldn’t complete the final push.

Nick Bogas (Sarnia Sting), Levi Harper (Saginaw Spirit), and Brooks Rogowski (Oshawa Generals) each found the back of the net for the U.S., while Blake Zielinski (Ottawa 67’s) recorded one of each. Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit) and Jack Hextall (Kitchener Rangers) also chipped in with helpers in the victory.

They’ll face Sweden (1-0) tomorrow morning (9:30 am EDT) in their next round-robin matchup.

OHL Player Game Stats:

United States

• Nick Bogas (Sarnia Sting)* – 1G, 0A
• Levi Harper (Saginaw Spirit) – 1G, 0A
• Jack Hextall (Kitchener Rangers)* – 0G, 1A
• Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit) – 0G, 2A
• Brooks Rogowski (Oshawa Generals) – 1G, 0A
• Blake Zielinski (Ottawa 67’s)* – 1G, 1A

*- denotes prospect chosen in OHL Priority Selection or CHL Import Draft

Slovika

• Lucian Bernat (Owen Sound Attack)* – 0G, 1A
• Adam Goljer (Kingston Frontenacs)* – 0G, 2A

*- denotes prospect chosen in OHL Priority Selection or CHL Import Draft

 

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast select tournament games, including all Canada games.

For the full tournament schedule, including stats and standings, click here.