2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Canada, Sweden, Czechia & USA Win Openers

The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup kicked off in Brno and Breclav with four high-energy matchups that set the tone for the week. Fans saw offensive showcases, comeback pushes, and a statement win that could shape the rest of the tournament.

Game 1: Canada 5 – 3 Finland

First Period
It took less than a minute for Canada to strike. At 0:58, Beckham Edwards opened the scoring from Mathis Preston and Ryan Lin. Canada doubled the lead at 8:55 when Keaton Verhoeff buried a feed from Ethan Belchetz and Tynan Lawrence.

Finland roared back. At 14:01, Oscar Hemming finished a setup from Oliver Suvanto and Vilho Vanhatalo, then tied it at 19:25 when Jiko Laitinen struck off assists from Olli Wahlroos and Wilmer Kallio.

Second Period
Canada thought they had the go-ahead goal early, but Liam Ruck’s tally was overturned on video review. They kept pushing, and at 19:52, Lin restored the lead from Adam Valentini and Belchetz.

Third Period
Canada pulled away at 8:19 when Dimian Zhilkin converted a pass from Verhoeff. Finland cut it to 4–3 at 16:15 with Vilho Vanhatalo’s power-play marker from Max Laatikainen and Hemming, but Belchetz iced it with an empty-netter at 19:55, assisted by Valentini and Verhoeff.

Standouts: Verhoeff (1G, 2A), Belchetz (1G, 2A), Lin (1G, 1A), Vanhatalo (2G).

Game 2: Sweden 10 – 0 Germany

First Period
Sweden wasted no time asserting dominance. At 8:47, Max Isaksson scored from Hjalmar Cilthe, followed by Olle Karlsson’s tally at 9:37 from Marcus Nordmark and Alex Elofsson.

The floodgates opened—Mikael Kim made it 3–0 at 14:29 (assists: Isaksson, Isak Holtet), and Marcus Nordmark added a goal at 15:45 from Nils Bartholdsson and Malte Gustafsson.

Second Period
Sweden kept rolling. At 10:52, Oscar Holmertz scored from Elton Hermansson and Nordmark.

Third Period
The onslaught continued—Elton Hermansson at 1:45 from Bosse Meijer and Ola Palme, Nils Bartholdsson at 5:45 from Nordmark and Henry Nicolaysen, Holmertz’s second at 7:31 from Meijer and Hermansson, Kim’s second at 16:18 from Isaksson and Elofsson, and Måns Josbrant’s capper at 18:07 from Ludvig Andersson and Karlsson.

Standouts: Nordmark (1G, 4A), Isaksson (2G, 2A), Holmertz (2G), Kim (2G).

Game 3: Czechia 6 – 2 Switzerland

First Period
Switzerland opened the scoring at 7:12 when Tim Munger struck from Nevio Reist and Lou Bachler. The Czechs responded at 11:09—Jiří Kamas converting from Vojtěch Svancar and Petr Tomek.

Second Period
The Czechs took control quickly. Simon Belohorský scored at 2:28 from Svancar and Jakub Vaněček, Lukáš Kachlír made it 3–1 at 8:18 from Dominick Byrtus and David Huk, and Filip Novák extended the lead to 4–1 at 10:22 from Kachlír.

Belohorský added his second at 14:05 from Novák and Ben Stefan Reisnecker before Switzerland’s Philip Moser pulled one back at 14:56 from Munger.

Third Period
The Czechs locked it down—Kachlír’s second at 9:20 from Huk and Novák sealed the 6–2 win. A missed penalty shot by Dominik Řípa at 10:53 was the only blemish.

Standouts: Belohorský (2G, 1A), Kachlír (2G, 1A), Novák (1G, 2A).

Game 4: USA 6 – 3 Slovakia

First Period
The U.S. struck first at 4:21 through Kalder Varga from Nolan Duskocy, but Slovakia answered 30 seconds later—Oliver Ozogány scoring from Adam Goljer.

Second Period
On the power play at 3:04, Levi Harper restored the U.S. lead from Blake Zielinski and Nikita Klepov. Slovakia tied it again at 18:01 with Ozogány’s second from Samuel Hybský and Ondrej Tariska, but Zielinski responded at 19:36 from Jack Hextall and Klepov.

Third Period
Ozogány completed his hat trick on the power play at 9:27 from Goljer and Lucian Bernat to tie it 3–3, but the U.S. exploded late—Noah Davidson scored at 18:20, Brooks Rogowski added an empty-netter at 18:56 from Alofa Tunoa Ta’amu and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, and Nick Bogas scored another empty-netter at 19:36.

Standouts: Ozogány (3G), Zielinski (1G, 1A), Klepov (2A).

Looking Ahead – Tuesday, August 12 Matchups

• Sweden vs. USA – 9:30 AM
• Switzerland vs. Canada – 9:30 AM
• Czechia vs. Finland – 1:00 PM
• Slovakia vs. Germany – 1:00 PM

The opening day of the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup delivered everything fans hoped for: highlight-reel goals, late-period drama, and breakout performances from some of the tournament’s biggest names. With Canada, Sweden, Czechia, and the United States all making strong opening statements, the stage is set for a thrilling week in Brno and Breclav. If the pace and intensity from Monday carry forward, hockey fans are in for a showcase of the sport’s next generation at its very best.