The Hlinka Gretzky Cup starts Monday in Trenčín, Slovakia and Brno Czech Republic. Canada, which has won the tournament each of the last three years, will enter the event as the very heavy favorite in the eight-team tournament that will also include Czechia, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

The weeklong event is often viewed as the official kickoff to the NHL Draft evaluation season with scouts from all 32 teams, many execs and plenty of interested onlookers in attendance. 

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• Canada's Roster For Hlinka Gretzky Cup
• USA's Roster Named For Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Canada has an absolutely loaded roster for this tournament, with a good chunk of the team looking like future first-round picks. In our list below, it probably could have been all Canadian players, but that wouldn’t have given you the best taste of what’s to come over the weeklong international hockey event.

So instead of focusing solely on Canada, here’s a look at 10 players to watch in the tournament. Not all of them would be considered “the best” prospects in the tournament, but they are worth watching for one reason or another. 

There’s a long way to go to get to next June’s draft and as we’ve seen in years past, getting too excited about a big-time Hlinka Gretzky performance doesn’t always translate when the picks start going in June. It’s just a baseline to start the season to see where some of these top propsects are relative to their peers.

Ten Prospects To Watch At The Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Keaton Verhoeff, D, Canada (University of North Dakota)

A big, mobile defenseman who just turned 17 and will be heading to college hockey this year, Verhoeff is currently looking like an early favorite to be a top-three pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. His size, 6-foot-3, 208 pounds and his relative youth, on top of the incredible season he had in the WHL as a rookie, suggests massive upside for the young man. Verhoeff scored an astonishing 21 goals as a 16-year-old defenseman in the WHL, a record for his age group. He was also part of Canada’s gold medal at the World U18s last spring, producing five points in five games, and now will be looked to as a leader of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup squad. 

Landon DuPont, D, Canada (Everett Silvertips)

The first defenseman granted exceptional status in the WHL, DuPont more than lived up to the hype as a 15-year-old rookie, fueling the expectation he could be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. He put up 60 points including 17 goals, then another 15 points in 10 games during the playoffs. He will be Canada’s youngest player, but likely one of its most critical. 

Tynan Lawrence, C, Canada (Muskegon Lumberjacks)

Expected to center Canada’s top line, Lawrence has the pedigree and experience to help lead Canada to success at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He was the Clark Cup Playoffs MVP with 18 points in 14 games for the Lumberjacks as they won the USHL title. He also averaged nearly a point per game and was selected to the all-rookie team with 54 points in 56 games. He is expected to return to Muskegon and will be the featured NHL Draft prospect in the USHL this season, which you can watch exclusively on FloHockey this season.

Mathis Preston, RW, Canada (Spokane Chiefs)

A superstar at the CSSHL level, Preston made a smooth transition to the WHL last season, posting 45 points in 54 games for the high-flying Spokane Chiefs. He also scored 16 more points including nine goals in a deep playoff run. At last year’s U17 Challenge, Preston was a big standout for Canada, scoring five goals and seven points over five games in the tournament.

Ethan Belchetz, LW, Canada (Windsor Spitfires)

Closing in on 6-foot-5 and more than 225 pounds, Belchetz is a man among boys in his age group. He had 38 points in 56 games as an OHL rookie, but bigger things are expected from the OHL Draft’s No. 1 pick in 2024. He can skate, he can hit and he can score. It should be a sight to behold in this tournament where Belchetz is going to have a lot of physical advantages against the field.

Thomas Rousseau, RW, Canada (Sherbrooke Phoenix)

A first-team all-rookie selection in the QMJHL last season, Rousseau really popped more in last year’s playoffs. He averaged nearly a point per game after putting up 40 points in 58 games as a U17 in the Q last season. In further evidence about how good this Canadian roster is, Rousseau started on Canada’s fourth line in pre-tournament games. This team has such tremendous depth when players of Rousseau’s quality are in that position on the squad. You'll be able to watch Rousseau all season with the QMJHL now on FloHockey.

Jack Hextall, C, USA (Youngstown Phantoms)

Team USA has a number of quality players on the roster, but Hextall will come into the tournament with some critical international experience. He was one of the youngest players on USA’s World Junior A Challenge roster last winter. He had three points in that tournament amid a rookie season that saw him produce 34 points in 53 games with Youngstown in the USHL. He should be a leading offensive player for Youngstown this year and can start his sophomore season off with a strong statement at the Hlinka. He is committed to Michigan State University. 

Elton Hermansson, LW, Sweden (MoDo)

As a U17 last season, Hermansson had 36 points in 41 games in Sweden’s top U20 league. He also really popped at the World Under-17 Challenge for Sweden last season, scoring five goals in four games. He also had 18 points in international events throughout the season. Hermansson has good size and has generated early first-round buzz. He can build on that at the Hlinka.

Marcus Nordmark, RW, Sweden (Djurgårdens)

Sweden’s leading scorer at the last World Under-17 Challenge, Nordmark had eight points in four games in the tournament, amid a 30-point season playing for Sweden’s U17 national team. He split time in the U18 and U20 ranks in Sweden last season, but was over a point-per-game player in the U20 league. He’ll be a featured player at this tournament for Sweden.

Frantisek Poletin, G, Czechia (Lahti Pelicans)

Poletin very nearly knocked off Canada at the U18 Worlds last spring, with Czechia ultimately falling in OT in the quarterfinals. Poletin made 37 saves in that 3-2 loss, but that game put him on the map and put everyone else on notice that there might be something special in this young goalie. He played last season in Finland, mostly with Lahti’s U18 team, so there’s still a lot to learn about this talented young netminder, but he comes into the tournament with a little extra pedigree.

How To Watch The Hlinka Gretzky Cup

The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup will be broadcast in part on TSN in Canada. Select games will also air on the NHL Network in the U.S. 

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