Edmonton, Alta.- “Canada is golden!”
After a 2025-26 season that saw Canada fail to capture a gold medal in a major international men’s tournament, a dynamite group returned the country to the top of the podium with an 8-1 victory over the United States at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Captain and 2026 WHL Champion Landon DuPont, who is a projected top pick for the 2027 NHL Draft, logged four assists in the win, marking Canada’s 14th gold medal in the last 18 editions of the tournament.
The WHL’s first exceptional-status defenceman changed the colour of his medal as the lone returning player from the 2025 bronze medal-winning squad.
2025 WHL first-overall pick Maddox Schultz (Regina, Sask.) was named Canada’s Player of the Game with a two-goal, one-assist effort.
Nine Canadian WHLers picked up a gold medal, while another four Americans, Kaeden Tate (Kamloops Blazers), Gavin Burcar (Spokane Chiefs), Brooks DeMars (Penticton Vees) and Colin Grubb (Brandon Wheat Kings), earned silver.
Seattle Thunderbirds standout Brock England was the first on the board with his third goal of the tournament, firing a drop pass from Liam Pue (Regina Pats / Langley, B.C.) top shelf just 84 seconds into the game.
England, another projected top pick for the 2027 NHL Draft, posted 21 goals in his rookie season with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Pue’s Pats teammate Schultz doubled the lead near the halfway point of the frame with a wicked wrister from above the left faceoff dot.
England put his stamp on the period with a powerful one-timer served up by 2026 WHL Rookie of the Year finalist Brock Cripps (Prince Albert, Sask. / Victoria, B.C.) with under five minutes remaining in the frame.
But the defending gold medalists got on the board as United States leading scorer Gavin Burcar (Spokane Chiefs / Cota De Caza, Calif.) teed up Gunnar Cowboy.
The United States faced an uphill battle in the second period, with Canada outshooting them 17-5, and DuPont didn’t make things easier as he forced a turnover to set up Benjamin Veitch (Newfoundland Regiment / QMJHL) for the 5-1 tally.
Schultz netted his second goal of the night with a near-automatic one-timer on the powerplay to take the game into blowout territory with the 5-1 marker just past the halfway mark of the game before Pue turned on the jets for his first goal of the night.
Pue, a 6-foot, 168-pound winger, added to the party with a breakaway wrister for his tournament-leading sixth goal.
DuPont added to the party with his fourth assist of the day, teaming up with Kayden Stroeder (Edmonton Oil Kings / Saskatoon, Sask.) to set up Jaakko Wycisk’s tally, rounding out the scoring.
Lethbridge Hurricanes netminder Leif Oaten (Calgary, Alta.) made 16 saves for a .941 save percentage in the victory. The 6-foot-3, 194-pound netminder went 4-0-0 at the tournament.
Canadian assistant coaches Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert Raiders), Kyle Chipchura (Edmonton Oil Kings) and goaltending coach Jeff Harvey (Saskatoon Blades) were also part of the gold medal-winning effort.
Additionally, Vancouver Giants prospect Oliver Botka and Max Melicherik (Portland Winterhawks) finished fourth with Slovakia after a 3-2 loss to Finland in the bronze medal match.
Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team – WHL gold medalists
| Last Name | First Name | WHL Club | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Oaten | Leif | Lethbridge Hurricanes | Calgary, Alta. | 6’3” | 185 | G |
| Tait | Boston | Wenatchee Wild | Estevan, Sask. | 6’1” | 198 | D |
| DuPont | Landon | Everett Silvertips | Calgary, Alta. | 5’11” | 192 | D |
| Cripps | Brock | Prince Albert Raiders | Victoria, B.C. | 5’11” | 166 | D |
| England | Brock | Seattle Thunderbirds | Red Deer, Alta. | 5’11” | 175 | F |
| Schultz | Maddox | Regina Pats | Regina, Sask. | 5’10” | 183 | F |
| Harvey | Ben | Prince Albert Raiders | Edmonton, Alta. | 5’11” | 187 | F |
| Stroeder | Kayden | Edmonton Oil Kings | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’0” | 165 | F |
| Pue | Liam | Regina Pats | Langley, B.C. | 6’1” | 188 | F |
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
