Trencin, Svk.- Six Western Hockey League skaters are golden after a historic win for the United States at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
A 5-3 win over Sweden marks the Americans’ first tournament championship since 2003 and second win in tournament history.
Meanwhile, another 11 WHLers clinched bronze as Canada shut out Finland 3-0 in the bronze-medal game in nearby Brno, Czechia.
Incoming Medicine Hat Tiger Noah Davidson had a standout performance in the title tilt with a goal and an assist, while Portland Winterhawks blueliner Will McLaughlin chipped in another helper.
A whirlwind start to the tournament finale saw Sweden strike just 10 seconds in before Levi Harper (Saginaw Spirit / OHL) levelled things up minutes later.
Incoming Medicine Hat Tiger Noah Davidson (Irvine, Calif.) gave the Americans their first lead of the day by parking on the backdoor of the net to redirect a bouncing puck into the yawning Swedish cage, with Portland Winterhawks signee Will McLaughlin (Hudson, Wisc.) grabbing an assist for his third apple of the tournament.
Sweden swung back to tie, with four goals coming in under seven minutes of the opening period.
Davidson tacked on another assist as the United States surged ahead 4-2 early in the second period, with the powerplay tally from Nikita Klepov standing as the gold medal-clinching goal.
Alternate captain Kalder Varga (Kelowna Rockets / Geneva, Ill.) appeared to score late in the match to put the United States up 6-3, but the goal was called back after a review.
Davidson wrapped up the event as one of the U.S.’s most productive skaters with three goals and three assists for six points in five games, while his soon-to-be teammate Gordon-Carroll had another two points (1G-A) of his own.
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Hlinka Gretzky Cup Gold Medalists- United States
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| McLaughlin | Will | Portland Winterhawks | Hudson, Wisc. | 6’2” | 175 | D |
| Ta’amu | Alofa Tunoa | Edmonton Oil Kings | Encinitas, Calif. | 6’2” | 220 | D |
| Davidson | Noah | Medicine Hat Tigers | Irvine, Calif. | 6’3” | 213 | F |
| Gillespie | Brody | Spokane Chiefs | Vancouver, Wash. | 6’1” | 191 | F |
| Gordon-Carroll | Shaeffer | Medicine Hat Tigers | Midway, Utah | 6’1” | 185 | F |
| Varga | Kalder | Kelowna Rockets | Geneva, Ill. | 6’0” | 180 | F |
Canada blanks Finland for third-place finish
Feeling the sting of Friday’s semifinal loss, Canada didn’t wait long to light the lamp with a pair of WHL Rookie of the Year finalists drawing first blood.
WHL Scholastic Player of the Year finalist Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders / Lacombe, Alta.) set up Colin Fitzgerald (Peterborough Petes / OHL) to drive the Finnish net before feeding Cooper Williams (Saskatoon Blades / Calgary, Alta.) for a sweet tap-in goal.
That would stand as the lone marker of the first period, though Canada went into the first intermission with an 11-6 advantage in shots.
Canada doubled its lead with just over five minutes remaining in the second after WHL and CHL Rookie of the Year Landon DuPont (Everett Silvertips / Calgary, Alta.) delivered a precision pass to Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires / OHL) for a powerplay tally.
Captain Canada Keaton Verhoeff (Victoria Royals / Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.) bagged the secondary assist as Canada cruised into the final frame with a 2-0 lead.
After scoring the opening tally, Rudolph iced the match with an empty-netter, with Mathis Preston (Spokane Chiefs / Penticton, B.C.) adding a final assist.
Saturday’s bronze finish marks Canada’s fourth consecutive medal at the tournament after a trio of gold medals.
Preston, who is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, ranked second in scoring for Canada and fifth among all skaters with four goals and three assists in five outings.
Hlinka Gretzky Cup Bronze Medalists- Canada
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| Esler | Carter | Spokane Chiefs | Okotoks, Alta. | 5’10” | 157 | G |
| Carels | Carson | Prince George Cougars | Cypress River, Man. | 6’1” | 189 | D |
| DuPont | Landon | Everett Silvertips | Calgary, Alta. | 5’11” | 180 | D |
| Lin | Ryan | Vancouver Giants | Richmond, B.C. | 5’11” | 170 | D |
| Pantelas | Giorgos | Brandon Wheat Kings | Victoria, B.C. | 6’2” | 196 | D |
| Rudolph | Daxon | Prince Albert Raiders | Lacombe, Alta. | 6’2” | 196 | D |
| Verhoeff | Keaton | Victoria Royals | Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. | 6’4” | 207 | D |
| Preston | Mathis | Spokane Chiefs | Penticton, B.C. | 5’11” | 167 | F |
| Ruck | Liam | Medicine Hat Tigers | Osoyoos, B.C. | 6’0” | 172 | F |
| Ruck | Markus | Medicine Hat Tigers | Osoyoos, B.C. | 5’11” | 165 | F |
| Williams | Cooper | Saskatoon Blades | Calgary, Alta. | 6’0” | 155 | F |
