Canada Tops Finland 5–3 in Hlinka-Gretzky Cup Opener

BRNO, Czechia – Team Canada’s Under-18 squad began their 2025 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup campaign with a 5–3 victory over Finland in a tightly contested opening game at the Winning Group Arena.

Beckham Edwards (Komoka, ON) opened the scoring just 58 seconds into the first period, assisted by Mathis Preston (Penticton, BC) and Ryan Lin (Richmond, BC). Captain Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, AB) doubled Canada’s lead midway through the period with help from Ethan Belchetz (Oakville, ON) and Tynan Lawrence (Fredericton, NB).

Finland responded with two late goals from Oscar Hemming and Jiko Laitinen to level the score at 2–2 by the first intermission.

With the second period winding down, Ryan Lin broke the deadlock, scoring with just eight seconds remaining off a feed from Adam Valentini (Toronto, ON) and Belchetz. Early in the third period, Dimian Zhilkin (Windsor, ON) extended Canada’s lead to 4–2, assisted by Verhoeff and Belchetz. Finland’s Vilho Vanhatalo pulled the score back to 4–3, but Belchetz secured the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Goaltender Gavin Betts (Toronto, ON) stopped 23 of 26 shots to earn the win.

Day 1 Tournament Results:

• Czechia 6–2 Switzerland

• Sweden 10–0 Germany

• United States 6–3 Slovakia

Next Game:
Canada will face Switzerland on Tuesday, August 12, at 9:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. MT in Brno.

The Hlinka-Gretzky Cup has long been a proving ground for future NHL stars, with alumni including Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor Bedard. This year’s roster features promising talent aiming to make their mark on the international stage.

Provectus Media will provide daily Canada-first coverage throughout the tournament, including game recaps, player features, and analysis from Brno.

Follow along at provectusmedia.ca for complete coverage of Team Canada at the 2025 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.