September 12, 2024 by Spencer Pomoty

Team Canada captured their third consecutive Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in a hard-fought 2-1 win over Czechia in the Gold Medal Game in Edmonton on August 10.

It seemed fitting that several of the best players in the WHL would lead Canada to victory in the league’s best arena. Here’s a look at Canada’s standouts from round robin play in the tournament and an update on how each WHL player performed in those games.

Matthew Schaefer

The first-overall pick in the 2023 OHL draft had a great round robin for Canada. The Erie Otter product mostly known for his two-way play impressed me with his offensive prowess in the three games. Scoring two goals and adding three assists doesn’t show how much of a needle pusher he was offensively. The Canadian captain was hopping into the rush constantly and showing he can make plays while doing so. What I was most impressed with was his offensive game from the blue line. Instead of opting for a low percentage shot from the point he was jamming the opponent’s feet with his edge work and then able to handle it around them. The way he was able to blend his skating ability with his above average puck handling ability was eye opening. Schaefer scored an absolute beauty against team Switzerland showing off this exact skillset. The potential top ten pick will look to carry on his strong two-way play against Canada’s toughest competition yet on Friday.

Jack Ivankovic

The Team Canada starting goalie was nothing short of exceptional in the round robin. The seventh overall pick in the 2023 OHL draft started two games and stopped 43/44 shots for a 0.977% save percentage. From tracking pucks laterally and through traffic to exceptional second chance saves (if there was even a rebound) Ivankovic was absolutely on point from the first puck drop. The mobility was outstanding, he moves very well, but when its time to set his feet, they are set perfectly, no happy tapping, no unnecessary cheating, nothing. Playing in front of a goalie that’s as on as the Brampton starter is injects a certain kind of confidence in the players that play in front of him.

Gavin Mckenna

What is there to say that hasn’t already been said about the absolute star from Whitehorse? Scoring two goals and adding another three assists the points aren’t as eye-popping as they usually are for the Medicine Hat winger, but he did nothing but create high chances for himself and everyone around him. Against Canada’s toughest round robin opponent, Sweden, McKenna scored the game-winning goal off a faceoff win and drew two penalties throughout the game. Constantly taking opponents 1-on-1 and even 1-on-2 he was unstoppable, finding pucks through traffic, using his outside edge work to cut on a dime around opposing players, drawing all eyes on him to then find a wide-open player for a high-danger scoring chance, and the number of turnovers he caused was exceptional. The offense runs through him in every setting, and he’ll need to continue his strong play heading into the semi-final against the Americans.

WHL Player Performances

Seattle Thunderbirds’ center, Braeden Cootes was on the top line for the first two games of the tournament. Against team Slovakia he took a spearing penalty that got him suspended and ineligible to play against Sweden. The 10th-overall pick in the 2022 WHL draft was on the second powerplay unit and played on the penalty kill as well. What I liked most was his board play, able to seal opponents on the wall and connect on plays to jumpstart the offence.

On Cootes right side for the tournament was Vancouver offensive dynamo, Cameron Schmidt. The winger scored two goals against Team Slovakia and that’s all for his round robin scoring. Against Sweden he showed some bite, but if he’s not scoring, he can of disappear from the game.

Cole Reschny was Canada’s point leader in the round robin. The Victoria Royal center put up a five-point night against team Switzerland and then added an assist off a faceoff win on McKenna’s game winning goal versus Sweden. Reschny started on the wing for the first two games but was promoted to first line center after Cootes was suspended for game three. The former third overall pick always seems to connect on the right pass and make the right decision, even after his five-point night I thought his game against the Swedes was by far his best.

Shifting focus to Calgary, one of my favourite prospects coming up for the 2025 NHL Draft is Benjamin Kindel. The right shot winger from Coquitlam started on the fourth line for the first two games and got promoted to the second line for game three where he scored an absolute beauty over the left shoulder of the Swedish netminder for his only point of the round robin. Shift after shift Kindel was impressing me with his board play, little chip passes, constant head scanning/shoulder checking helps him make the right decision 95% of the time. He connects on plays with at an incredible rate and he’s strong in all three zones of the rink, even playing a big role on the penalty kill.

Sticking in Calgary, to talk about defenceman Reese Hamilton. The score sheet doesn’t quite show the impact he made throughout the round robin. The Hitmen defenceman was not giving anything up on the rush thanks to his spectacular lateral mobility and gap control, constantly stepping up at the red line to force opponents into a dump in or a turnover. Then once retrieving the puck he’s a threat on the breakout due to his ability to skate it out with control or make an excellent pass. I thought he was Canada’s second-best defenseman even without recording a point.

Jackson Smith started as the seventh defenceman but worked his way into the rotation consistently and even playing a ton of minutes on his off-side. The Tri-City product had three assists throughout the round robin. Smith is a mixed bag for me, he shoots the puck a ton from the point which can work against lower skill level teams but doesn’t quite translate against stronger peers. Sometimes in his own zone he gets lost chasing, and his passing decisions can be spotty, but he shows glimpses of the ceiling he could have. The former second overall pick in the WHL draft can showcase strong puck carrying ability and some creative play while doing so, he will also show glimpses of great breakout play through his stretch passes. On the rush defensively I would like to see a tighter gap with a lower stance and to not cross his feet as much.

Swift Current Broncos defenseman Peyton Kettles started in the top four when the tournament started. Scoring a goal was the highlight of his tournament as he struggled throughout the three games, but much more against team Sweden. The decision making and struggles with retrievals was apparent to me. Turnovers were piling up and he didn’t get much ice time as the round robin went on. The former sixth overall pick in the WHL needs to add more head scans on retrievals, trust his unique size and skating combo, needs to scan the whole ice better instead of just going with his first read, and most importantly he needs to grow into his frame which will take time. It’s still early in his draft year and he’s a very young player (two weeks away from the 2026 NHL draft).

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