Canada wins gold at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Canada’s all-CHL roster completed a perfect 5-0 tournament with an 8-1 victory over the United States; the CHL’s 35-player medal group was the largest of any development league at the event
Thirty-five players and prospects from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) reached the podium tonight at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, Alberta, as Canada captured gold, the United States earned silver and Finland claimed bronze.
Among those winners were Gold Medallist Malik L’Italian and Silver Medallist Cam Minella of the Halifax Mooseheads. Meantime, Mooseheads Head Coach Brad MacKenzie also comes home with a Gold Medal after serving as an Assistant Coach for Canada.
The CHL contingent includes all 22 members of Canada’s roster, along with 11 CHL players who represented the United States during the tournament and two who helped Finland capture bronze. Representing 26 CHL clubs, the 35-player group is the largest medal-winning contingent affiliated with any development league at the event.
Canada secured its record-extending 26th summer under-18 gold medal with a commanding 8-1 victory over the United States at Rogers Place. Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue (both Regina Pats / WHL) each recorded two goals and an assist, Brock England (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL) scored twice, Jaakko Wycisk (Guelph Storm / OHL) added a goal and an assist, and captain Landon DuPont (Everett Silvertips / WHL) collected four assists. Wycisk capped the scoring at 12:15 of the third period, with Kayden Stroeder (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL) and DuPont drawing the assists. Schultz’s first-period power-play goal stood as the game-winner, while Leif Oaten (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL) backstopped the victory and allowed only one goal.
The victory gave Canada its first Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal since 2024. Canada finished the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record, outscoring its opponents 34-12 with at least six goals in every game.
Canada’s CHL talent also dominated the final scoring leaderboard. Schultz (3G-7A) and Wycisk (2G-8A) shared the tournament lead with 10 points apiece, with Wycisk leading all players with eight assists. Pue, Gavin Burcar (Spokane Chiefs / WHL), and Stroeder finished one point back with nine points, while Pue’s six goals led all players.
The tournament’s final top 10 consisted entirely of CHL players and prospects, including seven members of Canada’s gold-medal-winning team. Tomáš Selič (Flint Firebirds / OHL) and DuPont each finished with eight points, while Benjamin Veitch (Newfoundland Regiment / QMJHL), Camryn Warren (North Bay Battalion / OHL) and Alessandro Domenichelli (Portland Winterhawks / WHL) recorded seven apiece.
Earlier Saturday, Finland erased a 2-0 deficit to earn bronze with a 3-2 victory over Slovakia. Paavo Fugleberg (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL) scored Finland’s first goal, while London Knights forward Luca Santala tied the game 34 seconds into the third period. Fugleberg and Santala then assisted on the power-play winner, meaning they factored into all three Finnish goals and each finished the bronze medal game with a goal and an assist. Both recorded six points during the tournament.
The 35-player medal group includes 15 from the OHL, 13 from the WHL and seven from the QMJHL. Canada’s 22-player roster spans 18 clubs, while the United States’ 11 CHL players come from 11 clubs. Finland’s two medallists are London Knights forward Santala and Moncton Wildcats prospect Fugleberg.
Across all eight participating countries, 57 CHL players and prospects competed at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, representing 34 of the CHL’s 61 member clubs. The total increased from the 56 originally announced after Saginaw Spirit (OHL) forward Sawyer Schmidt joined the United States as an injury replacement for Penticton Vees (WHL) forward Brooks DeMars. DeMars appeared in all three preliminary-round games before Schmidt made his tournament debut in Friday’s semifinal victory over Slovakia.
Among the 57 CHL players and prospects who participated, the WHL accounted for 23, the OHL for 22 and the QMJHL for 12. Thirty-one played at least one CHL regular-season game in 2025–26, while at least 42 are expected to compete in the CHL in 2026–27—17 in the WHL, 18 in the OHL and seven in the QMJHL—the largest contingent of any development league represented at the tournament.
The CHL was also the only development league represented on all eight national teams. Canada led all countries with 22 CHL players, followed by Czechia with 12 and the United States with 11. Slovakia featured four, Germany had three, Finland and Sweden each had two, and Switzerland had one.
Canada’s gold-medal roster was composed entirely of CHL players—nine from the WHL, eight from the OHL and five from the QMJHL—representing 18 clubs across the CHL’s Member Leagues. Nineteen of the 22 were first-round selections in their respective CHL Member League drafts, including 16 top-10 picks. Captain DuPont and alternate captains Alexis Joseph (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL) and Schultz were each selected first overall in a CHL Member League draft.
Canada’s gold-medal run was also supported by a staff drawn from across the CHL. Twelve members of the team’s management, coaching and support staff represented 12 CHL clubs across all three Member Leagues, including assistant general manager Yanick Lemay (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL) and the entire six-member coaching staff led by Ryan Oulahen (North Bay Battalion / OHL). CHL personnel also filled key equipment, athletic therapy and medical roles, extending the league’s contribution to Canada’s victory well beyond its all-CHL playing roster.
Eleven CHL players represented the United States over the course of the tournament—six from the OHL, four from the WHL and one from the QMJHL.
The tournament offered an early best-on-best showcase for the 2027 NHL Draft class, with 44 of the 57 CHL players and prospects eligible to be selected next June. At the 2026 NHL Draft, 22 of the 51 players selected after competing at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup—or 43 per cent—were CHL-developed. Overall, 106 CHL-developed players were chosen in 2026, more than any development league worldwide, including 16 of the 32 first-round selections.
For final schedules, scores, rosters and statistics, visit HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca.
QUICK FACTS
- CHL players and prospects accounted for 23 of the 24 individual scoring points recorded in the gold medal game, including all eight Canadian goals and both assists on the United States’ lone tally.
- The 35-player medal group included 23 forwards, eight defencemen and four goaltenders.
- Seven CHL clubs had a tournament-high three participants: the Brantford Bulldogs, Edmonton Oil Kings, Flint Firebirds, Kingston Frontenacs, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Newfoundland Regiment and Saint John Sea Dogs.
- Kingston was the only club whose three participants all reached the podium, with Matt Henderson and Aleks Kulemin winning gold for Canada and Nolan Snyder earning silver with the United States.
- Twenty-three of the 35 CHL players and prospects representing countries other than Canada were selected in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, including 14 first-round picks; nine had signed Scholarship and Development Agreements as of Aug. 8.
- Canada’s 12 CHL-affiliated staff members represented 12 different clubs: five from the QMJHL, four from the WHL and three from the OHL.
57 CHL players and prospects participated at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
An asterisk (*) denotes a player selected in the 2026 CHL Import Draft who had not signed a Scholarship and Development Agreement as of Aug. 8.
GOLD – Canada (22)
(G) Sam Berthiaume (Cape Breton Eagles / QMJHL)
(G) Leif Oaten (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL)
(D) Brock Cripps (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL)
(D) Landon DuPont (Everett Silvertips / WHL)
(D) Matt Henderson (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL)
(D) Malik L’Italien (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL)
(D) Cooper McAslan (London Knights / OHL)
(D) Quinn Norman (Newfoundland Regiment / QMJHL)
(D) Boston Tait (Wenatchee Wild / WHL)
(F) Brock Chitaroni (Ottawa 67’s / OHL)
(F) Ryerson Edgar (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)
(F) Brock England (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)
(F) Ben Harvey (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL)
(F) Alexis Joseph (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL)
(F) Aleks Kulemin (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL)
(F) Charlie Murata (Flint Firebirds / OHL)
(F) Liam Pue (Regina Pats / WHL)
(F) Maddox Schultz (Regina Pats / WHL)
(F) Kayden Stroeder (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL)
(F) Benjamin Veitch (Newfoundland Regiment / QMJHL)
(F) Camryn Warren (North Bay Battalion / OHL)
(F) Jaakko Wycisk (Guelph Storm / OHL)
STAFF WITH GOLD-MEDAL-WINNING CANADA (12)
Assistant general manager Yanick Lemay (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL)
Head coach Ryan Oulahen (North Bay Battalion / OHL)
Assistant coach Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL)
Assistant coach Brad MacKenzie (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL)
Assistant coach Kyle Chipchura (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL)
Goaltending coach Jeff Harvey (Saskatoon Blades / WHL)
Video coach Matthew Smith (Newfoundland Regiment / QMJHL)
Head equipment manager Andrew MacNeill (Charlottetown Islanders / QMJHL)
Equipment manager J.R. Grant (Windsor Spitfires / OHL)
Head athletic therapist Colton Reiley (Cape Breton Eagles / QMJHL)
Athletic therapist Taylor Cochrane (Kamloops Blazers / WHL)
Team physician Dr. Danielle Kelton (London Knights / OHL)
SILVER – United States (11)
(G) Mason Courville (Flint Firebirds / OHL)
(G) Kaeden Tate (Kamloops Blazers / WHL)
(D) Cameron Minella (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL)
(F) Ty Bergeron (Windsor Spitfires / OHL)
(F) Gavin Burcar (Spokane Chiefs / WHL)
(F) Brooks DeMars (Penticton Vees / WHL)
(F) Gerry DiCunzolo (Peterborough Petes / OHL)
(F) Colin Grubb (Brandon Wheat Kings / WHL)
(F) Sawyer Schmidt (Saginaw Spirit / OHL)
(F) Nolan Snyder (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL)
(F) Michael Tang (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)
BRONZE – Finland (2)
(F) Paavo Fugleberg (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL)*
(F) Luca Santala (London Knights / OHL)
Czechia (12)
(D) Dominick Radim Byrtus (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL)
(D) Jiří Gombár (Kitchener Rangers / OHL)
(D) Lukáš Kachlíř (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL)*
(F) Dario Blengino (Everett Silvertips / WHL)
(F) Matyáš Čančík (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL)
(F) Michal Hartl (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL)*
(F) Petr Hörnig (Kelowna Rockets / WHL)*
(F) Melichar Kovář (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)*
(F) Maxmilián Mareš (Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL)*
(F) Adam Němec (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL)
(F) Jonáš Vaníček (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL)
(F) Oliver Vaňha (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL)
Germany (3)
(F) Nikita Bloch (Newfoundland Regiment / QMJHL)*
(F) Max Calce (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL)*
(F) Jonas Schwarz (Spokane Chiefs / WHL)*
Slovakia (4)
(D) Oliver Botka (Vancouver Giants / WHL)*
(F) Max Melicherik (Portland Winterhawks / WHL)*
(F) Oliver Ozogány (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL)*
(F) Tomáš Selič (Flint Firebirds / OHL)*
Sweden (2)
(G) Vilmer Salén Forsberg (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL)
(F) Benjamin Nyström (Kitchener Rangers / OHL)*
Switzerland (1)
(F) Alessandro Domenichelli (Portland Winterhawks / WHL)
