Canada vs. Switzerland: Hlinka Gretzky Cup Notebook

Canada was always going to make this game difficult to evaluate. They had more talent, more depth, and enough time with the puck that you could probably talk yourself into liking half the roster if you wanted to. So I tried to focus less on who was producing and more on how players were creating those opportunities, which players kept working even when the game was already decided, and which skills looked like they would still matter when Canada wasn’t controlling most of the game.

That led me to Maddox Schultz, who isn’t even eligible until the 2028 NHL Draft, Cameryn Warren, making me wonder why I hadn’t spent more time watching him before this tournament, and Brock England skating around like someone accidentally turned the game speed up whenever he touched the puck.

Most Entertaining Player

Maddox Schultz, Canada, Forward

I don’t particularly enjoy getting excited about players who aren’t draft-eligible for another two years, because now I have to wait two years to actually talk about where I’d draft them, but Maddox Schultz is making that difficult.

He’s just a freaking dog.

That’s probably the easiest way to describe his game. He is constantly coming at you. If Canada doesn’t have the puck, he’s closing space. If a puck gets tipped into the offensive zone, he’s chasing it down. If there’s a loose puck around the net, he’s involved in the battle. Then you remember that, underneath all that, is a ridiculously talented offensive player.

He made a great high-danger pass for an assist, used his stick defensively to poke a puck ahead and create a rush opportunity, and consistently understood how to solve the defensive structure in front of him rather than simply trying to skate through it. What I liked most was that none of the skills came at the expense of the work. Schultz was doing the dirty work that you normally praise a bottom-six forward for doing, while also being one of the most talented players on the ice.

Canada was up 7-3 late in the game, and Schultz was still hunting pucks.

If Schultz were eligible for the 2027 draft and I had to make a ranking based solely on what I’ve seen so far, he’d be my first overall pick. Luckily, I have another two years to talk myself out of saying things like that.

Okay…Who Are You?

Cameryn Warren, Canada, Forward

I knew the name Cameryn Warren before this game. I did not know I would like Cameryn Warren this much.

There were certainly more talented players on Canada’s roster, but Warren kept doing things that made me write down his number. He drove the right side using his speed and puck protection before nearly connecting on a dangerous pass, recognized a backdoor opportunity, and finished it for a goal, battled around the front of the net, and then nearly created a highlight-reel goal after working his way through the offensive zone.

What I really liked was how often he understood where the puck needed to go. He’s not the most creative playmaker on this team, but he’s functional enough with the puck that his physical tools and processing can get him into dangerous areas and keep plays moving.

Then, with Canada leading 7-3 and about three minutes left, Warren was still backchecking hard enough to create turnovers.

That’s the type of thing I write down.

I don’t know yet if Warren’s skill level is high enough to push him into the first-round conversation, but after this game, I don’t really care about figuring that out. I know I like how he plays hockey, and that’s enough to make me want to watch it again.

One Shift I Can’t Stop Thinking About

Malik L’Italien, Canada, Defense

This isn’t technically about one shift as much as it’s about the contrast between a couple of them, because L’Italien gave me one of the more interesting games of any Canadian defenseman.

Early on, he made a terrible outlet pass that ended up in Canada’s net.

Later, he made the kind of plays that make you wonder just how high he could climb this year.

L’Italien was constantly looking to activate offensively. He stepped into the offensive zone to create a dangerous pass, worked himself into shooting areas instead of settling at the blue line, threw a nifty behind-the-back pass into a scoring opportunity, and eventually found Alexis Joseph with a pass that probably should have resulted in a tap-in goal.

The mistakes matter. You can’t just erase the turnover because the offensive plays were fun, and he’ll need to clean up some of those decisions as the competition improves.

But I kept coming back to how much he was trying to influence the game.

I’ve already spent a lot of time talking about Landon Dupont in the Summer Scouting series, and I’m not putting L’Italien in that conversation after one Hlinka game. But if he can eliminate some of the ugly turnovers without sacrificing the aggression that makes the rest of his game interesting, he could sneakily start closing that gap more than I expected coming into the tournament.

This Isn’t Going to Show Up on the Scoresheet

Quinn Norman, Canada, Defense

Norman played the kind of game that didn’t make me jump out of my chair, but I kept appreciating the decisions he made.

When space opened between the circles, he walked into it and created a quality shot instead of automatically throwing the puck from the point. When he shot down the wall, his first instinct was to look toward the slot instead of simply getting the puck toward the net. He was patient enough to let plays develop and rarely looked hurried with the puck.

That patience carried over defensively. He looked calm and composed, and he generally understood how much time and space he actually had.

There may be more offensive upside here than the stat sheet eventually tells us. Norman isn’t manufacturing offense by constantly taking risks or demanding possession, but he recognizes when the ice gives him an opportunity and takes advantage of it. That’s something I want to keep watching.

More Notes

Alexis Joseph, Canada, Forward: Joseph had difficulty connecting with the offense in this game. The opportunities were there, particularly playing alongside England and Edgar. Still, he struggled with pass receptions, missed a couple of chances to get himself into the areas his linemates were trying to find him, and had trouble creating when the puck arrived on the half wall. He did flash some individual skill putting a puck through a defender’s triangle to create space, but couldn’t finish the play. At his size, I was also hoping to see him impose himself a little more physically. This wasn’t a great viewing for him, but Canada has enough talent around him that I’ll be interested to see whether he can start finding ways to complement the players driving his line better.

Brock England, Canada, Forward: This boy can skate. England’s speed through the neutral zone was probably the most immediately noticeable physical tool in this game, and when he got his feet moving, he became incredibly difficult to handle. He scored after finding a rebound and using the goalie as a backboard, won races to loose pucks, rang a shot off the post after beating everyone to another puck, threw a surprisingly big hit in the corner, and later chipped a puck behind the defense on the penalty kill, chased it down himself, and eventually scored on his own rebound. He also used his edges well to create space before finding Alexis Joseph in the slot. My question is what happens when England doesn’t have the runway to build that speed. There were a few stagnant half-wall possessions where he struggled to create anything and turned pucks over. Right now, though, he’s the best skater I’ve seen at this tournament.

Ryerson Edgar, Canada, Forward: Edgar might have been the best player in this game, and everything seemed ridiculously easy for him. He made a great backhand feed to the front of the net, used his speed and control to work through traffic, forced turnovers on the forecheck, and scored by simply putting his shoulder down and driving through a defender to the net. What stood out was how effortlessly he generated offense. He could dangle around a defender, find someone in a scoring area, physically work himself into the slot, or beat someone cleanly and create a breakaway. He’s smart, physical, skilled, and seems to understand where dangerous offense is going to develop before it gets there.

Landon Dupont, Canada, Defense: This game looked a lot like the player I wrote about during Summer Scouting. Dupont started by trying to spring forwards with long stretch passes, including two early icings, and continued hunting those plays throughout the game. Defensively, he was excellent at breaking up transitions and moving possession efficiently in the other direction. Offensively, he was mostly conservative until he finally decided not to be and made a ridiculous individual move that created a dangerous shot before nearly scoring on a wraparound. The skating remains outstanding, but I still want to see him use it more often to manipulate defenders rather than move efficiently around them. Nothing here really changed my evaluation.

Brock Cripps, Canada, Defense: What a damn rollercoaster. There were moments where Cripps looked exactly like the offensive defenseman people are excited about, particularly when he used his lateral mobility to open his hips, move around pressure, and attack down the wall. He made a couple of excellent passes under pressure, created shooting opportunities, and created a rebound with a point shot. Then there were the defensive-zone turnovers, including a bad retrieval pass below the goal line and another play under pressure that led directly to a dangerous Swiss chance. The tools are obvious. I need considerably more consistency before I know what to do with him.

Liam Pue, Canada, Forward: Pue is another 2028-eligible player who made it very easy to forget he’s younger than most of the players around him. He drove the middle and buried a dangerous chance, showed excellent speed and a hard shot off the rush, scored again off a faceoff, and made a quality high-danger pass to Charlie Murata. He also has some bite to him and didn’t shy away from getting involved physically. His shot is good enough that I’m willing to forgive some of the low-danger attempts, but I’d like to see his passing reads continue to develop so every possession doesn’t default toward creating his own shot. If this level of engagement continues against better competition, Canada has another extremely interesting 2028 player.

Charlie Murata, Canada, Forward: Murata isn’t going to overwhelm you with talent compared to some of his Canadian teammates, but I really enjoyed watching him play. He battled for pucks in corners, used good small-area skill to escape pressure after winning them, stopped multiple defensive-zone exits on the same shift, and consistently found his way into the dirty areas of the ice. It’s very bottom-six coded right now, but I mean that as a compliment. He understands how to make himself useful when he doesn’t have the puck and has enough skill to create offense once he gets it back.

Kayden Stroeder, Canada, Forward: Another player whose motor kept showing up in my notes. Stroeder chased down a floating stretch pass and immediately turned it into a dangerous opportunity, created multiple high-danger passes from below the goal line, retrieved pucks, crashed the net, and generally spent the game around the puck. The skill can look clunky, but then he’ll make a difficult pass through traffic that makes you reconsider how much offense might eventually be there. Right now,w I see a potential bottom-six NHL player with enough offensive flashes that I want to leave the door open for more.

Jaako Wycisk, Canada, Forward: Wycisk had to work for a lot of his offense because he wasn’t simply skating around defenders, but I liked how often he came out of those battles with the puck anyway. He outmuscled a defender driving down the left side for a good shot, recovered from a bad touch to maintain possession and find Stroeder in open ice, and repeatedly found himself around scoring opportunities. The puck just seemed to follow him. His passing and vision still need development, but for a power winger, there was enough here that I’ll be watching him closely to start the year.

Benjamin Veitch, Canada, Forward: Veitch showed some nice skill around the scoring areas, including pulling a puck around a defender for a quality shot and finishing a good feed in front. There were some less impressive transition moments, but overall,l I thought he had a solid game. I suspect we’ll spend a lot of this season debating whether he’s more of a third-line center or a complementary second-line winger, which isn’t a bad place to start.

Cooper McAslan, Canada, Defense: McAslan made an excellent cross-ice pass to Murata cutting backdoor for an assist and showed some of the same calm offensive instincts I liked from Norman. I don’t think his defensive game is quite at Norman’s level right now, but there are similarities in how both recognize available space without forcing themselves into every possession.

Aleks Kulemin, Canada, Forward: Kulemin did a lot of useful bottom-six things. He picked up loose pucks, intercepted an exit to create offense, and wasn’t afraid to throw his weight around. I want him to process the next pass a little faster because some possessions stalled once the puck reached him, but there’s enough utility here to make him an interesting player.

Jonah Neuenschwander, Switzerland, Forward: This was a very individualistic game from Neuenschwander. The physical tools remain obvious. He’s big, mobile, can fly through the neutral zone, and ripped a wrist shot from the left circle for a goal. He also tried to do too much with the puck, took some low-danger shots when better options were available, had a poor touch on an exit that ended up contributing to a Canadian goal, and occasionally tried to create something by himself when the game wasn’t giving it to him. He also took two penalties, which tracks pretty well with the slightly scummy edge I saw during Summer Scouting. The tools are absolutely there. I want to see him use his teammates more.

Sebastian Weber, Switzerland, Forward: Weber has some sneaky skills and thinks the game pretty well. He put a puck around a Canadian defender and retrieved it himself, used support below the goal line to extend possession, changed a passing angle with his stick to create an entry, and worked his way back toward the net after moving the puck. I wanted more acceleration and considerably more defensive engagement, but there’s enough processing ability here to keep him on the radar.

Leo Ulrich, Switzerland, Forward: Ulrich quietly created several good offensive opportunities, particularly from below the goal line, where he found teammates in dangerous areas. He also generated a dangerous shot and showed a hard release off a faceoff. My concern is whether the skating will hold up well enough for the rest of the offense to translate, but he made enough smart plays that I’m not dismissing him.

Noel Bosshard, Switzerland, Forward: Bosshard read a poor cross-ice pass, intercepted it, and immediately created a dangerous shot that eventually turned into a Swiss goal. He also showed some hands working through a defender despite not playing with much pace. I’m putting him on the back burner for now. I want to see where he plays this season and what the production looks like before digging much deeper.

This was obviously a difficult game for Switzerland and a much easier environment for Canada’s skill to show itself, so I’m trying not to get carried away with every Canadian who made an offensive play. What interested me more were the players who showed something that should survive when the space disappears. Schultz’s ability to combine skill with relentless puck pursuit should travel. England’s skating is going to be a problem for opponents regardless of competition, although I want to see what happens when he can’t build speed. Warren’s motor isn’t dependent on Canada having the puck, and Norman’s patience isn’t dependent on having five feet of open ice.