Scout Survey: Draft season begins at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
The kickoff to the 2025 NHL Draft starts at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
The first major tournament of the calendar gets underway at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB from Aug. 5-10, with some of the top talent for 2025 introducing themselves to fans and re-introducing themselves to scouts.
We enlisted the help of nine of our scouts — Donesh Mazloum (Western Canada), Joey Fortin Boulay (Quebec), Kyle Pereira (United States), Arttu Myllymaki (Finland), Samuel Tirpak (Central Europe), and David Phillips (Goaltending) — to answer some burning questions as we begin to navigate our way to the 2025 draft.
Welcome to our pre-Hlinka Gretzky Cup scout survey:
Who is the top prospect from your region at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and why?
Mazloum: The top prospect out of the West this year isn’t even draft eligible until 2026 in Gavin McKenna. His progression last season was even more impressive than expected and in his the second half of the league he looked like one of the best players in the entire WHL. His 97 points in 61 games was good for 12th in league scoring and he obliterated the competition at the U18 World Championship with 20 points in seven games. He is sure to be Canada’s go-to threat on offense.
Fortin Boulay: The player that stands out amongst his QMJHL peers is Caleb Desnoyers, a talentful 200-foot center with size. He impacts the game on both sides of the ice and display great vision, puck management and offensive awareness.
Kennedy: I feel that Matthew Schaefer is the top prospect from the Ontario region competing at this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Schaefer is a dynamic presence from the back-end that possesses game breaking ability. In his rookie campaign in the OHL this past season he displayed some steady, reliable defensive play. I suspect during the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and entering his second OHL season he will begin shine as an offensive catalyst. He has top-pairing defenseman potential at the next level.
Pereira: Cooper Simpson has some serious raw tools that could make a big splash in the tournament. He could be a big-time player on the big stage for the USA squad. His skating is a difference maker, and that transitional game could flip game scripts at the snap of a finger.
Tirpak: When it comes to 2025 draft eligibles, the best would probably be a defenseman Radim Mrtka from Třinec. Steady, tall, two-way defenders already carries himself like a pro, which is not surprising with the system in place on a club level, which leans heavily on professionally even within their junior ranks.
Phillips: The top goaltending prospect for the Hlinka has to be Jack Ivankovic. He’s a fluid goaltender with exception attention to detail, which helps him with his technical game and also his ability to stay with plays via tracking the puck.
Who are you most interested in seeing from your region at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup?
Mazloum: Cole Reschny is a player I have highly valued in the minor hockey ranks and his introduction to junior hockey went incredibly smoothly. Reschny’s projection and physical stature is similar to the likes of players like Zach Benson and Berkly Catton and like those two I think he’ll parlay a strong Hlinka tournament into a high selection in the NHL draft.
Fortin Boulay: A prospect I’m really eager to see in this tournament is Emile Guite, a dangerous winger with a lethal shot and a great set of hands. He can also creates plays, distribute the puck very well and score in crucial moments. He scored 7 goals at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge last season.
Kennedy: The player I am most interested in seeing play from my region at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this year is Jake O’Brien. He is an astute playmaker that really impressed as a rookie for Brantford. While he is not the most physically imposing player he certainly makes up for that with his skill and smarts. He does a nice job of keeping plays alive and surprisingly is tough to separate from the puck. He’s an intriguing prospect with lots of room to grow and is likely to take another big step forward this season in his development.
Pereira: Jacob Rombach. It feels like teams keep looking to get larger, especially on the back end. Plus, he is just so technically sound with the way he plays. It’ll be interesting to see if he can take a step in this tournament with his offensive game. If he can, he could be a serious name to watch throughout the season.
Tirpak: Two players that I cannot wait to see, who are prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft, are forwards Adam Novotny from the Czech team and Tobias Tomik from the Slovak team. The whole 2026 class for Slovaks is exciting, but Tomik stands out to me. Both are exciting players to watch for their own reasons. Novotny is as creative and dangerous as you can get in a player and Tomik just has that dog in him. He is going to outwork everybody else on the ice and I personally love his game, the speed of it, the sheer aggressiveness in it and the offensive skills as well.
Phillips: I’m interested to see Roberto Henriquez at the Hlinka. He impressed me with his play last season in the Slovakian U20 league, and I’m interested to see what strides he’s made in his development over the summer.
Which player will have the ability to raise his draft stock the most at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup?
Mazloum: Benjamin Kindel is likely the player most under the radar out of the West as an unheralded prospect with no prior Hockey Canada experience, however he burst onto the scene last year with an impressive 60-point campaign for Calgary. With the level of exposure the Hlinka tournament brings, his talent will be on display for a wider audience and with a strong tournament I think you’ll see him fly up draft boards.
Fortin Boulay: A player who has great chances to improve his draft chances is Alex Huang, a dynamic puck-rushing defenseman with superior skating and agility. He’s a bit light on his skates, but he avoids pressure so well and creates a lot of dangerous looks for his team.
Kennedy: Brady Martin of Sault Ste. Marie is the player I feel has a big opportunity to showcase his abilities and raise his draft stock at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He had a relatively quiet performance in his first OHL campaign but I feel the sky is the limit for Martin. He’s a gamer that rises to the occasion when the game is on the line. I have seen first hand his skill and tenacity to get the puck on his stick and be a difference maker. I expect to see big things from him at this year’s tournament and throughout his second season in the OHL.
Pereira: Rombach again. He has the size to make an impact.
Tirpak: I would not be surprised if some unknown player makes a statement and enters a bigger scope due to that performance or big usage. Maybe it could be the already-mentioned 6-foot-6 Mrtka from my region. Czech forward Adam Benak could really showcase his skillset to people before he enters Youngstown’s system and make a name for himself despite smaller size, too.
Phillips: I think that Love Harenstam has the ability to raise his draft stock at the Hlinka. Harenstam was selected to Sweden’s roster at last years Hlinka, but his performance wasn’t necessarily up to snuff. If he performs this year, it’ll be great for his stock.
Who is an absolute wild card at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup?
Mazloum: The wild card for me out of the West is defenseman Jackson Smith. He has the physical tools and skill level to be a dominant two-way force when he’s at his best but I’ve seen just as many viewings when he’s skating into trouble, bobbling turnovers, and missing assignments. There is no player at the tournament in my mind with a wider range of potential outcomes than Smith. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lead the way for Team Canada and cement himself as a first-round prospect nor would I be surprised if too many gaffes had him stapled to the bench as the seventh defenseman.
Fortin Boulay: A real dark horse who’s QMJHL-bound for next season is Florian Schenk, a 6-foot-3 forward that exploit his size while showing solid effort and sneaky skill. He was productive at the U-17 last season and should be a important offensive piece for Switzerland.
Kennedy: Kitchener defenseman Cameron Reid is a wild card for me at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. During his time with the Bishop Kearney Selects 15U program he was such an impressive force. This past season in the OHL he showed some flashes of that brilliance but also had some inconsistent play. I believe he has the potential to really shine and take a step forward in his development this year. Look for him to really excel at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in a two-way role for Canada. I think he’s on the cusp of unlocking his true potential.
Tirpak: My absolute wild card is a forward Matej Pekar. If he shines, there is going to be a special attention to him as the best eligible from Switzerland and that could push his momentum really high. On the opposite end, a disappointing tournament can really hurt his stock and lower the amount of eyes on him throughout the year.
Phillips: The biggest wildcard for me at the Hlinka is Michal Pradel. The big Slovak was someone that caught my eye last season as a project goaltending prospect, and if he can start a couple of games for Slovakia and play well, he could put himself onto some draft boards early.