Heading into the final day of preliminary play of the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Aug. 7), the United States and Germany faced off in a must-win game for both teams. The winner of this matchup earned a spot in the semi-finals, while the other found themselves in third place in Group B. After a dominant 12-3 victory by the Americans, they are now in that semi-final spot. In the big game of the day, Sweden and Canada faced off in a must-see match to determine the number one seed in Group A, and the Canadians earned the top spot with a 2-1 victory.
Team USA’s Offense Finally Gets Rolling
After their first two preliminary games, the United States’ high-powered offense only tallied four goals and was looking to get on track in a “win, and you are in” game against Germany. The Americans came out on fire and kept the German defense on their heels with constant pressure in the offensive zone in the first period. They often looked unstoppable in the opening frame until it came to cashing in, with only two goals in the period.
The floodgates finally opened in the second. The nonstop pressure and strong puck movement finally paid off for the Americans with a six-goal period, spearheaded by outshooting Germany 21-1. Their speed and consistency seemed to wear down the German defense and sucked the life out of them as the frame progressed. In such a blowout contest, Team USA outshot Germany 54-15, the United States’ defense was not tested much, but that is a testament to their performance in both the offensive and neutral zones.
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Even when they lost possession in the offensive zone, heads-up plays from their defensemen helped lead to quick regroups and transitions back into the zone. Being led by players like team captain Blake Fiddler (four points) and Alexander Murphy (five points) after both were held off the scoresheet in the first two games, the Americans were almost perfect offensively. In total, they had nine different goal scorers in the victory and 11 players who tallied multi-point games to go along with a perfect penalty kill in the tournament.
Canada Shuts Down High-Powered Sweden Offense
In the most highly anticipated game of the preliminary round, fans were not let down by the game between Canada and Sweden. The Canadian team showed their ability to slow down Sweden’s high-powered offense, which has been led by Viktor Klingsell, Ivar Stenberg, and Milton Gastrin. The scoresheet may show the shot totals were pretty even (30-24 Canada), but Team Canada had more quality shots, thanks, in large part, to great goaltending from Jack Ivankovic when he was challenged and solid defensive play. Along with slowing down Sweden’s lethal trio, Canada also kept one of the 2025 Draft’s top prospects, Jakob Ihs Wozniak, off the scoresheet.
With a strong game from their defense, the Canadian offense used solid puck movement and team speed to combat the Swedish defensive play, which seemed to be aimed at a more physical style to try and throw Canada off their game. Canada had their stars step up in the win, and Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer was one of the most solid and smooth players on the ice. He showed his willingness to get involved in the play on Canada’s first goal when he joined the rush and made a really strong play in tight to find Benjamin Kindel. After earning OHL First Team All-Rookie for the 2023-24 season, Schaefer has continued his strong play and has been one of the best defensemen in the tournament so far.
Gavin McKenna was also one of the most notable players on the ice alongside Schaefer in the 2-1 victory. Connor Bedard’s cousin has shown more of the playmaking side of his game than his scoring touch but did score the game-winning goal in the third period. McKenna’s vision and high hockey IQ are some of the strongest aspects of his game and have helped make him the projected top pick for the 2026 Draft.
For Sweden, goaltender Isak Sorqvist was once again solid and helped his team stay in the game while the offense was unable to get going as hoped. Klingsell, who leads the tournament in points, was held pointless but is still within reach of that rare 13-point mark in a single Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He would join Jarome Iginla and Matvei Michkov in doing so.
Semi-Finals Are Set
With the preliminary round finally wrapping up, the semi-finals are set to begin on Aug. 10. Canada will face the Americans in what is expected to be a high-intensity, exciting game. Sweden will face the high-flying Czechia team that is looking to return to the championship game for the second year in a row.
