2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: DuPont, Kachlíř highlight top standouts from Day 2
The two games at the main rink at Rogers Place in Edmont, Alberta saw Czechi and Canada skate away with convincing victories,
The opening game wasn’t particularly competitive, with Germany losing 8-3 to Czechia. Petr Hornig, Maxmilian Mares and Jonas Vanicek scored a goal each to make it a 3-0 first period. Michal Hartl, Jakub Polasek and Oliver Vanha would double the advantage in the second to negate any second-half comeback efforts by the Germans. Jonas Schwarz and Max Calce scored a goal each in the final four minutes of the midddle stanza, but Adam Nemec’s second of the tournament made it 7-2 in the third. Lennox Ullman would give the Germans another reason to smile at 46:57, but Hornig’s second goal would end up capping the night off.
In the second game, Canada managed to beat Slovakia 6-1. Landon DuPont started the night with a power-play goal at 2:21 and then dominated the puck posession throughout the rest of the frame. Slovakia struggled to get shots on net, but Patrik Rychlik managed to beat Leif Oaten just before the five-minute mark to make it a 1-1 game. Canada still looked like the much better team and Liam Pue helped prove that with the 2-1 goal at 5:12. Canada was in full control the rest of the way. Kayden Stroeder scored twice, Ryerson Edgar tallied one and Liam Pue finished off the day, giving Canada a 2-0 record so far.
Switzerland, meanwhile, beat Sweden 7-6 in easily one of the wildest games in recent memory.
Czechia 8, Germany 3
Czechia
#4 Lukáš Kachlíř, D: After a pair of goals on Monday, Kachlíř continued the hot streak with a four-assist effort today. He makes moves with conviction, rarely missing a pass or giving the puck away unprompted. He’s quite small, but his speed and skill is imressive. He’s also solid defensively, which isn’t always the case with a smaller blueliner who prioritizes skill. Kachlíř has been one of the best players in this tournament, bar none.
#10 Jakub Polasek, RW: I really liked Polasek’s energy and workman-like effort out there, and it resulted in a goal today. The small forward plays with speed and never stops moving. He’s never ben much of an offensive producer internationally, but sometimes, all you need is a nonstop motor to impress. I’m not sure Polasek has enough in his game to get drafted, but I’ve actually enjoyed his tournament so far, even in a depth role.
#17 Michal Hartl, RW: From a talent perspective, Hartl is one of Czechia’s top forwards. He had a nice assist in the first period and nearly scored himself on the next shift. He eventually tallied one in the second to help put the game out of reach. Hartl plays a decent two away game but he’s best in the Ozone where he knows how to use both the perimeter and the slot to his advantage. He’s a detail-oriented forward who plays with some decent flashes of skill and a quick motor. I’ve really liked Hartl’s tournament through two days.
#23 Maximilian Mares, C: Mares was an absolute madman in this one. He scored a nice goal, snagged a pair of assists, created a net-front screen on another and threw his body around consistently (including one that unfortunately resulted in a leg injury for Maksim Hanzek). Mares is a force of a human already at 6-foot-6, but he moves exceptionally well, too. Most bigger players struggle to find their way at a young age but you can tell Mares – Czechia’s No. 1 center – is as competitive as they come, and isn’t afraid of anyone.
#29 Petr Hornig, RW (2028): Hornig had a pair of goals in this one, with both coming on the power play. His patience is incredible; the Germans would continue challenging him and he’d never flinch. Hornig was born just after the 2027 NHL Draft cutoff, but scouts are still keeping a close eye on the highly skilled winger.
Germany
#9 Max Calce, LW: Calce is Germany’s top forward and I’m not sure it’s close. He was Germany’s most effective forward yesterday and seemed like the only guy who could create any quality chances in the first half of this game. He looked a little frustrated out there because some of those goals that went in probably shouldn’t have, and he probably felt some responsibility. It was nice to see him score in the second to give his team some life. But from a competitive nature standpoint, Calce is so advanced already for his age.
Canada 6, Slovakia 1
Canada
#9 Landon DuPont, D: DuPont did a bit of everything in this one. It started with a beautiful opening goal and continued with chance after chance for the commanding defender. Dupont finished with two points in one of his best international performances to date. He ate a ton of minutes while also showing some of the best puck control of any player in the game. Canada laid the pressure on early and often against the Slovaks and it seemed like they couldn’t keep up.
#14 Camryn Warren, LW: Holy moly, man. That’s one heck of a two-game stretch for the skilled OHLer. Scouts are keeping a close eye on Maddox Schultz and Pue, but Warren is a natural finisher who is finally getting the chance to prove it. He had the second Canadian goal and had a few other high-quality chances in the following minutes to really spice things up. Warren was one of my favorite players in the GTHL a few years ago because he could beat anyone 1-on-1 and had speed to burn. His numbers weren’t anything to get excited about in the OHL last year, but he’s primed for a breakthrough.
#21 Kayden Stroeder, C: The Edmonton Oil King had a huge night, scoring twice in the second half. That helped push the Canadians well ahead, and definitely wowed the local fans. Stroeder is a strong-skating, two-way forward who can be a pain in the butt around the net, but he’s also tough to beat in 1-on-1 situations.
#23 Liam Pue, RW (2028): Pue and Schultz are going to be heavy compared to eachother over the next two years, given their connection in Regina. But so far, I’ve been more impressed with Pue’s raw skill. He has dominated most of his individual battles and has been absolutely electric in open ice. He gets around the ice so easily and has both the shot and the passing ability to get past anyone in his wake. I thought he was better against Switzerland, but he has been my favorite Candian player through two games – and he had a two-point night to show for it.
Slovakia
#19 Miroslav Kalousek, RW: I really liked Kalousek today, especially in the first half. The 6-foot-2 forward skates well, and he’s a good puck distributor. More importantly, though, he’s an absolute unit physically, pushing past defenders with relative ease. He received strong reviews for his two-way game against Sweden and I was impressed with his on-puck today, in particular.