The race to the 2026 NHL Draft has officially kicked off.

The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup is in the rearview mirror, with Team USA winning gold at the tournament for the first time since 2003.

We explored the biggest storylines for the 2026 draft heading into the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Now, we look back at it.

We enlisted the help of seven of our scouts — Samuel Tirpak (Director of European scouting), David Phillips (Director of Goaltending scouting), Jacob Roth (regional American scout), Joey Fortin Boulay (regional Eastern scout), Miroslav Simurka (regional European scout), Joseph Aleong (crossover scout), and Tyler Ball (crossover scout) — to answer some burning questions as we begin to navigate our way to the 2025 draft.

Welcome to our post-Hlinka Gretzky Cup scout survey:

WHICH NHL DRAFT ELIGIBLE RAISED HIS STOCK THE MOST AT THE 2025 HLINKA?

Tirpak: To me, this question has two answers and that’s Marcus Nordmark and Jack Hextall. Both displayed extremely pro-like games in their own rights and looked dominant for the most of the tournament. They drove play consistently and were excellent in creating chances on a high rate. One name I would mention also is Carson Carels, who showed one of the highest IQs in this class when it comes to defending plays in different ways, positional play and habits.

Phillips: I think William Gammals did absolute wonders for his draft stock. He took over the crease in Finland, and was a big reason for their success in this year’s tournament.

Roth: Blake Zielinski was the Team USA’s best player throughout the entire tournament, and I think it did a lot for his draft stock. Whether it was scoring, playmaking, or high work rate all over the ice, I think Zielinski showed he can do a little bit of everything and do it well. I think he has firmly put himself in consideration to sneak into the back of the first round if he keeps up this level of play in the USHL the rest of the year.

Fortin Boulay: I have to go with Nordmark. He scored seven goals throughout the tournament, but none were as important as his hat trick in the semifinals, where he led his team from a 4–2 deficit to an overtime victory, netting the golden goal himself. Nordmark has been absolutely dynamite for Sweden. While many already considered him a solid first-round talent, this performance has cemented his status as a top prospect — and may even earn him consideration as a top-10 pick. Honorable mention to Zielinski too.

Simurka: From what I did see, I have to point out Zielinski, who I hadn’t noticed in the preseason rankings. Zielinski had a great last season and is certainly not under the radar, but at the Hlinka tournament he showed just how high his ceiling is. I would point out his intelligent off-puck movement, his ability to score, as well as his playmaking skills.

Aleong: Nordmark entered the tournament as a prospective first-rounder, but without much experience at the higher professional levels in Sweden. He was consistently Sweden’s best player this week, leading the tournament in scoring and showing both a high pace style of play and elite offensive tools that could land him in the top 10 picks of the 2026 draft.

Ball: Nordmark. Heading into the Hlinka he was a tier behind other Swedes such as Viggo Bjorck and Ivar Stenberg. While Bjorck and Stenberg did not play in this event, Nordmark closed the gap significantly and put himself in top-10 conversation heading into the 2025-26 season.

WHICH NHL DRAFT ELIGIBLE PERFORMANCE FELL FLAT AT THE 2025 HLINKA?

Tirpak: My answer is going to be a surprising one, but it’s two players. Malte Gustafsson and Ryan Lin. Lin produced a lot, but to me, he played small, didn’t really do much off the puck, had issues defending in his own zone and with entry defense. His off-puck habits were decent, his puck-moving was good, but if he wasn’t on the power play, I’m not sure he gets this much general praise. Gustafsson to me just seemed off, form-wise. He showed flashes of great, but for the most part, I noticed a ton of on-puck, breakout mistakes, losing battles despite his size and just baffling decisions at times. I expected much more from both.

Phillips: I was hoping to see more from Samuel Hrenak. He came in as Slovakia’s starter, but a rough stretch of games saw him lose the crease to Denis Celko. Hrenak is still a good draft prospect, but his Hlinka performance leaves me wanting more from him.

Roth: It may be a little unfair because the expectations were so sky high, but I didn’t think Keaton Verhoeff had his best showing at this tournament. He was outstanding in the opener against Finland, but after that, I thought he was just okay. I thought he looked much better playing up an age group at the U18 Worlds at the end of last season. It’s not that he played badly, but I at least was expecting a little bit more from him.

Fortin Boulay: It’s tough to single out just one, but I was disappointed by Matej Stankoven’s performance in this tournament. I expected him to be a key catalyst for Slovakia, but he managed just one goal and struggled to generate scoring chances throughout. It was a quiet showing from him.

Simurka: I didn’t expect much from the Slovak team, but I was still disappointed. None of the players managed to raise their stock in front of the home crowd.

Aleong: Brooks Rogowski had a chance to be a frontline scorer for Team USA and dominate with his size and skating, but he wasn’t consistently aggressive enough and didn’t see much ice time in clutch, late game situations. His skating and size will still intrigue teams inside the top two rounds, but he failed to capitalize on a scoring-line role and will have to show more offensive instincts and physicality to reach his sky-high ceiling.

Ball: Personally, Verhoeff left the most to be desired after this tournament for me. Heading into the tournament with potential first overall hype I was hoping to see him take over play more often. Instead, he relied on his patient laid back style and finding his teammates for support with occasional flashes of high end rush and offensive ability. Verhoeff in the eyes of many is going to challenge Gavin McKenna for No. 1, and I left wondering if he can live up to that hype with his style of play and lack of urgency with the puck at times.

WHICH NHL DRAFT ELIGIBLE SURPRISED YOU THE MOST WITH HIS PERFORMANCE AT THE 2025 HLINKA?

Tirpak: Juho Piiparinen. One of the best shutdown defenders in this class right up there with Carels. Used in a ton of different situations, but excelled in a shutdown role for Finnish team in this tournament. His game is based on smarts, exceptional understanding of space and pressure and a bit of physical play.

Phillips: The biggest surprise for me was Brady Knowling. He looked very good in the games I watched, and heading into the tournament I didn’t really think much of him as a prospect. I’m excited to see how Knowling keeps this momentum through the draft season.

Roth: Joseph Salandra was a real surprise for me in this tournament. I expected him to be in a bottom-six role for the US, which he was at even strength, but he ended up getting a lot of power-play time with the second unit. He’s an incredibly hard worker, and what I didn’t realize going in was just how skilled he was. While I don’t think he will be a high draft pick, he definitely proved he is worth a look in the middle rounds and can be a potential NHLer.

Fortin Boulay: I’m going with Zielinski here. I knew he was a skilled player who would draw attention, but I didn’t realize just how impactful he would be. He’s been a constant threat on the power play for Team USA, showcasing his high-end offensive flair, vision, creativity and shooting. He played a key role in leading the Americans to just their second gold medal in the tournament’s history. An incredibly impressive performance from him.

Simurka: Axel Elofsson isn’t tall and he’s not an elite skater either. Nevertheless, he was excellent with the puck, dominated in many shifts, showed great plays, and has outstanding vision on the ice. There were very few players I enjoyed watching on the ice as much as Elofsson.

Aleong: Tynan Lawrence was highly touted coming off a USHL championship and playoff MVP nod, but his performance at the Hlinka showed his game-breaking talent on a big stage. Lawrence’s elite puckhandling, awareness at both ends, and knack for raising his level of play in clutch situations led to him being Canada’s most relied-upon forward in the knockout round.

Ball: Hextall. After having a solid season for Youngstown I was expecting to see Hextall be a player that stood out at the Hlinka. However, I wasn’t expecting him to flash and catch my eye as consistently as he did during the tournament being a clear line driver during several games.

WHICH 2027 NHL DRAFT ELIGIBLE CAUGHT YOUR EYE AT THE 2025 HLINKA?

Tirpak: Vilgot Liden and Levi Harper. Liden was a great defensive support piece on Swedish top pair with great habits and a quiet approach. Harper was the top powerplay quarterback for Americans on their way to gold. He is a bit undersized and very soft, but his offensive game really stood out to me and he was very dynamic.

Phillips: I was impressed by Dima Zhilkin. He seemed to be a highly-skilled forward with a natural ability to create offence and set up teammates for high danger opportunities. I think he’s got a really good chance to be one of the best forwards eligible for next season.

Roth: There were a lot of good showings from 2027 draft eligibles, but Levi Harper impressed me the most. It’s hard to find defensemen who can facilitate offense at a high level, and Harper proved that he can do just that. His defensive play will have to continue to improve, but he definitely cemented himself as a player to watch for 2027.

Fortin Boulay: It’s a tight race between Noah Davidson and Zhilkin, but I’m picking Davidson for this one. He’s been an absolute standout for Team USA, elevating his play as the tournament has progressed. After their loss to Sweden in the preliminary round, Davidson was promoted to the top line alongside Hextall and Zielinski. Since then, Team USA hasn’t lost a game. Davidson has played a key role in that turnaround, and his performance has firmly established him as a top prospect for the 2027 draft.

Simurka: For the 2027 draft, I was intrigued by Oliver Ozogany, who scored a hat trick against the USA and four goals in total at the tournament. His play was far from dominant, but I don’t think he has shown anywhere near his full potential yet.

Aleong: All eyes were on presumptive No. 1 pick Landon DuPont, but Zhilkin was very impressive, flashing elite puck skills and a tenacious mentality that belied his smaller stature. His aggressiveness got him into trouble at times, but his offensive flair and confidence with the puck could make him a lock for the first round in 2027.

Ball: Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll. Despite having an inconsistent tournament I found myself impressed by Gordon-Carrol’s game at several points throughout the tournament. Early in round robin play he sparked the United States offense when some of the older players were struggling to get going. As the tournament went on, he seemed to take a back seat to the 2026 stars for the Americans.