Canada Blanks Czechia 5–0 to Close Out Perfect Preliminary Round at Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Goaltender Gavin Betts earns shutout as Canadians roll into semifinals against USA

BRNO, Czechia – Team Canada capped an unbeaten preliminary round at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a dominant 5–0 win over host Czechia on Wednesday at Winning Group Arena. The victory moves Canada to 3–0 in group play and sets up a semifinal showdown with the United States on Friday, August 15 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Betts Perfect in the Crease

Goaltender Gavin Betts was flawless, turning aside all 23 Czech shots to post the shutout and earn first-star honours. Canada outshot Czechia 35–23 and controlled the pace throughout, weathering six penalty kills without conceding.

GAME OVER! Perfect in the prelims. See you in the semis. 🇨🇦🇨🇿

MATCH FINI! Ronde préliminaire parfaite. Direction demi-finales. 🇨🇦🇨🇿

📊 https://t.co/TVJthIate8
📊 https://t.co/fqz3semcor #HlinkaGretzkyCup | #CoupeHlinkaGretzky pic.twitter.com/YfXRCuUZsS

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 13, 2025

Ruck and Edwards Lead the Offense

Liam Ruck scored twice, including the opening goal at 11:59 of the first period. Beckham Edwards had a goal and two assists to pace Canada’s attack, while Daxon Rudolph and Alessandro Di Iorio added third-period markers.
Other assists came from Markus Ruck, Mathis Preston, Adam Valentini, and Jean-Christoph Lemieux.

Special Teams Battle

Neither side scored on the power play, with Canada going 0-for-3 and Czechia 0-for-5. Canada’s penalty kill was tested heavily in the second period, including a five-minute major and game misconduct assessed to Dimian Zhilkin for kneeing, but the unit stood tall.

Scoring Summary

• 1st, 11:59: Liam Ruck (Markus Ruck, Mathis Preston)

• 3rd, 11:39: Beckham Edwards (Adam Valentini)

• 3rd, 14:51: Daxon Rudolph (Beckham Edwards, Jean-Christoph Lemieux)

• 3rd, 16:55: Liam Ruck (Landon DuPont)

• 3rd, 19:29: Alessandro Di Iorio (Beckham Edwards)

Looking Ahead

Canada will face the United States in the semifinal round Friday in Brno, a rematch of the North American rivals that have met in many previous Hlinka Gretzky medal rounds.

Follow GTA Today for full coverage of Team Canada’s run at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. #GTAToday #HlinkaGretzkyCup #HockeyCanada