[Sandman]

Hlinka Summary Part 2:

-LD Malte Gustafsson, SWE (6'4",196lbs): I was a fan of his brother Viggo in his draft year (3rd-round, Nashville) in 2024, and I may be an even bigger fan of Malte's. Both siblings have an excellent defensive presence and solid awareness, both are quite effective against the rush, and both apply a good amount of physicality to their duties- but Malte shows signs of more, tying for 9th in scoring (2nd for D) in the tournament with 5gp/2g/4a/6pts,+3, 8 PIM. He showed he can rush the puck (or pass) through exit and entry, and was able to effectively run the point with patience and poise. He will pinch into the play, or join the rush when he sees a safe opportunity, and has a pretty good shot from the point- although he had trouble getting it through consistently. Best of all, it's rare to find a rearguard of his size that can skate as well as he can, with good mobility in all directions, and uncanny agility. There's still plenty to work on, such as his puck-skills, and his consistency shift-to-shift.

-LW Nikita Klepov, USA (5'11",165lbs): Klepov (who was born in Florida) rode shotgun on the top line for Team USA with Zielinski and Hextall, and showed a bit more flashiness and dynamism than his linemates. Klepov has excellent puck-skill to deke, dangle, and dodge his way through traffic, or to cut inside, and has the patience and deceptive skills to delay or cut-back in order to await a prime playmaking opportunity. His speed is perhaps average, but it's brought up by his high workrate, and he owns well-developed edges that enable him to outmaneuver attackers, slip away from checks, and pivot on a dime. There's work to be done on his decision-making at times, and he needs to upgrade the power in his shot, but he's a creative playmaker who can drive play in the offensive zone, and he works hard in the other end of the ice, as well. He tied for 9th in scoring, with 5gp/1g/5a/6pts,-2, 0 PIM, and will play in Saginaw of the OHL this season, after posting 31 points in 59 USHL games last year.

-LHC Max Isaksson, SWE (6'0",183lbs): Tied for 9th in the event with 5gp/1g/5a/6pts,+1, 8 PIM, Isaksson (who wore the "C" for Sweden) is another player who may not bring you to the edge of your seat with flash and dash, and isn't elite in any one area, but he's solid in every situation, and average-to-above-average in every trait. He skates and handles well, takes pride in playing a solid game in both ends of the ice, has a bit of a fiery streak, and can make high-end plays in traffic. He's also versatile, showing the ability to play wing as well as center, and he performs well on both sides of special teams.

-RD Daxon Rudolph, CAN (6'2",205lbs): I love this kid. Anyone who has had the opportunity to watch DR play in Prince Albert already knows that he's a stalwart defensively, and a ninja when it comes to defending the rush, although there was a few hiccups in this tournament in his own zone that may be because of some unfamiliarity with his teammates. In this tournament, while wearing an "A", Rudolph finished in a tie for 5th in scoring by D, with 5gp/2g/2a/4pts,+5, 0 PIM, and was tied for third amongst defensemen in plus/minus. He could stand to be more physical, and needs to get stronger, but he's an excellent skater with good speed and fantastic edges (though he could use more explosiveness), and handles well enough to beat opponents one-on-one consistently. He is not at all afraid to join the rush, or activate in to the play from the point, and he's got top-notch vision and awareness to make high-end plays. His retrievals are usually flawless, he consistently makes smart plays to exit the zone, and he's invaluable when it comes to puck-movement in transition. Rudolph had 41 points in 64 games as a 16 year-old, and put up 12 points in 11 playoff games- he is poised to be a star.

-RD Keaton Verhoeff, CAN (6'4",212lbs): I love this kid, too- how did Team Canada lose with this blueline? Anyway, the Captain was tied with teammate Daxon Rudolph, posting 5gp/1g/3a/4pts,+4, 0 PIM, and has the aggressiveness, edge, intensity, physicality, and compete that is a touch less prevalent in Rudolph- although Verhoeff may just be a notch below Rudolph defensively. Both are pretty damn good two-way players though, with excellent puck skill and superb awareness all over the ice, but I think Verhoeff is a bit more content to run the play in the offensive zone from the point (he will still join the play as an extra F)- and he has a cannon of a shot. Verhoeff seems destined to be picked #2 in the 2026 Draft behind McKenna, as he has all the tools of a top-pairing D that one would want, can play in any situation, plus he's pretty young- with a June 19th birthdate. I think that while he's smooth and mobile, he could use a tweak to his explosiveness, acceleration, and perhaps his top speed- but his feet are not much of a weakness. In 2024-25, Verhoeff put up 45 points in 63 games with Victoria of the WHL, with 10 points in 11 playoff games; he is the best D available in the draft, but the gap between him and Rudolph is not that wide, IMO.

-C/LW Oliver Suvanto, FIN (6'3",209lbs): Wearing the "A" for the 4th-place Suomi, Suvanto was a big surprise- posting 5gp/2g/2a/4pts,+1, 0 PIM. He's one of the youngest players in this draft class, with a Sept.3rd birthday, but he wore an "A" for his team, and led all Finnish forwards in ice-time by a wide margin. He needs work in the skating department, but he's an excellent two-way player who can contribute in all areas, and drives play with his cerebral playmaking abilities, facilitated by his heightened vision and awareness. He's nicely physical, protects the puck well, and wins board battles. Also, he looks like a faceoff ace.

-RW Liam Ruck (5'11",176lbs), and LW Marcus Ruck (5'11",168lbs), CAN: Liam is more of a goal-scorer, and better offensively, so he got second-line RW duties (5gp/2g/2a/4pts,+6, 2 PIM), while Marcus (5gp/0g/3a/3pts,+3, 2 PIM) was on the 4th-line in this tournament. Both are hard-working, both play a solid two-way game, both are excellent playmakers with smarts and hockey sense; however, both are smallish, not very physical, and both need to improve their skating. Liam is touted as more of a potential second-line player in the NHL, while Marcus has been pegged as a mid-rounder who likely be more of a bottom-six checker. They both played for Medicine Hat in 2024-25, with Liam recording 25 goals and 41 points in 61 games (10 points in 18 playoff games) and Marcus picking up 8 goals and 29 points in 62 games (4 points in 14 playoff games).

-RD Samu Alalauri, FIN (6'2",201lbs): Before the tournament, Alalauri was billed as being a solid defensive player with a quality puck-movement game, but his performance in his own-zone this week was inconsistent at best, like many of his countrymen- when he made an error, the puck seemed to go in his net every time, and he finished with a -3. Conversely, he was much more active and effective in the offensive zone, with several forays into the play, and a hard and heavy shot, while showing off a fairly good playmaking game; he finished tied for 5th in scoring by D with 5gp/1g/3a/4pts,-3, 2 PIM. I thought maybe I had him confused with someone else. At any rate, he's big and physical, works hard, skates quite well, and owns above-average puck-skills. Alalauri uses his size well, winning battles and throwing his weight around to dislodge pucks. He keeps things relatively simple when passing out of the zone, and played a big part in his team's transition when he was out on the ice- sometimes rushing the puck through exit and entry. I certainly saw enough to be intrigued, and if his shut-down game is truly as good as they say it is, then he might just be a promising two-way D-man who had an off-week.

-C/LW Adam Valentini, CAN (5'11",185lbs): Valentini, who wore an "A" for Team Canada, was tied for 4th on the team in points (5gp/2g/2a/4pts,+9, 4 PIM), although they all came in the first two round-robin games against Finland and Switzerland (2 points in each contest). Even when he wasn't getting on the scoresheet, I thought he was one of the team's best forwards, with hard work and attention to providing solid defense (a tournament-leading +9), and an ability to facilitate and drive play. Valentini isn't big, but he wins battles, employs a physical game, fights through checks, competes hard, and plays with energy and high motor- he also looked good on draws. While he has a fairly good shot, his playmaking is his main forte', and he is blessed with high-end vision and anticipation to drive the offense, with a soft-touch on his passes. Valentini is also an excellent skater, with separation speed, shiftiness, and superb agilty to weave through traffic and get to the middle. He will be attending the University of Michigan this fall, but he put up an impressive 17 goals and 39 points in just 58 USHL games last season, on a very poor Chicago Steel squad that finished second-last in the league (he was tied for first in scoring on the team). He could be a first-rounder in 2026.

-RW Filip Novak, CZE (6'1",198lbs): Another player I really liked, Novak is a power-forward who finished with 4gp/1g/3a/4pts,-2, 2 PIM, which tied him for the scoring lead on Team Czechia. Novak plays a simple game without much dynamism, and doesn't possess any elite tools, but he's very well-rounded, plays a solid two-way game, and contributes in all situations. He is a high-motor player, plays a physical brand of hockey, and is a menace to opponents with how well he can skate- he may not be a speed merchant, but he moves very well on a long and powerful stride. Novak seems to be fairly well-balanced and intelligent offensively as well, with a pretty good shot and a shoot-first mentality, and the ability to make plays while in-motion. I'll be watching him for sure.

Part 3 Coming Soon!