2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Preview: Top Prospects, Team Breakdowns And Gold Medal Favorites
The 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup kicks off on Aug. 3, and today, we take a look at the top prospects, break down each team, and discuss who the gold medal favorites are.
Video Transcript
Projected top pick in 2027, Landon DuPont, who's rumored to be, you know, pondering a move to the NCAA as well after making a run to the Memorial Cup Final with Everett this year.
So when, when you're looking at these here, like, these moves, where do you see DuPont landing now that you know, you know, what's happening with some of these other picks?
Well, the DuPont situation is interesting because he was asked to the Memorial Cup and, yeah, he gave kind of like a, "I'm focused on Everett, I'm focused on Everett, I'm focused on Everett.
I've talked to Verhoff.
I've, I'm focused on Everett," and then another, "I'm focused on it."
Like, he just kept saying the right things about, like, this is where I am.
I'm at the Memorial Cup.
This is my focus.
I'll deal with everything after.
And I mean, like, the NCAA conversation is interesting because I know that some people brought up that he might go to Denver, and now Denver has, you know, a stacked blue line that maybe, like, is better than some NHL blue lines.
Like, but overall, like, it really is gonna be interesting to see because he's gonna g- if he does go to the NCAA, he is gonna get a lot of money, but I do wonder if the Verhoff situation is going to play a factor in here.
Like, Verhoff went to the NCAA and we thought that he was gonna go first overall, right?
Like, it was McKenna and Verhoff, and now some mock drafts have Verhoff 10 and 11.
Like, he really struggled at the NCAA level.
He didn't perform well at the U18s, and, like, that is a factor that's, that players are gonna think about.
Like, also there's a little bit of, like, I n- I've talked to DuPont enough over the c- last couple years.
Like, he really, really wants to win a Memorial Cup.
Like, he wants to He wants that to be his legacy.
They came so close this year.
They went to the final, and I wonder if, like, that internal hunger is like, "Listen, I wanna stay in the WHL for one more year and, like, try to win that Memorial Cup," because Everett's gonna have, you know, like Everett could potentially have another strong team.
We'll, we'll see how everything shakes out, but, like, we're not 100% sure because a lot of players are coming from the USHL now, to the WHL.
But, like, yeah, there, don't rule out the possibility of him returning to the WHL.
I think it's, you know, not the favorite to happen.
I think that, you know, there's some high-end schools that will throw around a lot of money, but yeah, it will be, it's gonna definitely set an interesting precedent, not just for the WHL, but all across the league for these players that, you know, in the future are projected first overall picks a couple years out and if they're gonna leave early rather than leave after they've dra- been drafted.
