It’s inevitable. Whenever hundreds of NHL scouts, executives, and media members come together for an international hockey event, there are going to be takes.

When pride is on the line for the eight hockey nations full of first-time draft-eligible skaters competing, as is the case at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, it's going to elicit even stronger responses. It's the perfect launching off point for new narratives, comparisons, discoveries, and all sorts of talking points.

While NHL organizations will already have started their books on the best and brightest that the hockey world has to offer, these games represent the first viewings of the season for many 2025 NHL draft-eligible prospects.

This is what we learned: