Team USA’s gold medal at the 2025 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup was not the product of one star performance, but a roster where different players excelled in specific statistical areas. By digging into the numbers, we can see how each skater’s contributions, from scoring and playmaking to puck battles and takeaways, added up to a balanced, championship Gold Medal winning formula.
Offensive Leaders: Points and Goals
- Blake Zielinski led Team USA with 9 points, generating offense through 7 shot attempts and 4 shots on goal per game, while also leading in primary assists (5) and power play shots (3.2 per game).
- Jack Hextall and Nikita Klepov finished with 7 points and 6 points respectively. Hextall produced 2 goals and 5 assists by generating more playing time in the offensive zone than any other American forward (9:50 minutes per game), while Klepov’s ability to create offense through transition was highlighted by a tournament-best 5 secondary assists.
- Levi Harper and Noah Davidson tallied 5 points and 6 points respectively. Defenseman Harper tied for a team-high 4 goals and finished +3, while Davidson created the most Grade “A” scoring chances (1.4 per game) and finished with 3 goals.
Playmaking and Passing
- Zielinski created consistent slot chances for his linemates with 2.4 completed passes to the slot per game.
- Hextall and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll averaged 2 pre shot slot passes per game, showing their puck poise and vision when attacking the slot from the walls.
- Klepov added 1.6 slot passes per game, sustaining USA’s cycle and possession game.
- On efficiency, Will McLaughlin stood out with 97% completion on 23 attempts per game. Harper (89% on 24) and Hextall (88% on 24) were reliable outlets.
Two-Way Play and Plus/Minus
- Nolan Duskocy, Joseph Salandra and Alofa Tunao Taamu led Team USA with a +4 rating, which was tied for the 6th highest rating in the tournament.
- McLaughlin, Caden Harvey, Kalder Varga, and Harper all finished at +3, providing two-way play and reliability.
- Despite being among the team’s most impactful players, Klepov (-2) and Bogas (-1) carried the lowest ratings, reflecting trade-offs between offensive opportunities and defensive match-ups.
Puck Battles and Physical Edge
- Nick Bogas dominated physically, averaging 2.5 hits per game and winning 71% of his puck battles.
- Zaide Penner and Kade Meyer (67% puck battles won) added toughness and tenacity to their smooth skating and important transition game.
- Salandra contributed 2.4 hits per game, while Rogowski was steady in contact with 1 hit per game and a 59% battle win rate.
Takeaways and Recoveries
- Harper once again led the group with 9 takeaways per game.
- McLaughlin followed with 8, while Bogas had 7.
- Hextall and Meyer each recorded 6 takeaways per game.
- When it comes to puck anticipation, Hextall was Team USA’s standout with 4.25 rebound recoveries per game, tied for second in the event (leader had 4.3) while McLaughlin (2.6), Zielinski (2.2), Penner (2.2), and Puchner (2.2) minimized defensive zone time or extended Team USA’s presence in the offensive zone with their puck anticipation.
Faceoffs and Possession Starts
- Brooks Rogowski was USA’s most effective faceoff man, winning 55% on 14 draws per game.
- Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll followed closely at 54% on 15 draws per game.
- Hextall shouldered a heavy workload in the circle (14 per game) but posted a lower 43% win rate.
Special Teams Impact
- Zielinski was the catalyst on the power play, averaging 3.2 shots per game, with Klepov being the next closest at 2.6.
- Joseph Salandra (1.4) and Kalder Varga (1.2) chipped in with power play attempts.
- On the penalty kill, Nolan Duskocy generated short-handed pressure with 0.4 shot attempts per game, while Williams, Varga, and Rogowski each added 0.2 attempts.
- Varga’s ability to draw 1 penalty per game generated positive momentum swings and valuable USA power play chances.
Giveaways and Risk-Taking
- Offensive leaders carried higher risk profiles: Gordon-Carroll (7), Klepov (6), Zielinski (5.6), and Hextall (5.2) had the highest giveaways per game.
- Their creativity often came at the cost of turnovers, but the rewards outweighed the risks in USA’s balanced attack.
Conclusion: Depth and Balance Wins Team USA the Gold
The analytics underline what the eye test confirmed, Team USA’s gold medal run was built on balance and role execution.
- Zielinski was the offensive driver, leading in points, goals, assists and shot generation.
- Harper was the two-way anchor, driving goal scoring, takeaways and finishing with the team’s highest amount of playing time in the offensive zone (10:13 minutes per game).
- Hextall contributed in all areas — scoring, distributing, recovering pucks and taking key faceoffs.
- Klepov generated high quality possessions with elite secondary playmaking in transition.
- Davidson consistently created high-danger scoring looks from within 10′ of the crease.
- Around them, physical presences like Bogas and Salandra, reliable passers like McLaughlin, Harper and Hextall , and situational players like Varga and Rogowski filled critical roles.
Every player impacted the details of the game and together, those details built a gold medal performance.
2025/26 Player Information
Blake Zielinski (RW, R, 6’0″, 192, Des Moines Buccaneers, 03/05/2008, Providence)
Jack Hextall (C, R, 6’0″, 187, Youngstown Phantoms, 03/23/2008, Michigan State)
Nikita Klepov (LW, L, 5’11”, 161, Saginaw Spirit, 06/27/2008, Michigan State)
Levi Harper (D, R, 5’11”, 170, Saginaw Spirit, 10/03/2008)
Noah Davidson (LW, L, 6’2″, 215, Medicine Hat Tigers, 11/01/2008, Boston College)
Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll (RW, R, 6’0″, 187, Medicine Hat Tigers, 11/26/2008)
Will McLaughlin (D, L, 6’2″, 168, Portland Winterhawks, 03/10/2008, Colorado College)
Nolan Duskocy (RW, R, 6’2″, 187, Charlottetown Islanders, 01/26/2008, UMass Amherst)
Joseph Salandra (RW, R, 5’11”, 196, Barrie Colts, 02/15/2008, Harvard)
Alofa Tunao Taamu (D, L, 6’2″, 229, Edmonton Oil Kings, 05/28/2008)
Caden Harvey (C, R, 6’1″, 180, Windsor Spitfires, 02/13/2008, Penn State)
Kalder Varga (RW, R, 5’11”, 176, Kelowna Rockets, 06/24/2008, Denver)
Nick Bogas (D, L, 6’0″, 176, Waterloo Black Hawks, 07/23/2008)
Zaide Penner (D, R, 6’0″, 187, Fargo Force, 07/08/2008, North Dakota)
Kade Meyer (D, L, 5’8″, 163, Detroit Little Caesars U16, 11/05/2008)
Brooks Rogowski (C, R, 6’7″, 240, Oshawa Generals, 06/24/2008, Michigan State)
Photo credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images