Team Canada claimed the bronze medal last weekend at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, shutting down Finland in its final game with the help of three South Okanagan-born skaters.
Mathis Preston of Penticton and the Osoyoos twins Liam and Markus Ruck led Canada at the event from Aug. 11 to 16 in Czechia, combining for 13 points in 5 games.
Canada's 3-0 win over Finland in the bronze medal game, on Aug. 16, came after the national men's U18 summer club lost to the United States 4-3 in a shootout in the tournament's semifinals.
The U.S. would go on to win the gold medal, topping Sweden 5-3 to win its first Hlinka Gretzky Cup since 2003.
Preston, a 17-year-old forward with the Spokane Chiefs, starred for Canada with seven points in five games. The Penticton Minor Hockey Association graduate also tallied a hat trick in his team's 9-1 win over Switzerland on Aug. 12, and scored late in the third period against the U.S. to force overtime.
Liam and Markus, meanwhile, teamed up to record six points in five games. The twins, also age 17, will suit up this upcoming campaign for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The three forwards, who played together at the Penticton-based Okanagan Hockey Academy from 2020 to 2024, have been best friends since early childhood and are now eligible for selection at the 2026 NHL draft.
