Team USA rolls past Germany 8-1, reaches Hlinka Gretzky semifinals

Eight different Americans scored as Team USA crushed Germany 8-1 in Edmonton, locked up Group B and moved into the Hlinka Gretzky Cup semifinals. Gerry DiCunzolo led the way with a goal and two assists, while Joey Cullen added a goal and an assist in the most complete showing of the tournament so far.

The result capped a preliminary round in which the U.S. kept getting stronger with each game. Gavin Burcar opened with a hat trick in a 6-4 win over Czechia, Ethan Sung scored twice in a 4-1 victory over Finland, and the attack kept spreading against Germany rather than narrowing around one line. That kind of production is exactly what junior-hockey evaluators want to see in a short event: pace, depth and the ability to pressure opponents from multiple units.

The Americans did it in front of a tournament crowd at Rogers Place and the Downtown Community Arena, where the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup runs through Aug. 8 in Edmonton, Alberta. USA Hockey said the U.S. will face Slovakia in the semifinals Friday at 2 p.m. ET after finishing first in Group B. The margin against Germany also marked a clear step up from the earlier preliminary games, both in control and in finishing.

DiCunzolo’s three-point night and Cullen’s two-point effort stood out because they came inside a broader team scoring effort. USA Hockey’s post on X noted that eight different U.S. players found the scoresheet, and that matters in a bracket where one hot scoring line is rarely enough. The Americans did not just pile up goals; they showed they can keep the tempo high and keep the scoreboard moving when opponents start to run out of answers.

For USHL followers, that spread-out offense is the most encouraging part of the win. Players who can produce in bunches at the under-18 level often translate well when the pace tightens and shifts get shorter, and this roster has already shown it can win in different ways. Burcar supplied the fireworks against Czechia, Sung handled the finishing against Finland and DiCunzolo and Cullen took center stage against Germany, a useful sign heading into a semifinal against Slovakia.

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup began in 1991 and has gone through several names before settling on its current one in 2018. USA Hockey says the United States has won the event once, in 2003, which gives this semifinal run added weight for a program trying to turn a strong group-stage surge into a medal push.