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The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is back in Czechia! The group that comprises of Czechia, Canada, Finland and Switzerland will see its games played in Brno instead of Břeclav this season, with many high-stakes games coming up in the group stage.
Czechia
In 2013, Czechia won bronze after defeating Russia and a year later they claimed silver after a final loss to Canada. They won gold again in 2016 and reached the final the following year where they once again lost to Canada. In recent years, the Czechs have made it to the final twice, but fell to Canada on both occasions. At this year’s World Championship, their journey ended in the quarter-finals, once again with a loss to the Maple Leafs.
The Czech U18 team is guaranteed to play the entire tournament on home ice, setting the perfect stage for the young stars on the team to shine. Key players in offence are sure to be Plzeň duo Jiří Maxa and Matěj Tománek, supported by the skilled Petr Tomek from Karlovy Vary. In defence, strong performances are expected from Ondřej Ruml of Pardubice.
Finland
The Finnish national team has long been one of the most stable and feared teams on the international stage, both in youth and senior hockey. However, in the history of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, they only have five medals.
At this year’s World Championship, Finland reached the quarter-finals where they were eliminated by Sweden in a Scandinavian derby. This year, it will be interesting to see what form the team arrives in. Their defence is expected to be led by Max Laatikainen from Kiekko-Espoo, while in offence, a key role is anticipated for TPS Turku’s Wilmer Kallio.
Switzerland
Swiss youth hockey is still waiting for its time in the limelight and young Swiss players have yet to experience the same rise in fame as their senior-level teammates. At the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the team has never competed for a medal.
This year’s World Championship did not go well for Switzerland — they finished without a single point in Group B and then lost the relegation game to Norway. As a result, they’ll be fighting for promotion back to the top division next year.
In offence, the biggest threat is expected to be Yanis Lutz, while in defence, the reliable Vito Thoma should lead the way.
Canada
As always, Team Canada is the favourite to win the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. They’ve dominated over the past eleven editions of the tournament, failing to win only three times. Before the pandemic, they lost in the final to Russia and surprisingly missed the playoffs twice.
At this year’s World Championship, they successfully defended their title. Their toughest game came in the quarter-finals against Czechia, but en-route to gold they also defeated Slovakia in the semi-finals and then crushed Sweden 7:0 in the final.
Up front, Beckham Edwards is expected to shine — he scored two goals and added an assist in a warm-up game against Hungary. In defence, Jean-Christoph Lemieux will lead the way, having recorded three points in that same game.