Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Last updated
Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Current season, competition or edition:
Hockey current event.svg 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Sport Ice hockey
Founded1991;33 years ago (1991)
No. of teams8
Countries Slovakia, Czech Republic, Canada
Most recent
champion(s)
Canada (24th title)
(2023)

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is an annual international under-18 ice hockey tournament administered by Hockey Canada, the Czech Ice Hockey Association, and the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation.

Contents

Held since 1991, it has been contested under various titles and in various countries, including Japan, Mexico, and Canada. From 1997 through 2017, hosting duties for the event alternated between, and were later split between, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. During this period, the event was known as the Nations Cup, the U-18 Junior World Cup, and Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. From 2018 through 2023, the tournament will alternate between Edmonton/Red Deer, Alberta and Břeclav, Czech Republic/Piešťany, Slovakia.

The event is not sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which holds its own U18 championship in April.

The tournament is a prominent pre-season showcase for National Hockey League (NHL) prospects; 17 players on Canada's winning team from 2017 were selected with first-round picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. [1]

History

The tournament started in 1991, hosted by Japan for the first three years, as well as the fifth. In its first year, it was known as the Phoenix Cup, after which the Pacific Cup moniker was adopted (with the exception of 1994, when Mexico served as the host country and the tournament was known as La Copa Mexico). In 1996, the tournament was first held in Canada. Beginning in 1997, four years after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia began alternating as hosts, and the tournament was renamed the Nations Cup. The two countries alternated until 2003, then co-hosted from 2003 through 2017. At this time, it was also renamed the U-18 Junior World Cup. In 2007, the event was renamed the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in honour of prominent Czech player Ivan Hlinka—who had died in a vehicle accident in 2004. [1]

Historically, the tournament has been dominated by Canada; over 29 years, the country has won 22 times and medalled in each year except 2003, 2007, 2016 and 2021.

In January 2018, Hockey Canada announced that the 2018 edition would be co-hosted by Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, in association with Oilers Entertainment Group and the Czech and Slovak ice hockey federations, and that the event had been renamed the Hlinka Gretzky Cup—additionally honouring Edmonton Oilers hall of famer Wayne Gretzky. [2] The tournament will alternate between Edmonton/Red Deer and Břeclav/Piešťany annually through 2022. [1] [3] The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Canada did not participate in the 2021 tournament—with Germany replacing them. It was announced that this hosting cycle would be extended through 2023. [4] Due to the 2022 World Junior Championships being rescheduled for August in Edmonton shortly after the event, the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup was played exclusively in Red Deer. [5]

Results

YearGoldSilverBronze4thHost Cities
1991Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Flag of Japan.svg Sapporo / Yokohama, Japan
1992 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo, Japan
1993Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Flag of Japan.svg Yokohama, Japan
1994Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico City, Mexico
1995Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Flag of Japan.svg Yokohama, Japan
1996Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nelson / Castlegar, Canada
1997Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jihlava / Žďár nad Sázavou / Znojmo, Czech Republic
1998Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Flag of Slovakia.svg Bratislava / Trnava, Slovakia
1999Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Havlíčkův Brod / Třebíč / Znojmo, Czech Republic
2000Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia Flag of Slovakia.svg Kežmarok, Slovakia
2001Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Kolín / Mladá Boleslav / Nymburk, Czech Republic
2002Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2003 Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2004 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav/Hodonín, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2005 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2006 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2007 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Hodonín, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2008 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of Slovakia.svg/Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Piešťany, Slovakia / Břeclav, Czech Republic
2009 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2010 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Slovakia.svg/Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Piešťany, Slovakia / Břeclav, Czech Republic
2011 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2012 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Slovakia.svg/Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Piešťany, Slovakia / Břeclav, Czech Republic
2013 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Slovakia.svg/Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Piešťany, Slovakia / Břeclav, Czech Republic
2014 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2015 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Bratislava, Slovakia
2016 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Bratislava, Slovakia
2017 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Bratislava, Slovakia
2018 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Edmonton / Red Deer, Canada
2019 Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2020 Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic. [6] Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Edmonton / Red Deer, Canada
2021 Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia
2022 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Red Deer, Canada
2023 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Flag of the United States.svg  United States Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of the Czech Republic.svg/Flag of Slovakia.svg Břeclav, Czech Republic / Trenčín, Slovakia
2024 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada

Medal leaders

CountryGoldSilverBronzeMedals
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 243128
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia / Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union 54918
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 19414
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 19414
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 14813
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 0235
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 0123
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 0011

Related Research Articles

The 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia between August 8, 2006 and August 12, 2006. The venues used for the tournament were Zimní Stadion in Břeclav and Zimny Stadion in Piešťany. Canada defeated the United States of America 3-0 in the final to claim the gold medal, while Russia defeated Sweden 4-2 to capture the bronze medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrícia Ice Arena 37</span>

Easton Arena is an arena in Piešťany, Slovakia. It was built in 1986 and is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of ŠHK 37 Piešťany. It also hosted matches for the 2002 IIHF World U18 Championships and is a perennial host of the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. It has a capacity of 5,000.

The 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia from August 12–16, 2008. The two venues were Alcaplast Arena in Břeclav and Zimný Štadión in Piešťany. Canada captured their thirteenth gold medal of the tournament, defeating Russia 6–3 in the gold medal game, while Sweden defeated Finland 3–2 to earn the bronze medal.

The 2004 U-18 Junior World Cup was an under-18 ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav and Hodonín, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia from August 10–15, 2004. Canada captured their tenth gold medal of the tournament, defeating the Czech Republic 4–1 in the gold medal game, while Sweden defeated the United States to earn the bronze medal.

The 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia from August 11–15, 2009. The two venues were Alcaplast Arena in Břeclav and Patrícia Ice Arena 37 in Piešťany. Canada captured their fifth championship in six years and fourteenth gold medal of the tournament overall, defeating Russia 9–2 in the gold medal game. Sweden defeated the United States by an identical 9–2 score to earn the bronze medal. The tournament marked the second straight year that Canada, Russia and Sweden medalled in that order.

The 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia from August 9–14, 2010. The two venues were Alcaplast Arena in Břeclav and Patrícia Ice Arena 37 in Piešťany. Canada won the gold for the third consecutive year and the 15th time overall. The United States lost in the final to win the silver, their first medal since 2006. Sweden got the bronze for the third consecutive year by defeating the Czech Republic 6-1 in the bronze medal game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada men's national under-18 ice hockey team</span> Canadian youth national hockey team

The Canadian men's national under 18 ice hockey team is part of a three-stage Program of Excellence beginning with the Under-17 regional teams and ending with the National Junior Team. The primary objectives of the Under-18 program are to identify, evaluate, and condition players to the rigors of international competition by giving first exposure to off-shore officiating, ice-surfaces, and travel.

The 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia from August 8–13, 2011. As in 2010, the venues were Alcaplast Arena in Břeclav and Patrícia Ice Arena 37 in Piešťany. Canada won gold for the fourth consecutive year, defeating Sweden 4–1 in the final after losing to them 5–1 in their opening game. After their championship win, Canadian head coach Steve Spott attributed their success to a balanced attack in the absence of any one superstar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Reinhart</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Samson Reinhart is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Reinhart was selected second overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

The 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic, and Piešťany, Slovakia, on August 13–18, 2012. As in the previous two years, the venues were Alcaplast Arena in Břeclav and Patrícia Ice Arena 37 in Piešťany.

The 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament is an under-18 ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia from August 5–10, 2013. As in the previous three years, the venues are Alcaplast Arena in Břeclav and Easton Arena in Piešťany.

The 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 international ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia, from August 11 to 16, 2014. It was the 11th time this tournament has been held in those two cities.

The 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 international ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia from 10 to 15 August 2015.

The 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 international ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia from 8 to 13 August 2016.

The 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup was an under-18 international ice hockey tournament held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, Canada from August 6–11, 2018 at Rogers Place in Edmonton and Servus Arena in Red Deer.

The 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup was an under-18 international ice hockey tournament that was held in Piešťany, Slovakia and Břeclav, Czech Republic from 5 to 10 August 2019 at Alcaplast Arena in Břeclav and Easton Arena in Piešťany. Team Russia won the gold medal for the first time since 1995 with a 3–2 defeat against Canada in the final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships</span> 2022 edition of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships

The 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were the 46th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, played from August 9–20, 2022 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Šimon Nemec</span> Slovak ice hockey player

Šimon Nemec is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenceman for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted second overall by the Devils in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the second of back-to-back Slovak selections.

The 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup is an under-18 international ice hockey tournament that was held in Piešťany, Slovakia and Břeclav, Czech Republic from 2 to 7 August 2021 at FOSFA Aréna in Břeclav and Easton Arena in Piešťany.

Lukas Cormier is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL).

References

  1. 1 2 3 Matheson, Jim (August 4, 2018). "Hlinka Gretzky Cup the first step to possible NHL stardom". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  2. "HLINKA GRETZKY CUP COMING TO ROGERS PLACE AND SERVUS ARENA IN RED DEER". Hockey Canada. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  3. s.r.o., eSports.cz. "Hlinka Gretzky Cup introduced in Edmonton". Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup official website. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  4. O'Brien, Derek (August 7, 2021). "Russian repeat at Hlinka Gretzky Cup". IIHF. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  5. Hall, Josh (April 20, 2022). "Red Deer to host entire Hlinka Gretzky Cup". Lethbridge News Now. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  6. "Hockey Canada statement on 2020 Hlinka Gretzky Cup". Hockey Canada.