Canada plays host to the world’s best draft-eligible prospects as the 2018 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup begins on Monday in Alberta.
Unfortunately, the newly named tournament is often forgotten by hockey fans during the year for two reasons. First, the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup is held in August, so it’s not the most opportune time for hockey fans to sit back and watch. Most of us are outside enjoying the weather, on vacation, working…you get my drift.
The second reason is that the tournament doesn’t feature any NHL-prospects. The majority of hockey fans are not as invested in junior players who have no affiliation to their favourite NHL teams. Due to their ages, these players likely only have a year of junior hockey experience under their belt. So unless they’re a Connor McDavid type player, most people won’t have ever heard of them until now.
However, these reasons shouldn’t deter fans from watching. There are plenty of positive reasons to add this tournament to your viewing calendar every summer.
The History
Let’s face it, the hockey off-season (which starts essentially after Canada Day) is long, dull, and trying. Save for the few, sparse days of trades and free-agent signings, most days go by without any real action.
Even though it doesn’t arrive until August, the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup gives hockey fans what we long for all off-season – to watch competitive hockey again while the NHLers are off. Unlike the World Juniors Summer Showcase (which is also an excellent hockey-viewing choice), there are actual stakes surrounding the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.
The 8-country tournament features the best under-18 players across the globe. It’s been held annually since 1991 and was previously named the ‘Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament to honour the legendary player and coach from the Czech Republic who died in a 2004 car accident. Wayne Gretzky’s name was added on to the tournament back in January 2018 to form its current title.
The IIHF’s official under-18 tournament is held in May of every year, when most North-American players are busy with their respective junior leagues playoffs. The Hlinka-Gretzky Cup is not an IIHF-sanctioned event, but players can choose to participate in this tournament if they are unavailable in May.
Canadian Dominance
The tournament has been jointly hosted by Slovakia and the Czech Republic since 2002. This will be Canada’s first opportunity to host the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup since 1996.
It’s also the one international junior hockey competition that Canada has dominated. In the 27 years since the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup was established, Canada has won gold 21 times, including winning 19 of the last 22 tournaments. They went on an 8-year golden streak from 2008 to 2015. In fact, they’ve only failed to medal three times.
Notable current NHLers who dressed for Canada at this tournament include Sidney Crosby (2003), Steven Stamkos (2007), Tyler Seguin (2009), Nathan MacKinnon (2012), Aaron Ekblad (2013), Mathew Barzal (2014).
Current Toronto Maple Leafs who represented Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup are Patrick Marleau (gold in 1997), Morgan Rielly (gold in 2013), and Mitch Marner (gold in 2014).
Showcasing Future NHL Talents
The great thing about this tournament is that you can watch teams and players without any NHL bias. None of these players have been drafted. There’s rarely any preconceived notions or notoriety surrounding any of them. You can sit back and just enjoy hockey without worrying how their performances might impact their development or standing with an NHL team.
The Hlinka-Gretzky Cup doesn’t just breed Canadian talents. A number of international talents have used this tournament to increase their draft stock and catapult them to NHL success (Brock Boeser, David Pastrnak, and Patrik Laine.
It also gives viewers an idea of what the upcoming draft year might look like. Projected first-overall pick and American Jack Hughes won’t dress for the US (he’s playing up an age-group with the U-20 squad), but there are plenty of other potential first-rounders to watch.
Left-winger Alexis Lafreniere, a late 2001 birthday, is the player to watch for Canadian hockey fans. Lafreniere tore apart the QMJHL in his rookie season, becoming the first 16-year old to score 40+ goals in the league since Crosby. Although he’s not draft-eligible until 2020, he is expected to be the top pick in that draft. Lafreniere will captain Canada at this year’s tournament as they attempt to repeat as gold medallists.
It All Starts Monday…
Canada will begin its title defense on Monday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton against Switzerland. Group A also includes Sweden and Slovakia. The Czech Republic, United States, Finland, and Russia make up Group B. TSN will broadcast the Canada-Switzerland game at 9pm EST/6pm PST.
If you’re itching for the NHL season to begin, the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup is a great antidote. Not only will it momentarily halt your hockey viewing cravings, but it will lend you insight to the world’s best NHL draft-eligible players in the coming years. We’ll be hearing these names quite often in the coming year – so you might as well get a head start.
Plus, it’s hockey in the summer and another chance to cheer for your country. What more could you ask for?
–