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Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1991 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Countries | Slovakia, Czech Republic, Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Canada (25th title) (2024) |
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.
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 alternated 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]
- ^ Matheson, Jim (August 4, 2018). "Hlinka Gretzky Cup the first step to possible NHL stardom". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved August 6, 2018.