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 and it highlights players in the summer prior to their draft year. In one such example, 17 players on Canada's winning team from 2017 were selected with first-round picks in the 2018 NHL entry draft.
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 and the most successful Czech national team head coach Ivan Hlinka—who had died in a vehicle accident in 2004.
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 (OEG) and the Czech and Slovak ice hockey federations, and that the event had been renamed the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, honouring Edmonton Oilers hall of famer Wayne Gretzky and Czech legend Ivan Hlinka. The tournament will alternate between Edmonton/Red Deer and Břeclav/Piešťany annually through 2022.
The Sports Network (TSN) first televised the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018, after reaching an agreement with OEG executive Bob Nicholson. TSN vice-president Paul Graham envisioned a marketable hockey event in August despite low in-person attendance at the time. He felt that agreeing to televise the 2019 event in Europe was part of a process of educating Canadians about the event.
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.
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.
Results YearGoldSilverBronze4thHost Cities1991 Sapporo / Yokohama, Japan1992 Tokyo, Japan1993 Yokohama, Japan1994 Mexico City, Mexico1995 Yokohama, Japan1996 Nelson / Castlegar, Canada1997 – Jihlava / Žďár nad Sázavou / Znojmo, Czech Republic1998 Bratislava / Trnava, Slovakia1999 Havlíčkův Brod / Třebíč / Znojmo, Czech Republic2000 Kežmarok, Slovakia2001 Kolín / Mladá Boleslav / Nymburk, Czech Republic2002 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2003 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2004 / Břeclav/Hodonín, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2005 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2006 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2007 / Hodonín, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2008 / Piešťany, Slovakia / Břeclav, Czech Republic2009 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2010 / Piešťany, Slovakia / Břeclav, Czech Republic2011 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2012 / Piešťany, Slovakia / Břeclav, Czech Republic2013 / Piešťany, Slovakia / Břeclav, Czech Republic 2014 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2015 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Bratislava, Slovakia2016 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Bratislava, Slovakia2017 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Bratislava, Slovakia2018 Edmonton / Red Deer, Canada2019 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2020 Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Edmonton / Red Deer, Canada2021 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Piešťany, Slovakia2022 Red Deer, Canada2023 / Břeclav, Czech Republic / Trenčín, Slovakia2024 Edmonton, Canada 2025 / Brno, Czech Republic / Trenčín, Slovakia2026 Edmonton, Canada
Medal leaders Country Gold Silver BronzeMedals263231 / 5491821041611041515915024601230011Totals for 8 countries343434–
References
External links History from Hockey Canada