U18: Hlinka Gretzky Cup 2024

[MrCreamm]

4 goals against the entire tournament, crazy, I'm normally used to Canada having to outscore their defensive/goalie problems but this was a different tournament for sure.

 

[macbowes]

Well played by Canada, pretty great defensive performance from the team all tournament long, which is nice to see.

My three stars for the tournament for Canada for be Schaefer, McKenna, and Ivankovic, with HM to Reschny.

Mrtka looked great, he skates very well for a big man, and isn't afraid to jump into the offense, and he seems to be well conditioned, he was skating well until the very end of the game.

 

[jj cale]

I'm not, which is why I'm dreaming of my third ranked prospect. I don't see any way the Sharks aren't the worst team in the league again next season even with our improvements--we'll still be the worst, just regular worst instead of literally the worst team of the cap era.

I gotta say, I was very underwhelmed by McKenna this tournament. Doesn't affect how I feel about him as a prospect, but he should have run this tourney.

I actually thought he learned a lot this tournament and will become a better player for it.

 

[Czechboy]

Please elaborate on in what way these two things are similar... I'm genuinely so confused.


I would take Schaefer over any defenseman in the 2024 class. It's fair to say that I'm quite high on Schaefer (I currently have only Hagens and Martone above him) and I think he's the last core piece my Sharks need in our rebuild.

Well.. you want the girl but she has closed the door and you can't have her.

Czechs wanted the gold but Canada closed the door and we couldn't have it either.

 

[Czechboy]

So we all agree with @Czechboy that this tournament is the most important tournament of the year? Maybe I’m paraphrasing, but I think that’s what he said.

I definitely didn't say that.lol

 

[Bounces R Way]

Good game Czechia

Canada had a little more depth and our goalie was stellar. Schaefer was a treat to watch this tournament, Niedermayer-like out there. Thought it was a bit of a ho hum Hlinka tourney overall, not terrible not great.

Jake O'Brien had a tough tournament.

 

[Ryan Van Horne]

I expect Sweden to be a contender, Frondell, Ihs-Wozniak, Boumedienne, Härenstam on the team.

Ihs-Wozniak


I still haven't gotten used to this name. When I see it, I read it as "left-hand shot Wozniak"

 

[Czechboy]

Congrats Canada! You played great and deserve gold.

Ivankovic was outstanding but so was team Canada's defence and overall game play.

Thought Mrtka really stood out today.

Back to back silvers is great and hopefully it yields some good U18 and U20 results in the future. And some good draft picks with NHL upside.

We had 1 goal and 4 posts. Canada had 2 goals and 1 post. So we were close. Last year was 3-2
. This year was 2-1.

I think benak and Mrtka have a very solid chance at juniors in Ottawa.

I have no complaints. Great tourney. Well coached. Loved the players. Loved the game style.

 

[Czechboy]

Well 2 complaints

1. I know why Hlinka isn't here but where is Wayne? I'm travelling so maybe I missed an interview with him or maybe he presented the trophy?

2. Saturday night gold medal game and an empty arena. Last year's Canada Czech final was sold out in Czech.

If the plan is to have sold out games one summer and empty arenas the next then the plan sucks!

 

[digicamo]

I actually thought he learned a lot this tournament and will become a better player for it.

He’s definitely an elite prospect and will become an all-star in the NHL but he came in labeled as a generational talent and I don’t think he lived up to the hype. I would peg him as a future Brayden Point level all star rather than the next McDavid personally.

 

[jj cale]

He’s definitely an elite prospect and will become an all-star in the NHL but he came in labeled as a generational talent and I don’t think he lived up to the hype. I would peg him as a future Brayden Point level all star rather than the next McDavid personally.

I'll take a Point level player.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I actually thought he learned a lot this tournament and will become a better player for it.

He certainly might, and I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing to use a summer tournament that was Canada's to lose to improve his off-puck game in a competitive situation, but compared to the U18 he was practically invisible today. Like I said, it doesn't change how I feel about him as a prospect, but I wanted to be entertained, damnit!

Well.. you want the girl but she has closed the door and you can't have her.

Czechs wanted the gold but Canada closed the door and we couldn't have it either.

Okay, but there are like a hundred other metaphors you could have used to make the same point.

Nothing against you personally but people on this forum absolutely love to compare hockey situations to being cheated on by your girlfriend or being "friend-zoned" or being broken up with or whatever, and it's just weird.

 

[ORRFForever]

Nothing against you personally but people on this forum absolutely love to compare hockey situations to being cheated on by your girlfriend or being "friend-zoned" or being broken up with or whatever, and it's just weird.

I'll take the opposite approach...

Team Canada's winning at the Hlinka tournament was like when I cheated on my ex...
It was inevitable and it felt GREAT!

 

[Czechboy]

I'll take the opposite approach...

Team Canada's winning at the Hlinka tournament was like when I cheated on my ex...
It was inevitable and it felt GREAT!

Time for confession for you sir!

 

[SOLR]

I'll take the opposite approach...

Team Canada's winning at the Hlinka tournament was like when I cheated on my ex...
It was inevitable and it felt GREAT!

What she said too.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I get being disappointed when your country doesn't win but these kids were a C-team on paper and played their guts out. They gave up nine goals in four games until an empty-netter and a garbage-time PPG with 12 seconds left. Their 5v5 defense and goaltending were excellent the entire tournament until running out of gas against Canada's best. The Czechs and Canadians had their sloppiest games against them and turned pucks over like mad. Five games in six days and Hockey Canada/TSN f***ed them over by giving them an early afternoon start after a night game on 5 games in 6 days. The fact that they're hanging with Sweden today is a testament to the group. I'm not so sure they hurt their respective draft stocks in this tournament. They were an unheralded group and gave it a good run. My assessment will be very glowing of this team, and that's after being quite critical of many recent U.S. Hlinka entries.

I think your standards are very low then.

Calling this a C team is a little much too. I don't know the players as well as you do, but realistically this is the best of the non-NTDP players minus a few kids here or there that were snubbed or injured or not playing for whatever reason. And considering a number of these players are better than the NTDP players, I think calling this any worse than a B (or if you want to get really strict a B-) team is stretching it.

And then I'd point you to the fact that they lost 3 of their 5 games. A US team losing 3 of 5 in any tournament is just too much losing. I don't know why anyone would be okay with that. Maybe that's their level, but they won the shot battle in 4 of the 5 games (only lost it to Canada by 6, tied for least of any team). They also lost the goalie battle in all three of their losses. I don't think the goaltending was that bad against Czechia, but gave up the decisive goal late in the game. Against Canada and Sweden, it was flat out bad. I'd even suggest it was flat out bad against Germany, although it didn't really matter there. Cameron gave up a fade away off balance wrister in a close game to Canada and then a goal from below the goal line against Sweden.

Seems a little much to say the goaltending and defense was both good when the goalies were 9th, 10th, and 17th (of 17) at this tournament in SV%. Either the goaltending was hung out to dry by bad defense or they didn't stop shots they should've. My conclusion is that the goaltending was weak and a lot worse than the nations they lost to (I think probably also worse than Finland). I think the defense was okay. Not great, but I didn't think it lost us these games. Offense lacked difference makers. Yes, there's enough speed, skill, hockey sense, along with a hard working team and a good defense. That's going to keep you in games at a weak tournament like this (no Russia, as bad of a Finland as we've seen in a long time), but they didn't have the difference makers in net or up front to win games that their system got them in. And even on the back-end, none of these guys are anywhere near a player like Schaefer. A few of the defensemen might make the NHL, but probably like bottom pairing guys at that level.

When it becomes to overall draft picks, last 5 teams have have 11 in 2019, 9 in 2020, 12 in 2022, 7 in 2023, and 7 in 2024. This team is looking like the lower end for that I think. Rombach, Fiddler, Grimes, Simpson, Kevan, and then I think a few of Lansing, Sykora, Hayes, Moe, Bleyl, and Cameron end up getting picked at some point (whether their first year or another). So probably around 7. Maybe not a vintage US Hlinka team, but this team should've been better than 3 losses in 5 games.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Sweden has a Novotny??

I love how this website is the "last name ethnicity" police. I always have to chuckle at it.

Since USA has the only two Lindgren's in the NHL, Sweden owes us if Zeb makes the NHL (and Canada owes us if Mats does).

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Nah McD doesn’t have a good one timer. Trust me I know as an Oilers fan. If he had a one timer he’d score soooo many more goals.

Wasn't he injured though this past season and thats why he couldn't shoot? I thought he was better with shooting the prior season and he got a lot better at shooting, but this past season struggled because he had an injury that made it difficult to shoot.

 

[martygod12]

So 1:2 loss thats a shame, sadly I could not watch the game, so how did we play?

All and all we had a great tournament and another medal from one of our youth teams at some big action. This group looks really promising for the future of czech hockey. Lets hope at least some of them stick full time in the NHL.

 

[Swipes]

Congrats to Canada, well played. We still need to find a way to beat you in finals. However, I'm very pleased to see us doing so well at the youth level recently (U-18, WJC etc), so nothing to complain about. See at the WJC!

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

3 in a row!

What a tournament by this team all around. Incredible defensive work by all the pairings and Ivankovic looked unbeatable.

 

[Old Man Jags]

Well 2 complaints

1. I know why Hlinka isn't here but where is Wayne? I'm travelling so maybe I missed an interview with him or maybe he presented the trophy?

2. Saturday night gold medal game and an empty arena. Last year's Canada Czech final was sold out in Czech.

If the plan is to have sold out games one summer and empty arenas the next then the plan sucks!

Yeah, I don’t see the point of having it in Canada at all. The Cup was fine - and the games always close to sold out - when it was just the Hlinka Cup in Breclav, Czech Republic. No idea at all why it was renamed Hlinka-Gretzky and transplanted to more or less empty stadiums in Canada every other year. They should just drop the “Gretzky” and stage it back in the Czech Republic every year again.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

I noticed this as well. The French kids didn't sing in English like they usually would drowning out the english and RDS ran with it lol.

It just doesn't make sense that a program like Hockey Canada can't teach these kids 33 French words from U17 so come U20, Worlds, Olympics the anthem is sung properly in unity.

 

[Cloned]

Wasn't he injured though this past season and thats why he couldn't shoot? I thought he was better with shooting the prior season and he got a lot better at shooting, but this past season struggled because he had an injury that made it difficult to shoot.

He’s never had a good one timer, even when he scored 60 most of them were wrist shots.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Ihs-Wozniak


I still haven't gotten used to this name. When I see it, I read it as "left-hand shot Wozniak"

Were you able to type it. My computer corrects it to His-Wozniak.