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Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1991; 34 years ago (1991) |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Countries | Slovakia,Czech Republic,Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Canada (25th title) (2024) |
TheHlinka Gretzky Cup is an annual international under-18ice hockey tournament administered byHockey Canada, theCzech Ice Hockey Association, and theSlovak 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 theNations Cup, theU-18 Junior World Cup, andIvan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. From 2018 through 2023, the tournament alternated betweenEdmonton/Red Deer,Alberta andBřeclav, Czech Republic/Piešťany, Slovakia.
The event is not sanctioned by theInternational Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which holds its ownU18 championship in April.
The tournament is a prominent pre-season showcase forNational Hockey League (NHL) prospects; 17 players on Canada's winning team from 2017 were selected with first-round picks in the2018 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
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 thePhoenix Cup, after which thePacific Cup moniker was adopted (with the exception of 1994, when Mexico served as the host country and the tournament was known asLa Copa Mexico).
In 1996, the tournament was first held in Canada. Beginning in 1997, four years after thedissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia began alternating as hosts, and the tournament was renamed theNations Cup. The two countries alternated until 2003, then co-hosted from 2003 through 2017. At this time, it was also renamed theU-18 Junior World Cup.
In 2007, the event was renamed theIvan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in honour of prominent Czech playerIvan Hlinka—who had died in a vehicle accident in 2004.[1]
In January 2018,Hockey Canada announced that the 2018 edition would be co-hosted byEdmonton andRed Deer,Alberta, in association withOilers Entertainment Group and the Czech and Slovak ice hockey federations, and that the event had been renamed theHlinka Gretzky Cup, honouringEdmonton Oilershall of famerWayne Gretzky and Czech legendIvan Hlinka.[2] The tournament will alternate between Edmonton/Red Deer andBřeclav/Piešťany annually through 2022.[1][3]
The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to theCOVID-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 the2022 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]
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.
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Medals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Canada | 25 | 3 | 1 | 29 |
 Russia / Soviet Union | 5 | 4 | 9 | 18 |
 Czech Republic | 1 | 10 | 4 | 15 |
 United States | 1 | 9 | 4 | 14 |
 Sweden | 1 | 4 | 9 | 14 |
 Finland | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
 Slovakia | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
