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SPOTLIGHT

Six Questions with Kris Draper

The Detroit Red Wings’ amateur scouting director talks about the importance of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup to the scouting community, and what fans in Edmonton can expect this summer

Jason La Rose

July 24, 2024

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2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

The 2024 NHL Draft is done, Canada Day has come and gone and the temperatures are pushing 30 degrees, but one of the hottest events on the international hockey calendar is just over two weeks away.

The 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup begins Aug. 5, bringing the future stars of the game to Edmonton.

In the lead up to puck drop at Rogers Place, HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca had an opportunity to talk to Kris Draper, assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting with the Detroit Red Wings, about the event and its importance to scouts.

HGC: Why is the Hlinka Gretzky Cup an important event for scouts?

KD: Every director of amateur scouting is there, tons of scouts, and there are a lot of general managers. When you go to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, it’s a great way to start the scouting season. You get to see the players, you get to see where they're going to be playing [in the lineup] and you get an opportunity to know which prospects you’re going to be chasing in the upcoming season. It's always a lot of fun to watch these kids.

It's a great opportunity for Canada to send their best, because it’s different for Canada at the U18 Worlds [in the spring], because the CHL playoffs are going on. So that’s not always an opportunity to see Canada's top, top players play in an international event, but at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup you do, and that's something that you enjoy going to see [as a scout].

HGC: Most of these players are the best on their club teams, so how important is it to see how players fit in different roles and different situations?

KD: You get to see how these players respond moving up and down the lineup. And chances are some of these prospects will be playing different positions as well. They might be a natural centre, and with the depth of centre at international events, they might have to move to the wing. So you get to see the versatility of some of these prospects, which is great.

HGC: As a scout, how important to set a baseline for the upcoming season?

KD: It's one tournament in August, so it’s certainly not going to make or break a prospect. But these players want to have a great showing. They know the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is watched by every single organization. They know that general managers are there, assistant general managers, amateur scouting directors, a lot of scouts. So, it's a great opportunity for them right off the bat to show who they are and what they're made of. For us, it’s just seeing what they're all about, seeing how they play, how they compete. And then from there, you start tracking them come fall in September.

HGC: How much of this tournament is confirming what you maybe already know about a player, versus trying to find that diamond in the rough?

KD: Whether it's Sweden, Finland, Czechia, the U.S.… we know they're bringing their top players, but some of these players we might not have seen them play that much in their underage year, and now all of a sudden you get to see them. Maybe they didn't have an opportunity to play in an international event. Maybe they had a bit of a growth spurt. Maybe it’s what they do, how they train off the ice, how they prepare, how they get ready, and now they're setting themselves up and they know how important this year is. They know how important the draft year is. These young prospects want to make a statement right off the bat. And that's really what this tournament is for them, to give them the opportunity to do that. And that's the fun part. You get to see a lot of the high-end players, but all of a sudden you kind of get to see some guys like, ‘You know what? This kid's pretty good.’ And you get to talk to your scouts when you get to follow up with them and say, ‘Hey, did you expect this kid to be this good?’ Those are fun conversations to have, and then you start tracking them.

HGC: The Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and the Oilers included 20 tournament alumni. What does that say about the calibre of hockey that will be on the ice this summer?

KD: It speaks volumes to exactly what the tournament is. We've talked about it, the best on best. When we went through the combine [in June], you know that you're sitting there with these players across the table and you've seen the majority of them at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. And here they are going from that tournament all the way through the process, probably to the IIHF U18 World Championship and then heading to Vegas for the NHL Draft. When you have the countries that are there and the players that represent their countries in this tournament, that's a great number and it just speaks volumes.

HGC: What do Edmonton fans need to know about the hockey that’s going to be on the ice at Rogers Place this summer?

KD: I think you just summed it up with what you said about 20 alumni playing in the Stanley Cup Final. It just shows you how good this tournament is. And there's a reason why all the scouts and general managers come to this event; they want to have the opportunity to see the players that they're going to be tracking, basically from August until May. And anytime Canada can send their best players, it's always a great event to be able to watch that. So, there's going to be some great hockey players. We know that. It's going to be competitive. These prospects take a lot of pride in how they play the game when they put their country’s jersey on. Come and watch all these names that you're going to be hearing a year from now for next year's draft. It’s a great event and a great week of hockey.

Single-game tickets are now on sale, beginning as low as $20 a game, with multiple ticket package options also available. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca .

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team roster named for 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

22 players to wear Maple Leaf to defend gold medal in Edmonton

NR.050.24

July 30, 2024

CALGARY, Alberta – Twenty-two players have been selected to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team as it looks to defend its gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Aug. 5-10 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards — representing eight Members—were selected by head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) and Dave Brown (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON/Erie, OHL), the U18 lead for the Program of Excellence management group, with input from Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations.

Head coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna, BC/Kelowna, WHL) and assistant coaches Gordie Dwyer (Dalhousie, NB/Acadie-Bathurst, LMJHQ) and Ryan Oulahen (Newmarket, ON/North Bay, OHL)also provided input.

Among the 22 players are five who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship (Desnoyers, Hamilton, Ivankovic, McKenna, Schaefer) and seventeen that suited up at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, including nine who won gold with Canada White (Czata, Desnoyers, Guite, Hopkins, Huang, Ivankovic, Reid, Schaefer, Schmidt) .

“This is a group of accomplished athletes that have earned this opportunity to represent their country and defend a gold medal,” Brown said. “The opportunity to play for Canada on home ice isn’t something that happens often, and we’re excited for this group and what lies ahead.”

Prior to the start of the tournament, Team Canada will take on Slovakia on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. MT/9 p.m. ET at Bill Hunter Arena, and Czechia on Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. MT/9 p.m. ET at the Downtown Community Arena.

Canada opens the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Aug. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. ET. It will also face Slovakia and Sweden in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 10.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast all games from Edmonton; please check local listings for more details.

Canada has won 24 gold medals in 32 years of summer under-18 competition, along with three silver medals and one bronze.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca , or follow along via social media on Facebook , X and Instagram .

Coaching staffs named for 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2024 U17 World Challenge

Kris Mallette to lead Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team; Travis Crickard and Mathieu Turcotte behind the bench with U17 teams

NR.046.24

July 12, 2024

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has named the coaching and support staffs that will lead Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team in defence of its gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as well as the coaches who will be behind the bench with Canada’s national under-17 teams at the 2024 U17 World Challenge.

After helping lead Canada to back-to-back gold medals as an assistant coach at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Kris Mallette (Kelowna, BC/Kelowna, WHL) returns to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team for the third-consecutive year, this time serving as head coach.

Mallette will be joined on the bench by assistant coaches Gordie Dwyer (Dalhousie, NB/Acadie-Bathurst, LMJHQ) and Ryan Oulahen (Newmarket, ON/North Bay, OHL), along with goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops, BC/Kamloops, WHL) and video coach Ethan O’Rourke (Bowmanville, ON/Kingston, OHL).

“We are excited to unveil the coaching and support staffs that will lead our National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team as we look to defend our gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup,” said Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), senior manager of hockey operations. “Kris, Gordie, Ryan, Dan and Ethan bring extensive experience both at the international and Canadian Hockey League levels, and they will be great leaders for this talented group of young men who will compete for Canada in Edmonton next month.”

Mallette has served as head coach of the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the past five seasons (2019-24) after six seasons (2013-19) as an assistant, winning a WHL championship and helping the Rockets reach the Memorial Cup final in 2015. Internationally, in addition to his two Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medals, he also won silver as head coach of Canada Red at the 2021 Capital City Challenge.

Dwyer has served as the head coach and general manager of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) since 2022, prior to which he was the head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs in 2021-22 and Shawinigan Cataractes in 2019-20. Dwyer won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship. He also served as Canada’s head coach at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games winning a bronze medal, along with a bronze medal as an assistant coach at the 2012 IIHF U18 World Championship.

Oulahen just completed his sixth season as head coach of the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Prior to that, he spent three seasons as head coach of the OHL’s Flint Firebirds and six seasons as an assistant coach with the Battalion (2010-16). Oulahen was also behind the bench at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2014 (assistant coach, Canada Red), 2015 (assistant coach, Canada Black) and 2016 (head coach, Canada White), and was an assistant at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning silver.

For a full list of staff for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please click here.

The roster for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp will be announced at a later date.

Canada will open the preliminary round at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Aug. 5 at 7:30 p.m. MT/9:30 p.m. ET. It will also take on Slovakia and Sweden on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, respectively, before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 10.

On the under-17 side, Travis Crickard (St. John’s, NL/Saint John, QMJHL) and Mathieu Turcotte (Kirkland, QC/Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL) will be behind the benches of Team Canada Red and Team Canada Black, respectively.

Joining Crickard behind the Canada Red bench are assistant coaches Matt Anholt (Prince Albert, SK/Lethbridge, WHL) and Wes Wolfe (Niagara Falls, ON/Erie, OHL).

Turcotte will have assistant coaches Brad MacKenzie (Charlottetown, PE/Halifax, QMJHL) and Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert, SK/Prince Albert, WHL) behind the Team Canada Black bench.

“Under-17 is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, and we are excited to welcome some of the best coaches from the Canadian Hockey League to introduce the country’s top young players to our program,” said Roy. “Each of these coaches brings experience to international, short-term competition and we are eager to continue our preparations leading into November.”

Crickard recently finished his second season as head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs following one season as an assistant. He won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship and as video coach at the same tournament in 2021. Crickard was an assistant coach for Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, finishing fourth, and was video coach (2016) and assistant coach (2017) with Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, winning a silver medal in 2016.

Turcotte just wrapped up his first season as head coach of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Prior to joining the Armada, he served as head coach of the Blizzard du Séminaire Saint-François of the Ligue de hockey M18 AAA du Québec, winning gold at the 2023 Men’s U18 National Club Championship. He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs (2019-22), six seasons with the LHM18AAAQ’s Chevaliers de Lévis as assistant coach (2008-10) and GM/head coach (2015-19), and stints as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs (2010-12) and Chicoutimi Saguenéens (2012-14).

Anholt was named associate coach of the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes in June. He has spent six seasons with the hockey club holding roles as skills and development coach before being named an assistant coach in 2020. Ahead of the 2021-22 season, Anholt added assistant general manager to his title, working alongside his father, Lethbridge GM Peter Anholt. He was also an assistant coach with Canada Red at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

MacKenzie recently completed his third season as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads and was promoted to associate coach in June. Prior to joining the Mooseheads, he was head coach of the Grand River Rapids of the Maritime Hockey League (2019-21), earning MHL coach of the year honours in 2020-21.

McDonald recently completed his third full season as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. He won a silver medal as an assistant coach with Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games, and also spent four seasons with the Warman Wildcats AAA program at both the U15 and U18 level. McDonald played five seasons in the WHL with the Regina Pats and Prince Albert followed by a four-year U SPORTS career at Lakehead University and the University of Saskatchewan.

Wolfe recently completed his second season of his second stint as an assistant coach OHL’s Erie Otters. He spent the 2021-22 season as general manager and head coach of the Cobourg Cougars of the Ontario Junior Hockey League following five seasons (2016-21) as an assistant coach with Erie, helping the team win the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions in his first season.

For a list of staff for Canada’s national under-17 teams, please click here.

The roster for Canada’s national under-17 development camp will be announced at a later date.

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s national Men’s Summer Under-18 Team or Canada’s national under-17 program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Cayden Lindstrom at the 2024 NHL Draft (left) and on ice at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (right).

Alumni take next step in Vegas

Led by No. 4 pick Cayden Lindstrom, 55 Hlinka Gretzky Cup alumni heard their names called at the 2024 NHL Draft

Jason La Rose

July 03, 2024

Hlinka Gretzky Cup alumni went early and often at the 2024 NHL Draft, with 11 first-round selections from five countries leading a group of 55 who pulled on an NHL jersey for the first time at Sphere in Las Vegas.

The first alumnus off the board was the fourth player selected. Cayden Lindstrom scored twice (including a goal in the gold medal game) and added an assist in five games to help Canada win a 24th summer U18 gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

In all, four of the first nine picks and seven of the first 20 were alumni, and seven countries were represented.

Canada – 17

Cole Beaudoin, Berkly Catton, Ben Danford, Sam Dickinson, Charlie Elick, Carter George, Liam Greentree, Tanner Howe, Ollie Josephson, Ryerson Leenders, Cayden Lindstrom, Maxim Massé, Henry Mews, Zayne Parekh, Justin Poirier, Ryder Ritchie, Carson Wetsch

Finland – 10

Emil Hemming, Aron Kiviharju, Markus Loponen, Julius Miettinen, Niilopekka Muhonen, Heikki Ruohonen, Joona Saarelainen, Kim Saarinen, Veeti Väisänen, Eemil Vinni

Czechia – 9

Dominik Badinka, Ales Cech, Maxmilian Curran, Jakub Fibigr, Adam Jecho, Adam Jiricek, Ondrej Kos, Jakub Milota, Petr Sikora

United States – 8

Trevor Connelly, Joe Connor, Tanner Henricks, Adam Kleber, Tory Pitner, AJ Spellacy, Mac Swanson, Will Zellers

Sweden – 7

Alfons Freij, Gabriel Eliasson, Linus Eriksson, Melvin Fernström, Erik Pahlsson, Lucas Pettersson, Leo Sahlin Wallenius

Switzerland – 3

Christian Kirsch, Leon Muggli, Basile Sansonnens

Russia – 1

Ivan Demidov

The Canadians’ total includes 16 members of the team that won gold last summer in Breclav and Trencin (of the 17 who were draft eligible), highlighted by captain Berkly Catton. The Seattle first-round selection (eighth overall) scored eight goals in five games—the second-most ever by a Canadian at a summer U18 tournament—and co-led the tournament in scoring with 10 points (8-2—10).

Five of the top 10 point-getters from the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup were chosen. American Trevor Connelly (5-5—10), who finished tied with Catton and Czech forward Adam Benak (who isn’t eligible until the 2025 draft), went to the Vegas Golden Knights with the 19th pick in the first round.

The 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup runs Aug. 5-10 in Edmonton, putting the top prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft on display in best-on-best competition. Single-game tickets are now on sale, beginning as low as $20 a game, with multiple ticket package options also available.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca.

Ready for their moment

With the 2024 NHL Draft on tap in Las Vegas, Hlinka Gretzky Cup alumni are set to take the next step on their hockey journeys

Jason La Rose

June 27, 2024

The future stars of the game will find a new home this weekend when Las Vegas hosts the 2024 NHL Draft.

A total of 224 players will hear their names called on Friday and Saturday, and a number of Hlinka Gretzky Cup alumni will be among them.

Let’s start with the team that took home the top prize last summer in Breclav and Trencin – Canada.

Of the 23 players on the Canadian roster, 17 are draft eligible. And if the final pre-draft rankings from a pair of TSN personalities are any indication, they’ll be going early and often.

Craig Button’s mock draft includes six 2023 gold medallists going in the first round – Cayden Lindstrom (4), Zayne Parekh (7), Sam Dickinson (8), Berkly Catton (15), Charlie Elick (30) and Ryder Ritchie (31) – while the final rankings from Bob McKenzie include 11 among his top 90 – Lindstrom (5), Dickinson (6), Parekh (8), Catton (12), Ritchie (31), Elick (33), Maxim Massé (39), Henry Mews (48), Ben Danford (54), Carson Wetsch (70) and Carter George (71).

(And if you’re wondering about the consensus No. 1 pick, Macklin Celebrini? He missed out on the tournament last summer with a shoulder injury.)

McKenzie also has a 2022 gold medallist on his board – Tanner Howe (45).

But that’s only one team!

If Button’s prognostications hold true, the Canadian contingent will be joined in Round 1 by American forward Trevor Connelly (11) and Czech defenceman Adam Jiricek (14), while the Hlinka Gretzky Cup alums in McKenzie’s rankings total 16 from four countries:

Czechia – Jiricek (16), Adam Jecho (60), Ondrej Kos (68), Tomas Galvas (82)

Finland – Emil Hemming (26), Julius Miettinen (46), Aron Kiviharju (52), Veeti Väisänen (75)

Sweden – Lucas Pettersson (40), Alfons Freij (41), Leo Sahlin Wallenius (42), Linus Eriksson (44), Gabriel Eliasson (46), Melvin Fernström (80)

United States – Connelly (15), Adam Kleber (51)

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca.