2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Top standouts as Canada wins 25th tournament championship

EDMONTON – For the 25th time in tournament history, Canada has won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, beating Czechia 2-1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

With the win, Canada became the first team to hit the quarter-century mark, with no active team winning more than one. Russia holds the second most at five, but have not participated since winning gold in 2021. This is Canada’s third straight championship, while Czechia has five medals to their credit since 2014.

Sweden beat USA 6-3 to win bronze earlier in the day.

The Canadians didn’t need long to score first. Just after the Czechs killed off a penalty to Tomas Poletin, Liam Kilfoil would beat Ondrej Stebetak on an open cage after Brady Martin found him in front all alone. Caleb Desnoyers would then score with under a minute to go in the first, taking a feed from Cameron Schmidt just seconds after a line change to make it a 2-0 game.

The second period didn’t see any goals, but Canada controlled the pace of play. Canada outshot the Czechs 7-4 in the second, but they managed to hold the puck significantly more and kept the Czech attackers from getting too close to goaltender Jack Ivankovic.

The third period was much of the same. Both teams had their chances, with Canada boasting the more dangerous opportunities. In the end, the Czechs got a goal with less than a minute left, but it wasn’t enough to secure the victory.

Here’s a look at the top performers from both teams:

Canada

#16 Brady Martin, RW: There hasn’t been a player I’ve liked down the stretch more than Martin. He’s so creative and playing with so much confidence. A great shift from him led to the 1-0 goal, deking out two different Czech players before regaining possession a few seconds later and finding Liam Kilfoil. Mark my words, he’s going to rise up everyone’s rankings this year.

#3 Jackson Smith, D: Smith was as physical as we’ve seen him play this week, even though it got him into trouble with a minor penalty in the second. I think he continued to elevate his performance with every single game, but today, his physical play took the Czech attackers off guard. I think he’s going to be a solid NHL defenseman one day.

#19 Cameron Reid, D: Smith’s D-partner had probably his best game of the tournament. While Smith was more about providing the boom, Reid kept his defensive game simple and smart. I didn’t notice him too much during the preliminary round but felt he was speedier and more aggressive than we saw early on over the past two games.

#23 Cameron Schmidt, RW: I loved Schmidt’s game again today. He made an excellent pass to Caleb Desnoyers for the 2-0 goal and then proceeded to tangle with just about everyone. He’s a stink disturber – nobody scares him, despite being just 5-foot-8. When you’re small and have an edge, scouts notice – and like it.

Czechia

#1 Ondrej Stebetak, G: Stebetak had to be busy, and there’s only so much you can do when your high-flying offense dries up. He went toe-to-toe with Ivankovic all game, but those first two goals weren’t Stebetak’s fault. He was especially good in the second period when the Canadians kept up the pressure, but

#8 Vit Zahejsky, RW: He couldn’t get the offense going, but Zahejsky was probably the most noticeable forward for the Czechs, especially with Adam Benak having a quiet showing. He worked his tail off and almost tipped a shot in during the first period. I also loved him on the penalty kill, too. From an overall standpoint, I think Zahejsky had a good tournament and I’m excited to see him in the WHL because his work ethic will allow him to thrive.