For only the second time in history, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is being held in Edmonton. The 2024 edition of this annual under-18 international tournament runs from today, August 5, to Saturday, August 10, at Rogers Place.
The tournament, which began in 1991 as the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, was first hosted in Edmonton in 2018. That year, Canada defeated Sweden in the championship game of the eight-team event.
Most of the players participating in this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup were born in 2007 and are eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft. This means that fans in Edmonton might see future Oilers prospects in action.
To illustrate, roughly one-third of Edmonton’s projected lineup for the 2024-25 season participated in this tournament before their respective draft years. Here’s a look at current Oilers with experience in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup:
- Mattias Ekholm, Sweden, 2007: Ekholm contributed a goal and an assist in four games, helping Sweden win the tournament for the first time. He was drafted 102nd overall by the Nashville Predators in 2009.
- Evander Kane, Canada, 2008: Kane scored one goal and three assists in four games, leading Canada to a gold medal. He was selected fourth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2009 NHL Draft.
- Jeff Skinner, Canada, 2009: Skinner led the tournament with six goals, including two in the final, as Canada won gold. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes.
- Viktor Arvidsson, Sweden, 2010: Arvidsson tied for most goals with five, helping Sweden win bronze. He was drafted 112th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2014.
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Canada, 2010: Nugent-Hopkins scored five goals in five games, leading Canada to gold. The Oilers selected him first overall in the 2011 NHL Draft.
- Darnell Nurse, Canada, 2012: Nurse was a key defenseman on Canada’s gold medal-winning team. He was drafted seventh overall by the Oilers in 2013.
- Cam Dineen, United States, 2015: Dineen led American defensemen with two points and a plus-3 rating. He was drafted 68th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2016 and was traded to Edmonton in 2023.
- Ben Gleason, United States, 2015: Gleason, a defensive teammate of Dineen’s, went undrafted but later joined the NHL with the Dallas Stars and signed with the Oilers in 2023.
- Philip Broberg, Sweden, 2018: Broberg led all defensemen with three goals, including a game-winner, as Sweden earned silver. He was the eighth overall pick by Edmonton in 2019.
- Dylan Holloway, Canada, 2018: Holloway, at just 16, helped Canada defeat Broberg and Sweden to win gold. He was drafted 14th overall by Edmonton in 2020.
- Roby Jarventie, Finland, 2019: The newest Oiler, acquired from the Ottawa Senators in July, scored one goal for Finland in the 2019 tournament. He was drafted 33rd overall by Ottawa in 2020.
The 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup begins today at noon with Slovakia facing Sweden, and will run through Saturday, August 10, with the gold medal game scheduled for 6:00 p.m. MDT.