Ethan Czata

The 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup is set to kick off in Edmonton on August 5th. The event will feature the top U18 players from eight countries – Canada, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. It’s the first chance for many of the top names in the 2025 NHL Draft to earn their keep, sparking plenty of storylines worth following closely. We’ll break down three top storylines entering the unofficial start of the NHL scouting season.

The Top Storylines At The 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Can Team Canada Achieve Yet Another Three-Peat?

Team Canada sits unrivaled atop the Hlinka leaderboards, having medaled in 28 of the 32 tournaments since 1991 – including a seven-year Gold streak from 1994 to 2002 and an eight-year streak from 2008 to 2015. Moreover, Canada has won Gold at every Hlinka hosted in Canada – and they seem poised to uphold that prophecy this year. The Canadian roster is full of top-end NHL Draft talent, including the perennial Gavin McKenna – who recently broke Alex Ovechkin’s U17 scoring record at the World U18 Championship with 10 goals and 20 points in just seven games. McKenna is among the best prospects in hockey right now – and isn’t draft-eligible until 2026. He’ll be well flanked by defenseman Matthew Schaefer – potentially this year’s top defenseman – and backed on the depth chart by Jake O’Brien – a flashy, two-way centerman vying for his own first round love.

And while Canada’s top-end offense extends well beyond the trio – it’s their depth that pushes them to the top once again. The competition for the team’s fourth line could feature some mix of Emile Guite, Ethan Czata, Braeden Cootes, and Liam Kilfoil  – a quartet of easy picks for this year’s top breakout candidate: Guite for his shot, Czata for his grit, and Cootes and Kilfoil for their high-speed playmaking. The whole group is backed by Jack Ivankovic, who proved his worth with a .915 save percentage in 25 OHL games last year, though some still remain skeptical about his 5’11” frame. Still, his athleticism should be the perfect flashy backdrop to a Team Canada team gearing up for another big tournament.

Who Will Emerge As Team USA’s Star?

Team USA is intentionally pigeon-holed at every Hlinka, opting not to roster any members of their U.S. National Team Development and instead picking the top options out of the USHL, NAHL, and youth hockey. That decision inspires the reoccurring question of who will emerge as the leaders of a hodgepodge group. It’s a prestigious role, previously held by top prospects like Trevor Connelly, Quentin Musty, and Arthur Kaliyev – who each went on to be picked in their respective draft’s top 35.

This year’s top option seems to be Benjamin Kevan – who led all U17 skaters in the USHL in scoring last season with 57 points in 59 games, over 20 points more than Lev Katzin, who ranked second. In fact, Kevan joined Macklin Celebrini as the league’s only U17 skaters to break 50 points since 2018. That’s lofty company, and while Kevan isn’t on Celebrini’s tier of generational prospect, the power and drive behind his all-offense style could be enough to command first round attention this year. Jesse Orlowsky and Sam Kappell seem like strong secondary candidates – both boasting similar heft and playmaking to Kevan – though the undersized Sam Spehar could end up the one to stand out after a fantastic U17 Selects camp to earn a roster spot.

Whichever forward emerges on top will have to bring the drive to make up for a defense and goalie group a bit weaker than Team USA typically brings – adding to the challenge of the top spot.

Does Team Sweden Have Enough Firepower?

Team Sweden enters this year’s Hlinka with a significantly improved roster, after managing a measly 2-1-0 record and fifth place finish last year. Their lineup is bolstered by top-of-the-draft prospects in Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Filip Ekberg, and Ivar Stenberg. The trio led Sweden in a much more fruitful 2023 World U17 Challenge, largely thanks to Stenberg’s seven goals and 10 points in seven games. Players like Viktor Klingsell and Eric Nilsson stretch the high-impact offense down Sweden’s lineup, though it’s premiere defenseman Sascha Boumedienne that could be the X-factor. Boumedienne is the dark horse candidate for the 2025 draft’s top defenseman, after scoring 27 points in 49 USHL games and 11 points in 18 games with Sweden’s U17 team last year. He boasts a hefty, built-out frame and all of the strength that comes with it – showing a strong ability to carry the puck downhill with power and awareness. To what extent he’s able to again blend with Sweden’s high-scoring forwards could prove one of this year’s most exciting storylines to follow.