Canada come together to secure 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold

Moncton’s Caleb Desnoyers was so confident Canada would win the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup he had no problem saying it on the record.

“I’m not even worried that we will finish with a smile at the end of the tournament,” he said Sunday.

After he scored the game-winning goal Saturday in a 2-1 win over Czechia in the gold medal game, he doubled down.

“I visualized it a lot before the tournament and knew we were going to win,” he said. “Having such a special group, I was really confident to talk that way before the tournament and I’m not surprised that it happened.”

Canada’s victory in Edmonton, AB., secured a third straight Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal and the 25th in program history in 33 appearances.

Halifax’s Liam Kilfoil had given Canada a 1-0 lead while Brampton’s Jack Ivankovic stopped 18 shots and came within 8.2 seconds of a shutout in the final.

 

The entire 22-man roster was made up of CHL players, all of whom are draft in eligible in 2025 outside of 2026 prospect Gavin McKenna of Medicine Hat.

“The feeling is unreal,” McKenna said. “I have no words to describe it. This group of guys was unbelievable and to win it at home is an amazing feeling.

“You become so close with these guys and by the end of it you’re brothers. You’re doing it for the guy beside you. It’s a short tournament but you’ve got to bond as quick as you can and I thought we all did a great job of that.”

Canada outscored opponents 24-4 across five games with its +20 goal difference the best in the tournament. Czechia’s Tomas Poletin’s goal in the waning seconds of the final prevented a perfect tournament penalty kill but the hosts killed off 17 of 18 penalties. They went 6-for-13 on the power play.

“You’ve got the best players in this age group, high expectations,” Canada head coach Kris Mallette said. “You start off a little slow, [they’re] trying to figure out their role and how they accept it but as this tournament rolled on you saw how much better we got day in and day out, game in and game out.

“You have guys that are buying in and doing whatever it takes. Two weeks of being with these young men will forge a friendship for the rest of our lives.”

Chicoutimi’s Émile Guité and Victoria’s Cole Reshcny tied for the team lead with seven points apiece while the duo – alongside McKenna – each scored three times. Ivankovic registered a .967 save percentage and a 0.75 GAA.

 

All but two players on the Canada roster had previously represented their country while 12 players already had international gold to their name. With a ton of pre-existing chemistry, a trip to West Edmonton Mall to play mini-golf ahead of the tournament secured a bond among the team that was the base for a Canadian victory.

“My team won and we had a good chirp-fest with some of the guys,” Ivankovic said. “But that was one of the main things that brought us together as a group and helped us bond.”

A week later, Canada were champions again.

“To be able to wear the gold medal is unbelievable” Guité said. “The chemistry is why we won gold. We worked hard every single day, every single game. We never gave up.”