Hlinka Gretzky Cup: 10 QMJHL players selected

Hockey Canada has unveiled its list of 22 players who will take part in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup from August 5 to 10 in Edmonton, Alberta. The list includes five QMJHL players: goaltender Lucas Beckman of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, forward Caleb Desnoyers of the Moncton Wildcats, forward Émile Guité of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, defenseman Alex Huang, also of the Saguenéens, and forward Liam Kilfoil of the Halifax Mooseheads.

Five other QMJHL players will represent the other countries participating: Stepan Cerny of the Gatineau Olympiques with the Czechia, Carlos Handel of the Mooseheads with Germany, Andreas Straka of the Québec Remparts with Slovakia, as well as Florian Schenk of the Saint John Sea Dogs and Lars Steiner of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies with Switzerland.

Congratulations and good luck to our 10 representatives!

Here is the full press release from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL):

A total of 46 players with ties to the CHL will compete in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, including at least one player from each of the eight countries participating in the tournament

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce that 22 CHL players were named to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team for the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which is scheduled to run from August 5-10 in Edmonton, Alberta (see complete list of players below). Specifically, there are nine players from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), eight players from the Western Hockey League (WHL), and five from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) who will aim to help Canada defend its gold medal in Edmonton.

Among those chosen are five CHL players who won gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship last May: Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL), Reese Hamilton (Calgary Hitmen / WHL), Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads / OHL), Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL), and Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters / OHL). Canada’s roster also includes the reigning CHL, WHL, OHL, and QMJHL Rookies of the Year in Gavin McKenna (2023-24 CHL & WHL Rookie of the Year), Jake O’Brien (2023-24 OHL Rookie of the Year), and Émile Guité (2023-24 QMJHL Rookie of the Year).

20 of the 22 CHL players set to lace up their skates for Team Canada at the tournament have previously worn the Maple Leaf on the international stage, including nine CHL players who won gold with Canada White at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge: Tyler Hopkins (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL), Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants / WHL), Desnoyers, Guité (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL), Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs / OHL), Schaefer, Alex Huang (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL), Cameron Reid (Kitchener Rangers / OHL), and Ivankovic.

Ultimately, two goaltenders, seven defencemen, and 13 forwards were selected by head scout Byron Bonora and Dave Brown (Erie Otters / OHL), the U18 lead for the Program of Excellence management group, with input from Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. Head coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna Rockets / WHL) along with assistant coaches Gordie Dwyer (Acadie-Bathurst Titan / QMJHL) and Ryan Oulahen (North Bay Battalion / OHL) also provided input.

“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.”

In total, 46 players with ties to the CHL will compete in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, including at least one player from each of the eight countries participating in the tournament (see complete list below). The latter includes 18 players from both the WHL and OHL, along with 10 from the QMJHL. The 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup will also likely feature several players who will represent the CHL at its newest event, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada, which is a two-game series scheduled for November 2024 between the CHL and USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP). Fans interested in learning more about the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge are encouraged to enter their name and contact information at chl.ca/prospectschallenge.

Before 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.

As the best development league in the world, the CHL continues to be the top supplier of talent to Hockey Canada’s various national programs, which include providing Team Canada with world-class players, coaches, and hockey operations staff. 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.

46 PLAYERS WITH TIES TO THE CHL AT THE 2024 HLINKA GRETZKY CUP

Canada (22)
(G) Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads / OHL)
(G) Lucas Beckman (Baie-Comeau Drakkar / QMJHL)
(D) Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans / WHL)
(D) Peyton Kettles (Swift Current Broncos / WHL)
(D) Reese Hamilton (Calgary Hitmen / WHL)
(D) Quinn Beauchesne (Guelph Storm / OHL)
(D) Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters / OHL)
(D) Alex Huang (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL) 
(D) Cameron Reid (Kitchener Rangers / OHL)
(F) Cole Reschny (Victoria Royals / WHL)
(F) Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)
(F) Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL)
(F) Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL)
(F) Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL)
(F) Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants / WHL)
(F) Braeden Cootes (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)
(F) Tyler Hopkins (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL)
(F) Émile Guité (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL) 
(F) Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs / OHL)
(F) Ben Kindel (Calgary Hitmen / WHL)
(F) Liam Kilfoil (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL)
(F) Luca Romano (Kitchener Rangers / OHL)

Czechia (10)
(G) Ondřej Štěbeták (Portland Winterhawks / WHL)
(D) Radim Mrtka (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)
(D) Štěpán Černý (Gatineau Olympiques / QMJHL)
(D) David Holub (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)
(F) Vít Záhejský (Kamloops Blazers / WHL)
(F) Vojtěch Čihař (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL)
(F) Robin Svancara (Calgary Hitmen / WHL)
(F) Matěj Pekař (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)
(F) Adam Novotný (Peterborough Petes / OHL)
(F) Dominik Pavlík (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL)

Finland (1)
(G) Patrik Kerkola (Barrie Colts / OHL)

Germany (3)
(D) Max Bleicher (Owen Sound Attack / OHL)
(D) Carlos Händel (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL)
(F) David Lewandowski (Saskatoon Blades / WHL)

Slovakia (5) 
(F) Andreas Straka (Québec Remparts / QMJHL)
(F) Tobias Tomik (Vancouver Giants / WHL)
(F) Jan Chovan (Sudbury Wolves / OHL)
(F) Tomas Chrenko (Kitchener Rangers / OHL)
(F) Adam Nemec (Sudbury Wolves / OHL)

Sweden (1)
(F) Filip Ekberg (Ottawa 67’s / OHL)

Switzerland (2)
(F) Florian Schenk (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL)
(F) Lars Steiner (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies / QMJHL)

United States (2)
(D) Blake Fiddler (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL)
(F) Travis Hayes (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)