Three Western Hockey League players to represent Czechia at 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Three Western Hockey League skaters will battle for gold on home ice at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Hockey Czechia released the roster for its National U18 Team on Monday afternoon.
Forward Jan Trefny (Moose Jaw Warriors) and defenders Jiri Kamas (Penticton Vees) and Jakub Vanecek (Tri-City Americans) will help the squad try to upgrade 2024’s silver-medal finish at the event.
👥 Česká nominace na domácí Hlinka Gretzky Cup v Brně je venku! 🇨🇿 Co na ni říkáte? 👀
Více informací 👉 https://t.co/WAn6Ueg0hS #narodnitym #mladeznickyhokej pic.twitter.com/DBt4xepgVY
— Český hokej (@czehockey) July 28, 2025
The trio recently signed WHL Scholarship and Development Agreements after being selected in the 2025 CHL Import Draft.
Vanecek made his mark as Tri-City’s top selection at the draft at 25th overall.
The 2025 NHL Draft-eligible blueliner split the 2024-25 season between Bili Tygri Liberec’s U17 and U20 teams in Czechia, netting 12 points (1G-11A) in 21 games with the U17 side and four assists in 31 U20 appearances.
Internationally, Vanecek won silver for Czechia at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games and represented his home country at the 2024 World Under-17 Challenge, where he added two assists in four games.
Kamas stands as Penticton’s first-ever import selection (62nd overall) as the Vees prepare to embark on their inaugural WHL season.
The 6-foot-2 right-shot rearguard balanced playing time with HC Plzen’s U17 and U20 teams, tallying 17 points (3G-14A) in U17 and nine assists at the U20 level.
He joined Vanecek on the Czech 2024 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge squad and also suited up for the 2025 IIHF World U18 Championship.
The 2024 WHL Champion Moose Jaw Warriors selected Trefny with the 65th overall selection in the second round of this year’s import draft.
Trefny spent 2024-25 with HC Litvinov Chemopetrol’s U17 and U20 teams.
He scored 35 points (20G-15A) in 29 games at the U17 level, leading his team in goals, and registered five points (2G-3A) in six showings with the U20 group.
Trefny also snagged an assist at the U17 World Hockey Challenge.
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Height | Weight | Position |
| Kamas | Jiri | Penticton | Prague, Cze. | 6’2 | 187 | D |
| Trefny | Jan | Moose Jaw | Zatec, Cze. | 5’11 | 172 | F |
| Vanecek | Jakub | Tri-City | Liberec, Cze. | 6’2 | 185 | D |
2025 CHL Import Draft selections Filip Novak (Lethbridge Hurricanes / 52nd overall), forward Petr Tomek (Kamloops Blazers / 74th overall) and netminder Frantisek Poletin (Kelowna Rockets / 132nd overall) will also compete at the tournament.
The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup runs from August 11-16 in Brno, Czechia and Trencin, Slovakia.
Czechia has won silver at the event for two straight years.
The host team will kick off the tournament against Switzerland on Monday, August 11, before squaring up against rival Finland on Tuesday, August 12 and rounding out round-robin action against Canada in a rematch of last year’s gold medal match on August 13.
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