Group A in Brno features Canada, Finland, Switzerland and the host Czechs. Group B in Trencin houses the teams from the USA, Sweden, Germany and, of course, Slovakia. The semifinals, final, and placement games will be split between the two venues on Friday and Saturday.
This is the second time Trencin has served as the main Slovak site – the first time was two years ago – and this is the first time for Brno and its 7,700-capacity arena, taking over from long-time host city Breclav.
“The modern facilities and larger capacity of the Brno arena will provide more comfortable conditions not only for players, but also for spectators and journalists,” Czech Ice Hockey Association spokesperson Aneta Lednova said about the home rink of Czech Extraliga club Kometa Brno.
“It helps us that the tournament is in Slovakia this year,” said Slovak coach Martin Dendis. “Since the World Championship is also here, we can already model the impact of the pressure of the home environment on the guys. We will watch how they act under pressure, how they make decisions under pressure, and we’ll gain valuable information that we will work with throughout the season.”
Seven of the eight teams competing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer will return to southwestern Slovakia next spring, led by Canada, the defending champion of each tournament. The loan exception is Switzerland, which was relegated from the most recent U18 World Championship and will play Division I Group A in Krynica, Poland. Historically, Canada has been dominant at the summer U18 event, winning the last three Hlinka Gretzky Cups and 25 out of 33 tournaments overall dating back to 1991.
In the past, Canadian rosters have featured future stars and this year should be more of the same. The roster Canada has brought this year includes Keaton Verhoeff, Ethan Belchetz, Tynan Lawrence, Mathis Preston, Ryan Lin and Daxon Rudolph, who are projected to be among the top picks at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. It…
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