Jason La Rose
The future stars of the game will find a new home this weekend when Las Vegas hosts the 2024 NHL Draft.
A total of 224 players will hear their names called on Friday and Saturday, and a number of Hlinka Gretzky Cup alumni will be among them.
Let’s start with the team that took home the top prize last summer in Breclav and Trencin – Canada.
Of the 23 players on the Canadian roster, 17 are draft eligible. And if the final pre-draft rankings from a pair of TSN personalities are any indication, they’ll be going early and often.
Craig Button’s mock draft includes six 2023 gold medallists going in the first round – Cayden Lindstrom (4), Zayne Parekh (7), Sam Dickinson (8), Berkly Catton (15), Charlie Elick (30) and Ryder Ritchie (31) – while the final rankings from Bob McKenzie include 11 among his top 90 – Lindstrom (5), Dickinson (6), Parekh (8), Catton (12), Ritchie (31), Elick (33), Maxim Massé (39), Henry Mews (48), Ben Danford (54), Carson Wetsch (70) and Carter George (71).
(And if you’re wondering about the consensus No. 1 pick, Macklin Celebrini? He missed out on the tournament last summer with a shoulder injury.)
McKenzie also has a 2022 gold medallist on his board – Tanner Howe (45).
But that’s only one team!
If Button’s prognostications hold true, the Canadian contingent will be joined in Round 1 by American forward Trevor Connelly (11) and Czech defenceman Adam Jiricek (14), while the Hlinka Gretzky Cup alums in McKenzie’s rankings total 16 from four countries:
Czechia – Jiricek (16), Adam Jecho (60), Ondrej Kos (68), Tomas Galvas (82)
Finland – Emil Hemming (26), Julius Miettinen (46), Aron Kiviharju (52), Veeti Väisänen (75)
Sweden – Lucas Pettersson (40), Alfons Freij (41), Leo Sahlin Wallenius (42), Linus Eriksson (44), Gabriel Eliasson (46), Melvin Fernström (80)
United States – Connelly (15), Adam Kleber (51)
The 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup runs Aug. 5-10 in Edmonton, putting the top prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft on display in best-on-best competition. Single-game tickets are now on sale, beginning as low as $20 a game, with multiple ticket package options also available.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca.