The 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup wrapped up on Aug. 10, with the medal round games taking place. The United States took on Sweden in the bronze medal game, with Sweden shutting down the American’s offense and winning 6-3. In the gold medal game, Canada and Czechia faced off for the second year in a row, with Czechia looking to avenge their overtime loss to the Canadians last year. But, Czechia ran into the hottest goaltender in the tournament, Jack Ivankovic, and could not crack him as Canada pulled off a 2-1 victory to take home gold.
Nilson Comes Up Big For Sweden
Heading into their final game of the tournament, Eric Nilson had yet to find himself on the scoresheet. Even with not doing so, he had still been a strong force on the ice and could not cash in.
That all changed in their bronze medal-clinching win. Not only did Nilson help get the scoring started with a nice pass to Melvin Novotny to tie the game up early on in the first, but he also led the way in the scoring department, tallying a hat trick in the win. Throughout the game, Nilson was one of the most noticeable players for Sweden and earned himself player of the game honors for his team.
United States Miscues Cost Them
After a strong start from the Americans, they found themselves on the wrong side of the momentum shift in the last 10-15 minutes of the first period. Sweden took over the period after a powerplay opportunity and ran with the momentum, carrying it for most of the game. The Americans often cost themselves with miscues and turnovers that the Swedes exploited. This seemed to carry over from their loss to Canada in the semi-finals, where they struggled again with puck clears and turnovers in the neutral zone.
Hustle and puck battles also ended up being a big part of Sweden winning the game. They outworked and hustled the Americans to pucks and along the boards and corners to earn possession of the puck several times, helping lead them to scoring chances and, eventually, goals. Where the Americans struggled, though, was with their powerplay once again. By the end of the game, the powerplay would finish 3/23 in the tournament. While they had five opportunities, the United States could not cash in on any of them (outside of a last-minute goal) even though they showed strong play on the man advantage. The struggles for the powerplay ended up proving to be detrimental to the United States the entire tournament.
The biggest positive for the United States was the play of Matthew Lansing and captain Blake Fiddler. Lansing, a Quinnipiac commit, led the way for the American offense and was all over the ice trying to get his team back into the game. This included a strong one-man effort on the game’s second goal for his team. Fiddler, the son of former NHLer Vernon Fiddler, continued to lead by example as the team’s captain and did not let his team go down without a fight. He had one of the better overall tournaments for the United States.
Ivankovic Slams the Door On Czechia
The top goaltender in the entire tournament, Ivankovic kept a Czechia offense with plenty of firepower at bay in Canada’s 2-1 gold medal-clinching victory. While he was not challenged as much as Czechia goalie Ondrej Stebetak, Ivankovic was up to the challenge when called upon. His strong play between the pipes helped to give the defense in front of him even further confidence and energy.
Related: 2025 NHL Draft: Jack Ivankovic Making Case for Best Goaltender
The Brampton Steelhead Ivankovic’s play will surely make his Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) teams fans excited to see what the 2024-25 season has in store for them.
Canadian Penalty Kill Keeps Benák in Check
Entering the gold medal game, Adam Benák was one of the hottest players in the tournament and had proven lethal on the man advantage. With the Canadians being shorthanded six times, they had to find a way to keep him off the board. While he got plenty of time on the ice, overall, the Canadian defense kept him in check and off the scoresheet in the game. They were bailed out by a couple of shots hitting the post and benefited from a few missed chances from Benák and the Czech powerplay, but as a whole, they played strong defensively. Keeping the tournament’s all-time leading point scorer off the board was one of the most important things Canada could do in their victory.
Canada Continues Domination of Tournament
With the victory against Czechia, the Canadians have now won three straight tournaments dating back to the 2022 tournament. They have seen players like Brayden Yager (2022), Jackson Unger (2022), Cayden Lindström (2023), and Zayne Parekh (2023) help lead them to this three-peat, as well as current players like 2026 Draft-eligible Gavin McKenna, Cole Reschny, and Ivankovic. The win also marked the 25th time the Canadians have won the tournament, 21 more times than anyone else.
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