2024 NHL DRAFT PROSPECTS WHO STOOD OUT AT THE 2023 HLINKA GRETZKY CUP

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup has come and gone, with Canada winning their 24th-ever Gold Medal with their victory over Czechia in the Finals. There were several 2024 Draft prospects who made an impact in the tournament and stood out, here’s a list of some of those players.

Related: 2024 NHL Draft An Early Look Top 10 Prospects

Berkly Catton, C, Canada

Berkly Catton was the top 2024 prospect to watch at this event, as he was centering the top line for Canada at this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Catton, who plays for the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL, is a high IQ playmaking center who can play the game with pace and skill, able to generate off the rush with his ability to change gears and accelerate quickly and dart into open ice with his agility. He is more of a natural playmaker than a scorer, but he does have a reliable finisher’s touch with an accurate wrist shot and is someone I would anticipate being toward the top of the tournament’s scoring table. Catton was the player who led the charge for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as he was the captain of the team, and stepped up whenever the team needed to and lead them through adversity. He led the tournament in scoring and scored at least one goal in every game Canada played. There may not have been a player at the Hlinka who made a bigger impact on their team than Catton. Canada’s number one center and the best player at the Hlinka did nothing but help his draft stock heading into the biggest year of his career to this point.

Sam Dickinson, D, Canada

Sam Dickinson is a rangy and mobile two-way defenseman who has an arguable case as the top blueliner in the 2024 draft class at this early stage in the process. Dickinson is a player who prides himself on his hockey IQ, often making steady decisions with the puck, reading plays well in his own end to break up plays and has flashes of offensive touch with strong hands for a player his size and a good shot. Although it might be difficult to get ice time as a 17-year-old
defenseman on the London Knights, Dickinson was already able to earn his coaches’ trust. There may not have been a defender at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup who controlled the game quite the way that Dickinson did. His ability to instantly calm the storm as soon as the puck got onto his stick in the defensive zone or the intelligence he showed in evading a forecheck and making a quick pass up ice was impressive. The London Knights blueliner defended the rush with efficiency, routinely killing play as it hit the blueline or eliminating his opponents in the corner. His play was a major reason why Canada was able to cruise to the Gold Medal.

Adam Titlbach, RW, Czechia

The Czech forward is set to play for the Vancouver Giants in the WHL for the upcoming season but before he moved to Canada for the year, he was a man on a mission trying to spoil their party in his home country of Czechia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he arguably their best player. Titbach put scored 5 goals and 8 points to help Czechia win the Silver medal. Titlbach is a speedy winger who gashes defenders by getting in behind them and forcing them to play catch up. At the Hlinka, he was firing pucks from all over the ice, in different shooting positions, and finding plenty of success. Whether the puck was in his feet or extended out from his body, Titlbach was a lethal threat to score. It’s safe to say that the Giants are excited for Titlbach to arrive after what they just saw and he will be one to monitor as the season goes on.

Trevor Connolly, LW, USA

Trevor Connolly was the player to watch for the USA heading into this tournament and didn’t disappoint. It was as plain as day from game one of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the Americans would go as far as Connelly would take them. He was the best player on the ice for either team in almost every game the Americans played and his ability to create something out of nothing, using his skating and vision was spectacular. Connelly finished tied for the scoring lead
with Catton (10 points) but he did it with far less help than Catton. The Tri-City Storm forward has a chance to be one of the top Americans drafted next year and this was just the start of the hype train for him.

Roger McQueen, F, Canada

Aside from a penalty taken in overtime of the gold medal game, McQueen stood out in all of the best ways. His size and skill were routinely on display as he created offensive chance after offensive chance by cutting to the center of the ice with the puck and attacking the net. McQueen had defenders on his back all tournament long and it never seemed to bother him. McQueen had a pretty good tournament, putting up 4 goals and 7 points and always in the middle of the action. He could be in for a big year with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL.

Alexander Zetterberg, C, Sweden

Alexander Zetterberg, the top player on Sweden’s roster on paper heading into this tournament, is a fast and exciting player whom the Swedes will look for to push the pace of play when he’s on the ice. Zetterberg is an undersized forward with a light 5-foot-8 frame, but he’s an excellent skater who can beat defenders in the rush with his speed and fluid agility and can make plays at top speed to drive to scoring areas or find teammates. Zetterberg is more of a pure playmaker than a scorer, and the Swedes relied heavily on him to be a key contributor throughout the tournament; he had 2 goals and 6 points in 4 games. Zettterberg will play the majority of the season for Örebro HK J20 in Sweden’s J20 Nationell league and maybe parts of it in the SHL if he plays well; he will surely be a player to watch next year.

Will Felicio, D, USA

Will Felicio was the second-best defenseman in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup behind Sam Dickinson and was certainly the best defenseman for Team USA. The Americans needed Felicio to step up and be ‘The Guy’ on the back end and he did just that. Felicio was up to the challenge, as he recorded 3 goals and 5 points for the USA. His skating and dynamic skill allowed him to be the puck mover and offensive catalyst from the backend that they needed. Felicio isn’t a big defender and he has some defensive issues at times but he used his skating and play reading to slow the opponent down and allow his team to get into position to defend as a unit. The Madison Capitols blueliner was more than happy to step up and use his shot, penetrating between the faceoff circles and unloading a quick snapshot. Look for him to have a big year in the USHL during his draft year.

Tuomas Suoniemi, C, Finland

The Finns came into this tournament without three of their best players in this age group and needed someone to step up. Making it to the bronze medal game, despite the loss, was a pretty big accomplishment for the Finns and Suoniemi is a big reason why. Suoniemi was excellent in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, putting up 4 goals and 9 points to help lead Finland to a Bronze Medal. The skilled and shifty forward did an excellent job of using his puck-handling ability to open space up for himself in the middle of the ice, routinely dangling defenders off their feet. His ability to jump on loose pucks around the net or recover pucks in space was evident throughout the tournament. He added his name to the list of Finns that we should all be paying attention to for the 2024 NHL Draft.

Emil Hemming, RW, Finland

Hemming was a player that the Finns would be looking to rely on and he did his job. Hemming was one the best players for them in their Bronze medal finish, recording 4 goals and 9 points in just 5 games. The 6-foot-2 winger did a very good job of getting shots off and using defenders as a screen. He loads up his shot and accurately places it in the corners or just above the goalie’s pads. Hemming uses his size to get to his spots and establish position. There were a few instances of high-level vision in his playmaking as well. He should at least get into a few Liiga contests this season and that will go a long way toward telling us exactly what kind of player he is. Emil Hemming will be splitting next season with TPS between the Liiga and U20 SM-sarja, and should be a player to watch next year heading into the draft.

Adam Jiricek, D, Czechia

Adam Jiricek, the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets prospect David Jiricek, is an exciting talent on the blue line due to his blend of skill and mobility. Jiricek is not quite the bruiser that his brother is, but he moves pucks very well and can play in the offensive zone with smooth puck skills and strong agility, allowing him to weave through checks and generate offense for his team. Jiricek logged heavy minutes on the back end for the Czechia team in their Silver medal finish, where he put up 3 points in 5 games. He should play in all situations for the team, including the top defense pair and top power-play unit. Adam Jiricek will be one of the top Defensive prospects in next year’s draft and will be a player to watch heading into next year’s draft.

Danil Ustinkov, D, Switzerland

Daniil Ustinkov, the top talent on this year’s Swiss team, is a mobile two-way defenseman who led all Swiss defensemen in scoring at last year’s World Under-18 Championship, as a 16-year-old and lined up in all situations as the team’s number-one defenseman at this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The Hlinka is where many players put their name on the map for the upcoming draft and Swiss defender Daniil Ustinkov did exactly that. He has routinely shown that his offensive game has room to grow when put in position to use his puck skill and passing ability such as at the U18s last spring or the Hlinka now. Playing against men in the Swiss league and its second level last year for long stretches of time limited how much he could show it off but with some maturity and confidence in his own game, he could be a big riser in this year’s draft. Ustinkov has a sound defensive game, predicated on cutting play off quickly which should allow him to succeed as he moves through the ranks as a pro. Ustinkov skates well and can transition pucks effectively, able to get the breakout going with a strong first pass or by skating the puck out of harm’s way himself. Ustinkov is a wildcard and could player who changes the whole complexion of the draft next year.

Tomas Galvas, D, Czechia

While a lot of the attention on the Czech blueline went to Adam Jiricek, and deservedly so, Tomas Galvas was a real stabilizing force for the team throughout the tournament. His abilities to calmly take the puck away from an incoming rush attacker or bait an opponent into a pass just to intercept it and move up the ice were impressive. Galvas didn’t record a point but his play in the third period and overtime of the final was as important as anyone’s when it came to pushing Canada to the brink. Tomas Galvas will likely never be a major point producer, but you can expect him to be a steady shutdown defender.

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