The U18 national team is facing its first major test of the 2021/22 season. The team of U18 national coach Alexander Dück will take part in the prestigious Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Slovakia next week. Canada is the record winner with 22 victories, while Russia is the defending champion from 2019. The tournament did not take place in 2020 due to the pandemic. DEB-Selection, it is a great honor to have received an invitation and to be able to compete with top nations.
For this, U18 national coach Alexander Dück has appointed a 24-man squad that already completed a first joint training course at the beginning of July to kick off the season. Now comes the first tough test at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in preparation for the big highlight of the season: the home World Cup, which will take place in Germany from April 21, 2022 to May 1, 2022.
The DEB-Selection will face hosts Slovakia, Sweden and the USA in Group B of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The start next Monday, August 2nd, 2021, will be against the “Tre Kronors”, who secured their only success so far in the traditional tournament in 2007. The U18 national team will meet on Friday morning and head to Piestany, the venue for the German group.
U18 national coach Alexander Dück: “We took a lot of positive things away from the course in July. In addition to the good basic training of the boys, I was particularly impressed by the character of the players. The values we taught on and off the ice were quickly absorbed. We are on the right path to becoming a family that can handle the big challenges of the season. In this respect, the tournament represents a welcome challenge against the top nations, who will arrive with their best squads. We want to continue to come together as a team and family, take the next step and be ready to give everything for each other and further sharpen our system with a view to the World Cup. It will not be an easy task for us, but at the same time we will gain many important insights. Personally, I’m really looking forward to my first international matches as U18 national coach.”
Schedule Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Slovakia (Group B)
Aug 02.08.2021, 15 | 30:XNUMX p.m. | Germany – Sweden
Aug 03.08.2021, 19 | 00:XNUMX p.m. | Slovakia – Germany
Aug 04.08.2021, 15 | 30:XNUMX p.m. | USA – Germany
Aug 06.08.2021, XNUMX | Semifinals
Aug 07.08.2021, XNUMX | final