This year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup took place from August 5 to 10, 2024 in Edmonton, Canada. The German U18 national team finished the prestigious tournament in sixth place, improving by one place compared to the previous year.
The team led by U18 national coach Patrick Reimer started the tournament with a win. After a 0:1 deficit against Finland, the German young talent selection was able to turn the game around in extra time and ultimately leave the ice with a 2:1 victory. Less than 24 hours later, the second match was already on the agenda – here the DEBteam lost 3:7 against the team from the Czech Republic. In the last of the three preliminary round games, the German Young Talent selection lost 3:12 to the team from the USA. With one win and two losses, Patrick Reimer and his team secured third place in the final table of Group B.
After a day's break, the match for fifth place was played against the third-placed team in Group A, which was held by the team from Slovakia. After a goalless first third, the Slovakians managed to take the lead 1-0 in the second period. In the final third, a total of six goals were scored, two of them by the German side. With a goal into the empty net, the team from Slovakia sealed the 5-2 final score shortly before the end of the game.
Results of the U18 national team:
05.08.2024 | Germany – Finland 2:1 aet (Goals: R. Griva, G. Griva)
06.08.2024 | Germany – Czech Republic 3:7 (Goals: G. Griva, D. Willhöft, D. Lewandowski)
07.08.2024 | USA – Germany 12:3 (Goals: M. Bleicher, Carlos Händel, A. Grin)
09.08.2024 | Match for 5th place I Germany – Slovakia 2:5 (Goals: M. Ziergiebel, R. Griva)
Detailed statistics: Hlinka Gretzky Cup 2024
DEB-Sports director Christian Künast: "Overall, it was a positive performance by our U18 national team at this year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The players showed that if they all perform to their full potential, they can compete with the top nations. But we also saw that at this level we still lack the consistency and, in some cases, the athleticism to maintain this high level of performance over the entire period."
U18 national coach Patrick Reimer: "We wanted to go to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup to learn. And we did - it was definitely a very educational tournament for us. We had a very good game against Finland at the start of the tournament, but we were unable to maintain consistency throughout the entire tournament. Today we missed the chance to take fifth place against Slovakia. But I have to say that we are here to learn. We are at the beginning of the season and the goal is to play our best hockey in April. I saw great potential in the team and am therefore optimistic that we will develop accordingly over the course of the season."