The U18 men's national team some German Ice Hockey Federation eV (DEB) last week marked the sixth time the traditional Hlinka Gretzky Cup participated. This year's venue was Edmonton (CAN), and eight nations took part in the international competition. For the DEBThe selection therefore had four tournament games against top-class opponents on the schedule.
In the four matches, the team coached by U18 national coach Andreas Becherer suffered four defeats each. In the group stage, they lost... DEBThe team lost to the nations of Finland (2:5), Czech Republic (3:8) and the USA (1:8). Based on the group stage standings, the DEBThe team was selected for the placement match against Sweden. The game last Saturday evening ended 2-4 in favor of Sweden. The team finally traveled back home on Sunday. Even though the DEBDespite the selection remaining without a success, the entire team gained valuable insights for the rest of the season.
U18 national coach Andreas Becherer"The tournament clearly showed us once again where we currently stand and what we need to work on. In terms of our play, we saw that our team can compete with all nations for stretches – we had some really good phases, were aggressive, and had the momentum on our side. Ultimately, however, we lacked consistency, both over 60 minutes and across several games in the tournament."
Test match victory against Switzerland
Two days before the start of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the German U18 national team played a friendly match against Switzerland. The team, coached by U18 national coach Andreas Becherer, won 4-1. The goalscorers for Germany were Fynn Ludwig (16th minute), Max Calce (46th minute), Nikolai Hartmann (59th minute), and Emil Sender (60th minute).
Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Results of the U18 national team
03.08.2026 | Germany – Finland 2:5 (2:0, 0:2, 0:3)
04.08.2026 | Germany – Czech Republic 3:8 (0:3, 2:3, 1:2)
06.08.2026 | USA – Germany 8:1 (2:1, 4:0, 2:0)
08.08.2026 | Germany – Sweden 2:4 (1:2, 1:0, 0:2)
Visit the official website of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup: https://www.hlinkagretzkycup.ca/