On the morning following the team’s 7-0 pre-tournament loss to Canada, the Slovak national U-18 team announced its roster for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which starts on Monday.

“We’re very grateful for the game against Canada despite the unfavorable result,” said Slovak coach Mardin Dendis. “We got a taste of the pace that awaits us, and we gained a lot of valuable knowledge that we’ll be able to use towards the tournament.”

“I think we put heart into the game today,” said forward Michal Plančár. “We need to work on some tactical things, and if we do that, we should do better. We’re only focusing on the next game. We’re not looking beyond that.”

Plančár, who plays junior hockey in Finland, is one of 13 players based outside of Slovakia on the team. They include two who play major-junior and one who plays junior A in Canada, one who plays in the USHL and two more who play high-school or midget AAA hockey in the United States. Of those based in Europe, four play in Finland, two in neighboring Czechia and one in Sweden.

All of the players on the team were born in 2008 except for 16-year-old Oliver Ozogány, who plays for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. For all of the players, this is their first Hlinka Gretzky Cup but three – goaltender Samuel Hrenák and defensemen Adam Goljer and Filip Kovalčík – were part of the Slovak team that finished fourth at the most recent IIHF U-18 World Championship.

“We’re very excited,” Dendis continued. “For me personally, this is the third Hlinka Gretzky Cup. For the guys, it’s the first, but we feel that they’re really motivated to play in front of the home fans. We’re all looking forward to it.”

Venues, Schedule For 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup The Czech Ice Hockey Association and Hockey Slovakia jointly announced this week the <a href="https://hlinkagretzkycup.cz/eng/zapasy.asp">schedule for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup</a> – an annual summer tournament for players entering their final U18 season.

Goaltenders: Denis Čelko (HC Oceláři Třinec, CZE), Samuel Hrenák (HK Dukla Trenčín).

Defensemen: Tibor Baran (Windy City Storm, USA), Roderik Černák (HC Slovan Bratislava), Tomáš Dedík (HOBA Bratislava), Jakub Floriš (Lukko Rauma, FIN), Adam Goljer (HK Dukla Trenčín), Filip Kovalčík (HK Dukla Trenčín), Michal Maršálek (Boston Hockey Academy, USA), Dávid Stančík (HC Košice).

Forwards: Lucian Bernát (Tappara Tampere, FIN), Juraj Jonas Ďurčo (Charlottetown Islanders, QMJHL), Samuel Hybský (HKM Zvolen), Jonáš Kopačka (Lidingö Vikings, SWE), Alexej Kubat (HC Olomouc, CZE), Matúš Lukáčik (Prince George Spruce Kings, BCHL), Ivan Matta (HK Dukla Michalovce), Adam Obušek (HOBA Bratislava), Oliver Ozogány (Tri-City Storm, USHL), Michal Plančár (SaiPa Lappeenranta, FIN), Juraj Rausa (HKM Zvolen), Kristián Rezničák (HK Dukla Trenčín), Matej Stankoven (Brampton Steelheads, OHL), Ondrej Tariška (KalPa Kuopio, FIN), Tobias Zvolenský (HKM Zvolen).

Other team rosters announced so far:

Canada’s 25-Man Roster For 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup The perennial powerhouse of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Canada will once again bring a formidable roster to the 2025 edition of the annual U-18 summer tournament, which runs Aug. 11 to 16 in Brno, Czechia and Trenčín, Slovakia.

Czechs Reveal 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Roster The Czech Ice Hockey Association announced on Monday its roster for this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which runs Aug. 9 to 14 in Brno, Czechia and Trenčín, Slovakia. The Czechs have lost in the final to Canada in each of the past two years.

Finland’s Roster For 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Finland’s roster for this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup does not feature any returnees from last year’s team but two defensemen played at the IIHF U-18 World Championships: Juho Piiparinen and Samu Alalauri. As well, Max Laatikainen played some games with the U-18 national team last season.

Sweden Announces Solid Hlinka Gretzky Cup Roster Following a four-day training camp, Sweden announced its roster for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Friday.

Switzerland Announces 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Roster Switzerland announced its roster for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Tuesday.

USA Announces 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Roster On Saturday, the USA announced the 23-man roster that it will take to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which runs this year from Aug. 11 to 16 in Brno, Czechia and Trenčín, Slovakia.