2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Sam Spehar Ready To Burst Onto The Scene

After shining at the U-17 Five Nations tournament last year, 2025 NHL Draft-eligible prospect Sam Spehar is ready for his next challenge: the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup always has a way of generating excitement for players entering their draft-eligible seasons. It offers scouts and NHL clubs the first opportunity to evaluate top talent competing against players in their own age group.

Sam Spehar sees the Hlinka tournament as a chance to once again show his skills on the international stage. As a 16-year-old, the Chaska, Minnesota native stood out at the 2023 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Czechia, where he helped Team USA to a second-place finish. Spehar, known for his speed and playmaking abilities as a 200-foot centerman, scored four goals and three assists, totaling seven points during the tournament.

After recently participating in USA Hockey's Boys National 17 Festival, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound right-shot forward was selected for the 36-man Hlinka Gretzky Cup camp roster heading to St. Paul, Minnesota. If he is chosen to represent Team USA in Edmonton, Alberta, next month, Spehar will have a chance to help the U.S. try to win its first gold medal at the Hlinka since 2003. This opportunity will also allow the Denver commit to wear the Stars and Stripes once again, something he does not take for granted.

“It comes with a sense of pride,” Spehar said. “It's every kid's goal, who plays hockey in the U.S. or everywhere around the country, they want to throw on their country's flag and they want to represent their country. Anytime you get a chance to throw that on, it means something special, and most importantly, it just represents something a whole lot bigger than yourself. It comes with great respect, too, so it's always an honor, and it's always exciting.”

Spehar is joined at the Hlinka camp by notable forwards Alex Donovan, Carter Sanderson, Masun Fleece, Ben Kevan, Jesse Orlowsky, and Cooper Simpson, as well as defensemen Blake Fiddler, Matthew Grimes, Landon Nycz, and Jacob Rombach. In these short tournaments, it's crucial to become a tightly knit group as quickly as possible. Having experienced this last year at the Five Nations, Spehar understands the importance of roster cohesion going into the Hlinka this year.

“We all started off from our own clubs, and we all rallied together to try to do something special. And I got exposed to kids outside of the U.S.,” Spehar said of his experience at Five Nations. “I think it's going to help me go into camp and learn how to play with different guys and get to know them quickly and try to create as much chemistry as I can because these tournaments and camps aren't that long. The quicker you can make a connection with someone and get on the same level, the better it'll help you and them play.”

Spehar also mentioned that he already knows some players on this year's Hlinka camp roster: Donovan, a fellow Denver commit, Sanderson, who was his teammate with the Sioux Falls Power this past season, and Grimes, who will be his teammate in 2024-25 for the Sioux Falls Stampede. These early connections can play a significant role in building a championship-caliber team.

Spehar achieved impressive results with the Power's 16U team after beginning the 2023-24 season in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. While with the Sioux Falls Power, Spehar scored 66 points, including 32 goals and 34 assists, in 37 games - all career highs.

In Tier 1 Elite 16U play, the forward scored eight goals and six assists for a total of 14 points in 12 games. He also played in four playoff games and contributed eight points on two goals and six assists. Although it was tough to leave Muskegon, returning to Sioux Falls was ultimately the best decision for Spehar's development.

“I learned to be in more control of the puck,” Spehar said. “I think I learned to add a little bit more skill or a little more confidence in my puck-handling abilities this year. Coach Noëlle Needham helped me develop different ways to shoot and shooting through screens and all that kind of stuff. The biggest thing that I took away that I feel like I got better at this year was confidence with the puck, playing with pace, and rounding out my game a little more.”

Following the conclusion of this past season, Spehar's rights were traded to the Sioux Falls Stampede, a decision he believed would be best for the next phase of his development. 

Following the Hlinka tournament, regardless of whether he makes the final roster, Spehar is expected to play for the Stampede during the 2024-25 season. Skating in 11 games with the Lumberjacks, albeit a small sample, Spehar was able to get a sense of the style of play in the USHL, which will only help set him up for a successful season.

“It's a super fast-paced league. It's physical,” Spehar said. “It kind of varies from kind of team to team, the style of play, and how physical they are, but it's a very skilled league. There are tons of great players, and I was fortunate enough to play with Sacha Boisvert and Matvei Gridin this year. I learned a lot of things from them.

“It was really cool getting to see kids from other countries coming into the league and having success. It's a great league, and I think it's on the rise. It's showing a lot of people that it's a great league to go to and it's producing a lot of high talent for sure.”