Three WHLers will hit the ice for Czechia at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The annual U18 tournament starts on August 11 and will be played in Czechia and Slovakia. Czechia has captured Gold only once at the tournament back in 2016, when Filip Chytil, Martin Nečas and Jakub Skarek led the team. 

All three WHLers on Team Czechia will be rookies this year. They are defenceman Jiří Kamas of the Penticton Vees, defenceman Jakub Vanecek of the Tri-City Americans and forward Jan Trefný of the Moose Jaw Warriors. All three players were drafted in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, with Vanecek being the highest selected at 25th overall. 

Czechia opens up its tournament against Switzerland on August 11. They will then face Finland on August 12 before taking on Canada on August 13. The first two games will begin at 10 am PT, with the Canada matchup starting at 11 am PT. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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