2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup – CanucksBanter

Four players scored and Ratzlaff made 25 saves to lead Canada to its 23rd summer U18 gold

RED DEER, Alta. – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team claimed the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 4-1 win over Sweden on Saturday afternoon, the 23rd summer U18 gold medal since 1991.

Tanner Howe (Prince Albert, Sask./Regina, WHL), Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL), Calum Ritchie (Oakville, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) and Brayden Yager (Saskatoon, Sask./Moose Jaw, WHL) provided the offence for Canada, which never trailed in any of its five games.

“Three weeks ago, we put this roster together and I felt right away this was a tight group,” said head coach Stéphane Julien (Shawinigan, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL). “It’s not easy when you have this much talent, but everyone accepted their role and I’m so happy for them.”

Scott Ratzlaff (Irma, Alta./Seattle, WHL) made 25 saves; the goaltender finished with a tournament-leading four victories and a .962 save percentage. Canada’s goalies allowed only three goals in a tournament.

On top of the defensive performance, Canada finished with four of the top five scorers – Ritchie led with 10 points (4-6—10), followed by Yager (5-4—9), Gauthier (6-1—7) and Zach Benson (Chilliwack, B.C./Winnipeg, WHL) (2-5—7). Gauthier’s first-period goal gave him six on the week tied with Sweden’s Otto Stenberg for the tournament lead.

“This is an unbelievable group of guys,” said Gauthier. “We came to play today, and all week long. We had one goal all along and that was to win, and this feels amazing. The atmosphere was amazing, these fans, this country … this was a great experience.”

The win is Canada’s first gold medal since 2018, the last time this tournament was held in Canada.

“I’m so happy for this group,” added Julien. “They haven’t had it easy in their careers the last two years with the pandemic, but now they have this, a gold medal and something they are going to remember for the rest of their career.”

In the bronze medal game, Finland defeated Czechia 3-1 to earn its third bronze and first medal since 2012.

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup will shift to Europe in 2023, returning to Breclav and Piestany, Czechia for the first time since 2021.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Source: hockeycanada.ca

Saturday, August 6 | 4 p.m. MT | Red Deer, Alberta | Gold Medal Game

GAME STATS

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team has won its way to the gold medal game at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, facing off with Sweden in a rematch of the 2018 final with a chance to claim its 23rd summer U18 gold.

LAST GAME

Canada skated to a 4-1 victory over Finland in its semifinal on the back of a 23-save performance from Scott Ratzlaff, who has allowed just a single goal on 59 shots through his three starts. After a slow start, Ethan Gauthier danced around the Finnish defence and went upstairs on the backhand to get the Canadians going. Calum Ritchie made it 2-0 with his tournament-leading ninth point, banking in a shot off the end boards, and Matthew Wood and Denver Barkey scored 19 seconds apart in the third period to send Canada through to the final.

The Swedes held off a spirited push from Czechia in their semifinal, scoring three times in the final 3:16 to pull away for a 6-2 win. Otto Stenberg scored twice, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka and David Edstrom added a pair of assists each for Sweden, which finished with a 39-30 advantage in shots on goal.

LAST MEETING

Canada capped a perfect preliminary round against the Swedes on Wednesday night, coming away with a 3-0 win. Ratzlaff secured his second shutout of the tournament, turning away all 18 shots he faced, while Brayden Yager and Calum Ritchie had a goal and an assist each.

WHAT TO WATCH

While Canada has impressed offensively, its blue-liners have made scoring opportunities few and far between for opposing teams. The Canadians have allowed only 79 shots in four games (an average of 19.75 per contest), with the 24 shots Finland managed in the semifinal the most Canada has given up. Captain Cameron Allen has anchored the penalty-killing crew, which has not allowed a goal in 20 man-advantages against.

The Swedes need to have a short memory. They were stymied in their prelim matchup with the Canadians, managing just 18 shots on goal and going goalless on four power plays. Stenberg has been the offensive catalyst for the Scandinavians; his eight points are tied for second in tournament scoring, even with Yager and one back of Ritchie, and his five goals leave him level with Gauthier for the tournament lead.

A LOOK BACK

Canada and Sweden have met 21 times in summer U18 play since 2001, including three gold medal games—all of them wins for the Canadians. Brendan Gaunce had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory in 2011, Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice in a four-goal first period in a 7-3 win in 2015, and Alexis Lafrenière and Sasha Mutala scored two goals apiece in a 6-2 home-ice triumph in Edmonton in 2018.

All-time record: Canada leads 18-3-0 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 89
Sweden goals: 43