The 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup recently kicked off and is hosted in Edmonton this year. This prompted a look back at previous tournaments but also a look back at players in Edmonton Oilers past that have dominated this tournament.
Starting in 1991, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is an annual U-18 international tournament that is not run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) but instead by Czechia, Slovakia, and Canada's governing hockey bodies. The tournament has went by many names since it's inception 34 years ago like; Nations Cup, U-18 Junior World Cup, and Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
Many of the league's best players have attended this event and it is unsurprising that many former Oilers have not only played but utterly dominated it. I recently wrote on current Oilers who were lights out at this tournament but now feel it is a good time to look at former Oilers who also had good performances.
Sergei Samsonov
Although currently sanctioned by almost every world sports organization, it should come as no surprise that Russia was a dominant force at this event. It should also come as no surprise that a highly touted prospect such as Sergei Samsonov was a standout player amongst his peers. In 1995, Samsonov was not only breaking into the Russian super league as one of their young stars but was showing up in a big way for their international program as well.
In only five games at the tournament, his soft hands and slick skills were on full display scoring nine goals and four assists for 13 points. He not only led the entire tournament in scoring but won the MVP honours too, helping Russia capture their third gold medal since the tournament began.
The young Russian winger would go on to be selected Eighth Overall by the Boston Bruins at the 1997 NHL Draft. He would get traded to the Oilers as a trade deadline acquisition ahead of the 2006 Stanley Cup run scoring 16 points in 19 regular season games before, adding 15 in 24 playoff games. He would then sign a two-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens in free agency that following summer.
Magnus Paajarvi
One of the Oilers biggest 'what could have been' players of all-time, Magnus Paajarvi was one of the NHL's top prospects during his draft year and was selected 10th overall by the Oilers at the 2009 NHL Draft. Not only did he already have professional experience, playing for Timra IK of the Elitserien (now, SHL) but he had been a dominant player for Sweden at the International level.
He dominated at the U-18s and World Juniors, putting up performances above point-per-game but before those, he also played for Sweden at the then Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in both 2007 and 2008. Paajarvi was a standout, in 2007 as a DY-1 player he scored two goals, four assists for six points in four games. The next year he played in four games as well, scoring three goals and six assists for nine points. He captured the tournament gold in 2007 and although Sweden did not capture gold in 2008, Paajarvi led the entire tournament in scoring.
His Junior aged success never fully translated to the NHL but for a time, it looked like he was on track to become a star for the Oilers. Thanks in large part to his dominance at the Ivan Hlinka tournament.
Andrew Cogliano
Andrew Cogliano has been retired from the NHL for two seasons and was originally drafted by the Oilers 25th overall at the 2005 NHL Draft. During his peak was one of the NHL's best third line forwards. He played an effective two-way game, bringing elite speed and was well known for his endurance and health, starting his NHL career with an impressive iron man streak, playing 830 consecutive games.
Before his NHL career began, Cogliano spent his Junior days playing with the St. Michael's Buzzers of the OPJHL, the Ontario Junior A league before heading to the University of Michigan after his draft year. Heading into his draft season, he represented Canada at the 2004 iteration of the Hlinka Gretzky cup tournament. There, he would lead the entire 2004 tournament in scoring with nine points (four goals, five assists) in five games, helping Canada to capture gold at the tournament.
Although he may not be a hall of famer, Cogliano had a long career, logging nearly 1300 games and will be known for his dependability, iron man streak, and effectiveness as one of the league's top two-way players of his time.
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