The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is one of the world’s most prestigious junior tournaments and, held every August, provides an initial assessment of the best U18 players ahead of the NHL Draft. As a ‘best-on-best’ event for this age group, the invitational tournament brings together the strongest nations and is regarded as an important step in the development of top international talents.
The EVZ is absolutely delighted that no fewer than four EVZ juniors from Zug’s ‘The Hockey Academy’ have been selected. They are the two defenders Daniel Fuchs and Nicolas Hasler, and the two forwards Yanis Balada and Sam Neff. With Robin Bausch (goalkeeper), Tom Braschler and Nicolas Kaufmann (both forwards), three further players from Zug are also on the standby list.
Following last year’s tournament in Brno (Czech Republic) and Trenčín (Slovakia), the tournament will return to Edmonton in 2026. Switzerland will face hosts Canada, Sweden and Slovakia in the group stage.
Head Coach Fabio Schumacher is looking forward to the tournament: “The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is a valuable experience for our players at the very highest international level. It gives them the opportunity to compete against the best talents in their age group and to take important steps in their development. For us as coaching staff, the tournament is an excellent opportunity to analyse our team’s performance against international opposition and gain further insights for the future.”
An overview of the fixtures
Tuesday, 4 August 2026, 01:00 (Swiss time): Switzerland v Canada
Tuesday, 4 August 2026, 11.00 pm (Swiss time): Sweden v Switzerland
Wednesday, 5 August 2026, 9.00 pm (Swiss time): Switzerland v Slovakia
