Red Deer, Alta. – Six Ontario Hockey League players are 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medalists as members of Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team following a 4-1 victory over Sweden at the Peavey Mart Centrium on Saturday.
Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals) found the back of the net in the win and finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 10 points while captain Cam Allen (Guelph Storm) and forward Colby Barlow (Owen Sound Attack) both registered assists in the championship final.
Canada outshot Sweden 36-26 in the gold medal game, finishing with an overall tournament record of 5-0. Ritchie led the way offensively in the tournament while Allen wrapped things up as the tournament’s top-scoring blueliner with seven points (1-6–7) in five games.
Finland defeated Czechia 3-1 in Saturday’s bronze medal game to lock up third in the tournament.
The win is Canada’s first gold medal since 2018, the last time this tournament was held in Canada. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup will shift to Europe in 2023, returning to Breclav, Czechia and Piestany, Slovakia for the first time since 2021.
GAME CENTRE
OHL Players on Team Canada:
Cam Allen (Guelph Storm)
Denver Barkey (London Knights)
Oliver Bonk (London Knights)
Colby Barlow (Owen Sound Attack)
Carson Rehkopf (Kitchener Rangers)
Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals)
Hockey Operations Staff:
Assistant Coach – Alan Letang (Sarnia Sting)
Athletic Therapist – Andrew Sachkiw (North Bay Battalion)
Championship vibes. 🙌 🏆 #HlinkaGretzkyCup pic.twitter.com/Pru5poANJO
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 7, 2022
Golden selfies 🤳#HlinkaGretzkyCup pic.twitter.com/sD4TJsWizp
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) August 7, 2022
