Adam Němec leads Standouts from the Under-17 Four Nations
Each year the Hlinka Gretzky Cup serves as the informal scouting kick-off for the next NHL Draft.
And, starting today, that tournament has launched in Czechia and Slovakia, with a heavy focus on 2026 draft eligibles, most born in 2008.
You can, and should, read all about that tournament here.
We also got a slight preview, a year in advance, of the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup this past week when the Under-17 Four Nations tournament featuring Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the United States was held at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.
Historically speaking, many players from the U17 Four Nations tournaments are chosen for Hlinka Gretzky the following August.
Czechia won the tournament, defeating the Americans 5-3 in the final. Here are some tournament standouts, many eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft, listed in alphabetical order.
Matyas Cančík, Czechia, LW
A reliable play driver throughout the tournament down the left wing, Cančík used his speed with and without the puck to create opportunities for his line. Cančík also frequently found pucks through bodies and traffic, then often made quick, smart plays to move the point of attack after retrievals.
Gerry DiCunzolo, United States, LW
The all Shattuck-St. Mary’s line featuring DiCunzolo, Colin Grubb, and Ethan Sung dominated the tournament, with each player finishing tied for the co-lead in tournament scoring with eight points. DiCunzolo opened the tournament with a hat trick against Slovakia and had multiple-point games in each of the three preliminary games. DiCunzolo’s game consisted of ideal spacing and passing, while there were also times he could have been more selfish and taken shots himself.
Alessandro Domenichelli, Switzerland, RW
Switzerland did its best to play low-event, risk-averse hockey throughout the tournament after getting bombed 7-1 in the first game by Czechia. Even with that mindset, Domenichelli was one of Switzerland’s best offensive threats in the tournament, pushing the pace down the wing and taking advantage of his speed. His power play goal and shootout goal against Slovakia helped Switzerland to its lone victory in the tournament.
Petr Hörnig, Czechia, RW
Czechia coach Marek Melenovsky referred to Hörnig as likely Czechia’s best long-term forward prospect for the NHL Draft. Hörnig was a constant threat coming down the right wing, taking defenders wide with speed, while also finding ways to cut back to the middle and find openings as defenders started shading him closer to the wall. Hörnig scored in each of Czechia’s first three games.
Moritz Lanz, Switzerland, D
Switzerland experimented with a number of different pairings and combinations on defence, but Lanz was consistently one of the better players. Lanz did a nice job retrieving pucks under pressure, finding the outlet and making the smart play. He was also solid in the neutral zone and defending zone entries.
Matyas Michálek, Czechia, D
The youngest player in the tournament, Michálek didn’t look out of place. In fact, he was probably the best defender throughout the entire week. Michálek’s size is notable, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and still growing, but his ability to manoeuvre smoothly and both gain and take space at the same time is why he’ll be such an intriguing player to watch moving forward. There’s some natural physicality, too, and Michálek frequently cleared out the front of the Czechia net, if opponents ever made it there in the first place.
Adam Němec, Czechia, LW
Němec was listed as Czechia’s fourth-line left wing on the roster sheet for each game, but ended up leading the team with five goals and seven points in the tournament. In the championship game, a 5-3 win against the United States, Němec was the best player and drove much of the offence for Czechia. In that championship game, he also had multiple shifts at centre where he played between Czechia’s fourth-defensive pairing, Jiri Gombar and Lukas Hajek, who were taking shifts at forward.
Samuel Pisarčík, Slovakia, RW
Pisarčík was Slovakia’s main play driver in the first two games of the tournament, posting back-to-back three-point games in losses to USA and Czechia. Pisarčík did a nice job mixing shots and passes from the wing, keeping defenders off balance with his decision-making.
Jake Prunty, United States, D
Prunty is a defenceman in name, but was a bigger part of the offensive game and was always looking to push the play forward. He did a nice job springing transition offence with both his skating and stretch passes, often drawing forecheckers in before finding the space behind them. He was comfortable running the first power play for the Americans, both finding the seams as a passer and getting shots through from the point.
Ethan Sung, United States, RW
At 5-foot-7 Sung looked like he was going into mismatches along the boards, but the winger consistently won those battles and emerged with possession, often embracing or initiating the physicality on the play. Sung also hunted pucks well and used his speed to quickly flip the ice, both in possession and as a pass receiver. With a little bit of growth, he should transition well to the WHL or USHL after another season at Shattuck.
Matus Válek, Slovakia, C
Válek tied for the tournament lead with eight points, scoring four goals and dishing out four assists. Válek worked really well in tandem with Pisarčík, often finding open lanes to open up for shots from his winger. Válek also played in all situations for Slovakia, doing some notable work on the penalty kill as well.
Anthony Valenti, United States, D
A smooth-skating defenceman, Valenti helped control the neutral zone for the United States both in transition and in defence. Valenti was aggressive at the blue line, often looking for the hit, but also did a good job limiting the damage when he was too aggressive.