Welcome back to The Journey, where we follow hockey prospects and their paths to the NHL, providing fantasy predictions and analysis along the way.

In this week's edition, I wanted to focus on a tournament that is always worth watching when attempting to gauge the year's draft-eligibles: the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. The tournament features under-18 players from the eight greatest hockey nations in the world, who are mostly eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft, along with a handful of 16-year-olds who are exceptional enough at the sport to join older teammates and competition.

Below you will find a list of players to watch for each of the four teams remaining in the tournament, who will face each other for their respective medal games on August 7 — keep in mind that Team Canada opted out of the tournament due to travel risks, opting instead for scrimmages with their U20 team back home.

————————————————————————————————————————

Slovakia

Starting with the team that has caught the scouting world by surprise, the Slovaks just ended a thrashing of the Finns with a 6-2 win to reach the finals of the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, after beating Sweden 4-3, the United States 5-2, and Germany 12-2.  They will hope to beat out Matvei Michkov and the Russians to win their first-ever gold medal at this tournament, but are also guaranteed their highest-ever placement if they lose with a silver medal.

Dalibor Dvorsky, C – 2023 NHL Draft-eligible

Dvorsky has been absolutely lights-out for the Slovak team, earning 12 points in only four games so far, including eight goals. He already owns the record of highest-scoring Slovak in documented Hlinka-Gretzky history, leading by three points with two more games potentially left to play.

I'm still not sure how to comprehend Dalibor Dvorsky recording 11 points in three Hlinka tournament games…

As an underager.

He already owned the all-time U17 record after TWO games.

Just insane stuff from the Slovak. #2023NHLDraft

pic.twitter.com/uTXTZ3O0qv

— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) August 4, 2021

His ability to beat a goaltender clean is near-unmatched in this tournament, and he often shoves his nose in the middle of scrums to dig out and poke pucks behind sprawling goaltenders. His tenacity and his hands allow him to take control of puck battles and stickhandle through defenders. A great talent with high hopes for the top-end of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Juraj Slafkovsky, LW – 2022 NHL Draft-eligible

With eight points in four games, Slafkovsky has been dominant at the tournament so far. His 6'4, 220-pound frame stands out compared to his similar-age peers, but he doesn't rely on his size exclusively to the extent that he relies on size difference to get by.  His hands, his skating and his shooting make him a lethal offensive contributor, who can surprise goaltenders in a variety of ways. He reads the play surprisingly well for a player with enough size to circumvent the need for good vision, and can throw his body around quite well to knock the puck loose.

TPS forward Juraj Slafkovsky lights the lamp for his first goal of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Slovakia leads USA 3-0 early in the first period. @HCTPS #2022NHLDraft #HlinkaGretzkyCup pic.twitter.com/LSsxwbdxam

— Finnish Jr Hockey (@FINjrhockey) August 2, 2021

Seeing a player with his frame make the plays that he does shows good promise for the 2022 NHL Draft. A crop that is rich in right-handed blueliners at the top-end will welcome the unique blend of size and skill that Slafkovsky brings to the table.

Simon Nemec, RD – 2022 NHL Draft-eligible

Speaking of right-handed blueliners at the top-end of the 2022 NHL Draft, Simon Nemec has been by far the Slovaks' best defenseman in this tournament. His six points in four games are a sign of his brilliant distribution abilities. As well, his shooting from the point needs a bit of work, but he still managed to get the job done against Sweden in the quarterfinals.

BOOM 👊 Captain Simon Nemec makes it 3-2 for Team Slovakia 🇸🇰.#HlinkaGretzkyCup pic.twitter.com/hYKsxoD7RB

— Robert Ďurkáč (@RDurkac) August 4, 2021

His gap control and stick defending are high-end, and he thinks the game very well on both sides of the puck. If he can work on being less porous on shot block attempts and layer his rush defending with occasional physical shoves, he could be one of the best defensemen to come out of the 2022 crop of prospects.

Russia

The Russians squeezed past the Swedes in the semi-finals with a 7-5 win, climbing out of a two-goal deficit to win the game in the third period.  They remain undefeated after beating the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Finland on their way to the semis.

Matvei Michkov, RW – 2023 NHL Draft-eligible

The Russian phenom has excelled at scoring goals wherever he has played. He has seven goals and 11 points in four games so far, which resembles Dalivor Dvorsky's stat lines pretty closely.  They have a similar player type, centered around clean shooting through goaltenders and squeezing pucks behind the goal line with tenacity, but Michkov's track record is something else. In 2020-2021 he led his MHL team by 12 goals with 35 in 50 games, at 16 years of age, and scored a whopping 12 goals in 7 U-18 World Championship games. He has also scored above or around a goal per game at every level he's played.

Matvei Michkov, one of the top prospects for the 2023 #NHLDraft, finished the round-robin with six goals.

Here are all of them. #HlinkaGretzkyCup pic.twitter.com/bJHo8Gko6U

— Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisTHN) August 4, 2021

As Russia faces Slovakia in the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup Finals, it will be interesting to see how Michkov and Dvorsky will perform against each other. The two could very well contend with Connor Bedard for the first overall pick.

Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW – 2022 NHL Draft-eligible

One of the most promising players available in the 2022 NHL Draft, Miroshnichenko adds terrific skating and shooting ability to Russia's left flank, as he carries pucks wide and lowers his shoulder to create space for a quick shot, or cuts inside for an opportunity to close down on the slot. He also loves to throw his shoulders around, sending opponents flying with his strength and the momentum built with his speed.

Ivan Miroshnichenko (#2022NHLDraft) had a three point game today vs. Sarmaty. Here's his goal and two assists
⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0uksZ4BNsx

— Dylan Griffing (@GriffingDylan) January 28, 2021

He pops up unmarked in dangerous areas, using his four-way agility to create quick separation with his opponents, and can make passes through seams efficiently.  His defense needs a bit of work, but he has the skating and the brains required to adopt a better defensive mindset as he grows his game.  Expect him to contribute to Russia's attempt at a gold medal against Slovakia, as he already has seven points in four games in the tournament.

Finland

After facing the Slovaks in the semi-finals and losing 6-2 in a game that was simply overtaken by the underdogs, the Finns find themselves facing Sweden for a bronze medal finish at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.  Their team includes a couple of interesting names for the 2022 NHL Draft such as Joakim Kemell, who has five points in four games so far and scored around a point per game in the Finnish U-20 league at 16 years of age.  His high-end shooting and elite skating make him a threat in transition, as he can blow past defensemen on the rush and roof the puck in the slightest of spaces.

Joakim Kemell knows how to rip it. He's going to be a fun one to assess this year. #2022NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/rKQ6VmsdZg

— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) August 4, 2021

There is also the Finnish leader in points with six, Topi Rönni, who earned 26 points in 39 games in the same U-20 league as Kemell, as well as Otto Salin, a defenseman who has four points in as many games so far in the tournament. The Finns seem destined to put up a good fight against a Swedish team that has a couple of very good prospects on their roster.

Sweden

The Swedes enter the bronze medal fight after dropping their 4-2 lead in the semi-finals against Russia, ending the game with a 7-5 loss.  It's a hard blow for a team that has a couple of promising gems on their team, such as Noah Östlund, the highly creative center eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft. He plays a high-octane game on both sides of the puck and shows impressive creativity to find teammates in open spaces. He can both distribute and shoot the puck with ease and smarts, and is exceptionally mature in his decision-making and his reads.

Here's the 1-0 goal from Sweden and it's Jonathan Lekkerimäki who scores off a nice feed from Noah Östlund https://t.co/U0Jo8NYL4x

— Mikael Holm (@carlmikaelholm) August 2, 2021

They also have a one-two punch at the blue line in Mattias Hävelid and Elias Salomonsson who could very well compete for the top-10 of the 2022 NHL Draft with their ability to skate and distribute the puck, a hallmark of high-end Swedish defensemen.  Salomonsson is slightly larger at 6-1, but Hävelid has a much higher offensive ceiling, with his seven points in four games outshining Salomonsson's blank scoring sheet so far. The latter has been more productive in Sweden's U-20 circuit, however, with 15 points in 14 games. Due to the amount of talent they have, the Swedes should have the edge on their opponents from across the border, and should earn themselves a bronze medal.

————————————————————————————————————————–

Follow me on Twitter @HadiK_Scouting for all of your fantasy prospect needs!