Jack Ivankovic and what we learned on Day 4 of the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Jack Ivankovic has taken a lot from his father, a fellow goaltender.
His gear isn’t going to be among them, though.
“Oh yeah,” Ivankovic said. “I don’t know if I’d be able to wear that now. It was pretty special what they wore back then. I’ve definitely put on some of his old gear. It’s so heavy.”
Ivankovic’s current gear has been working just fine, after all.
The 17-year-old is one of the top goaltenders for the 2025 NHL Draft after a standout freshman season with Mississauga in the Ontario Hockey League. There, the 5-foot-11 stopper posted a 2.72 goals-against average and .915 save percentage to compliment a 14-5-4 record as a rookie.
It was enough to apprentice under fellow Canadian netminders Ryerson Leenders and Carter George at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, nabbing himself a gold medal in the process.
Ivankovic is the main man between the pipes for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he’s backstopped Canada to a gold-medal match on Saturday with Friday’s 5-1 win against Team USA.
“In practice it’s always fun to shoot on him because in my opinion, and this can be biased, he’s one of the best goalies I’ve ever played against and it’s awesome just going up against him because it makes you better and makes him better,” Canada captain and defense standout Matthew Schaefer said. “Having him on your side is just so easy because you get to use the chemistry… we played Team Ontario, U17s, all that… so it’s pretty easy to work with him.”
Ditto, echoed another one of his teammates.
“He’s so calm,” Canada forward Caleb Desnoyers said. “He’s just so confident, what he’s doing. That’s what makes him so special. He’s so good at controlling his emotions. Wherever we are in the game, we know that Kovi’s behind us. He’s such a good goaltender. We’re always confident playing in front of him.”
Ivankovic, who has allowed just two goals in three games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, credits a few areas of his game, including skating and puck-tracking, as helping him succeed to this point.
He’ll also give a tip of the hat to dad, too.
His father, Frank, played three seasons in the OHL and added another three playing for Wilfrid Laurier University in the late 1990s.
“He was a big help for me starting to be a goalie,” Ivankovic said. “I kind of wanted to be like him and follow what he did and I made the jump and I’ve loved it.”
German twins grateful to navigate draft journey together
Technically, Rihards Griva has two minutes on his brother, Gustavs Griva.
Gustavs isn’t willing to give his older sibling and linemate any concession on having seniority, though.
“He says that, but I don’t hear him,” Gustavs, a center, told FCHockey. “I tell him to [beat it].”
The twins, who played key roles for Germany at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, unquestionably have a unique bond. They’ve shared every hockey experience together up until this point, and will rely on each other moving forward as the pair of 17-year-olds navigate their way towards the 2025 draft.
It’s a support system not a lot of players have at their disposal.
“For me it’s the best in the world,” Rihards, a right winger, said. “I always have someone to talk to, someone who feels the same as me. It helps a lot for me. I’m really grateful for that.”
That’s the off-ice advantage.
The on-ice advantage remains similar.
The duo, understandably, have a special sixth sense when it comes to finding the other on the ice.
“It sounds crazy but something in my head says ‘just do it,'” Gustavs said. “I just throw the puck somewhere and I know he’s there. It sounds crazy, but it’s kind of a sense in my head. I don’t think it’s so unique because if you have good teammates you know what the other is doing and you can predict it, but with him it’s the best. I always know what he’s doing.”
Rihards explained further.
“We have a good chemistry,” he said. “We understand each other well. It makes the game way easier for us. If we have a situation where we don’t know what to do the other one is there for us.
“We can just count on each other.”
The pair have to this point.
The pair each finished top-five in scoring with Jungadler Mannheim’s under-20 team last season — Gustavs with 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists) in 36 games and Rihards with 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 30 contests.
They shared Germany’s lead in points at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, too, with identical lines of four points (two goals, two assists).
“He has really high hockey IQ, maybe even higher than me… I don’t know,” Rihards said. “He also has a great shot. Sometimes, not always, he could be a little bit quicker on the breakout or something. He’s a complete package, I would say.
“I would say I’m more of a grinder. If it’s the forecheck I’m the one who runs in and he stays back and watches. In the early days, he was kind of the passer and I was the shooter. The last year changed a little bit because I dish him the puck really well.”
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup was a chance to show that.
Though Germany finished sixth after a 5-2 loss to Slovakia in the fifth-place game, the pair sparked some of that chemistry with Gustavs, unsurprisingly, setting up Rihards for a nifty finish in a late push.
That’s that on-ice connection.
The off ice chemistry will continue throughout their season, where they could join an exclusive list of brothers selected in the NHL Draft.
That group features Christian and Cole Krygier in 2018 (Christian, No. 196, New York Islanders; Cole, No. 201, Los Angeles Kings), Justin and Drew Daniels in 2008 (Justin, No. 62, Drew, No. 194, San Jose Sharks), Kris and Ryan Russell in 2005 (Kris, No. 67, Columbus Blue Jackets; Ryan, No. 211, New York Rangers), Henrik and Joel Lundqvist in 2000 (Henrik, No. 205, Rangers; Joel, No. 68, Dallas Stars), Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 1999 (Daniel, No. 2, Henrik, No. 3, Vancouver Canucks), and Ron and Rich Sutter in 1982 (Ron, No. 4, Philadelphia Flyers; Rich, No. 10, Pittsburgh Penguins).
“It’s the best,” Gustavs said.
“It’s very nice because we also can talk to each other about it. It’s not like I need him all the time. It’s nice to play with him, but I don’t have to play with him.
“But it’s the best to have him.”
Top performances
Atte Joki found his stride, and kept Finland out of the basement as a result. The center logged four points (two goals, two assists) in a 5-2 win over Switzerland in the tournament’s seventh-place game. Joki had entered the Finnish finale with one point, an assist, through his first three games.
Adam Benak had himself a day. Again. The boxscore will only show an effort that yielded two points (one goal, one assist) against Sweden, but the 17-year-old, who holds the all-time Hlinka Gretzky Cup scoring record, kickstarted things for Czechia and launched them into an appearance in the gold-medal match on Saturday night.
Vit Zahejsky, Benak’s linemate, also had himself a strong showing on Friday. Zahejsky, who entered action Friday with some production already on the board, netted an additional three points (two goals, one assist) to push his tournament totals to seven points (four goals, three assists) in four games, with one more outing to go.
Quotable
“Just his poise with the puck… he’s such a threat. To be honest, I don’t even have the answer. He’s just so special at finding a low spot and being good at shooting the puck. That’s what makes him so special and a threat all over the ice.” — Desnoyers on Canada teammate Emile Guite
Scouting report
Ivankovic is a goaltending masterpiece. All of his movements have purpose and are executed with thorough intent. His biggest strength is his attention to detail in the game. Ivankovic finds his edges well, reads plays effectively, and chooses opportune moments to play the puck up ice. He is also an incredible athlete, reacting to plays faster than most of his peers. However, Ivankovic could work on staying up on his feet longer, as he tends to drop into the butterfly more often than necessary, which limits his ability to make powerful pushes across the crease. He is an outstanding goalie prospect, and one that I will continue to monitor throughout this season. If Ivankovic continues to refine his skill set, I could see him being the first goalie off the board in 2025. — FCHockey scout David Phillips