FUTURE WATCH: Hlinka Gretzky Cup connections

EDMONTON, AB -No new friends.
Unless you're a player participating in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where under-18 compatriots conglomerate, forging fresh on and off-ice connections as they represent their country and get acquainted with their draft cohort.

Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse won gold at the event overseas in 2012, suiting up for a stacked Canada squad that also featured Colorado Avalanche centre and Hart Trophy nominee Nathan MacKinnon, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Anthony Duclair and Vancouver Canucks centre Bo Horvat.
Nurse admitted that for him, it was a week of introductions followed by laughs and anecdotes.
"You meet a lot of new friends," Nurse, who still finds time to crack jokes with Duclair and Horvat over social media, said. "There are a lot of memories off the ice. A lot of bonding because you spend a lot of time as a group.
"Winning is always nice, too."
Oilers prospect Kailer Yamamoto didn't hoist any hardware when he travelled abroad with the United States to play in 2015. Although he did go on to meet new players and teammates, many of whom he would compete with again internationally.
"I played with Casey Mittelstadt, Tim Gettinger and Patrick Harper," Yamamoto said of his Hlinka Gretzky Cup experience. "All of them are unbelievable hockey players."
Yamamoto linked up with Mittelstadt and Harper at the 2018 World Junior Championship on home soil in Buffalo, NY. The 5-foot-8 forward notched two goals and two assists in seven games, winning a bronze medal.
"It helped my development a lot being able to play against all the best kids around the world and being able to play with amazing teammates you have," he said.
In a tournament that yields such a high rate of NHL return - 77 players from the 2017 circuit were drafted in 2018 - those former national teammates turn into frequent foes in the NHL.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins went to Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 2010 for what was then called the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, teaming up with Florida Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau and Carolina Hurricanes defender Dougie Hamilton, among others. His opposition included future NHL superstars Nikita Kucherov and Johnny Gaudreau. When asked about his Hlinka Gretzky Cup experience, the Oilers forward couldn't help but notice he rivaled skaters he faces on the ice today.

"It's fun to see guys at that age," Nugent-Hopkins, who led Canada with five goals and seven points in five games, said. "It's the first time you get to see a lot of your competition. I played against some good players that I play against in the NHL now."
But like Nurse, Nugent-Hopkins said nothing trumps victory at the tournament.
"For sure the biggest memory I have is winning gold over there."
In his 197 career outings, Nurse has also become accustomed to matching up versus the pals he met at the event. It's yet another facet he enjoyed from the international contest.
"You see some familiar faces when you get up to the NHL from playing in that tournament," said the Hamilton, ON, native.
"It's one of the great advantages to playing in it."
The players are aware they're under the gaze of NHL scouts. After the tournament wraps up, every skater will return to their respective junior club, navigating the season trying to augment their draft stock as best they can. Once the buzzer sounds on their campaign, they'll reconvene with their draft class at the NHL Combine and then NHL Draft.
"It kicks off the scouting season," said Oilers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Peter Chiarelli. "A lot of scouts are in town."
But for the players, it's a neat experience that foreshadows the competition of tomorrow, today.
"At that age, you get to meet other players around other respected leagues," said Zack Kassian, who won gold in 2008 alongside Ryan O'Rielly, Taylor Hall and Brayden Schenn. "It's cool to reunite and get to know those players.
"It was always a good, fun tournament to be part of."