The 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup is underway at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta., with the Aug. 3-8 tournament showcasing many of the world’s best under-18 men’s hockey players as they represent their respective countries.

That said, before winning over Edmonton Oilers fans with his hard work and rugged style of play, forward Vasily Podkolzin built an impressive international résumé while representing Russia, suiting up for his country at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, the World Under-18 Championship, and three World Junior Championships.

But some of his best hockey while representing his country came at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018, where he was selected as captain of Team Russia. The tournament was held in Edmonton and Red Deer that year, and Podkolzin put together one of the most dominant performances in its 35-year history. Let’s take a trip down memory lane as we look back at Podkolzin’s dominant run at the tournament.

Team Russia steamrolled the competition through the preliminary rounds, led by their captain. They pounded Team Finland 7-2 in their first game, where Podkolzin tallied a goal and two assists. They then defeated Team Czech Republic 3-0, with the future Oiler scoring another goal, before Russia finished the preliminary round with an 8-3 thrashing of Team USA, where Podkolzin potted two more goals.

Russia advanced to the semi-finals, where they faced Team Sweden, which featured former Oilers defenceman Philip Broberg manning the blue line for his country.

The semi-final game was scoreless heading into the third period, but Broberg scored on the power play to give Sweden the go-ahead goal. However, with less than two minutes remaining in the game, Podkolzin put the team on his back, darted toward the net, split the defence, and scored a backhander to tie the game. Also, a fun fact: the tally was his first-ever goal at Rogers Place, as he helped will his team back into the game.

Unfortunately for Russia, just a minute later, Sweden’s Karl Henriksson scored the go-ahead goal that sent Team Sweden to the final, where they faced Team Canada.

That said, despite his dramatic game-tying goal late in the semi-final and the heartbreak of losing to Team Sweden, Podkolzin’s spirit wasn’t broken, as the captain saved his best work of the tournament for the bronze medal game against the Americans.

Oilers fans have seen Podkolzin raise his battle level when his team needs him most, and with a medal on the line at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he delivered his best hockey of the tournament.

Russia’s captain scored three goals against the Americans, including a highlight-reel one where he barrelled to the net, beat two defenders, and tucked the puck home for his hat-trick goal, as seen below.

He also assisted on the game-winning goal as Team Russia defeated Team USA 5-4 to win the bronze medal. Overall, Podkolzin led the tournament with eight goals, scoring in every single game, and tied for the points lead with 11 points.

With his dominant performance at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Podkolzin received some very high praise from hockey analysts afterward. At the time, TSN’s Craig Button compared him to former Russian superstar Pavel Datsyuk, saying, “Reminds me of Pavel Datsyuk. You can’t get the puck from him, plays a skill game, a power game.” And perhaps foreshadowing what he would eventually become with the Oilers, Button added, “You see complete centres. He’s a complete winger.”

Furthermore, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman called Podkolzin the complete package:

Podkolzin also made NHL.com’s list of seven players from the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup who raised their draft stock after leading the tournament in goals, scoring in every game, and showcasing his leadership and clutch factor. As a result of his dominant tournament, Podkolzin climbed the draft rankings, and with the Vancouver Canucks’ first pick in the 2019 NHL draft, they selected him No. 10 overall.

Podkolzin’s play at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup featured everything (well, except the fighting part) that Oilers fans have grown to love about him — showing leadership, using his solid frame to protect the puck and barrel toward the net, while scoring some big goals, many of them very pretty, just as he did with the Oilers last season.

Seeing hockey analysts at the time like Button call him “the complete winger” and Pronman “the complete package,” in hindsight, those assessments were accurate in describing what he would eventually become.

Unfortunately, his potential wasn’t realized with the Canucks, and over the course of talking with Podkolzin’s skills coach, Ned Lukacevic, last season, it became clear that, sometimes, for young players, the fit just isn’t right. And when the fit isn’t there, and opportunities aren’t given, it can ultimately affect a player’s confidence.

Luckily for the Oilers, Vancouver’s loss became Edmonton’s gain, as they acquired him for just a fourth-round pick, giving Podkolzin a fresh start and a better opportunity to finally realize his potential and continue growing into the player many believed he could become.

Now, what’s Podkolzin up to this summer? Well, I recently spoke with Lukacevic, and the Oilers forward is expected to join him at his Vancouver camp for offseason skills training. Stay tuned to Oilersnation.com, where we’ll have an interview with Lukacevic in the near future about how the camp went with Podkolzin.

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