Canada-Finland to Headline New Year’s Eve Games at 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship

Hockey Canada, IIHF unveil full tournament schedule; Canadian holiday hockey tradition kicks off on Boxing Day

EDMONTON & RED DEER, Alta. – After a unique IIHF World Junior Championship that started on Christmas Day in 2021, the 2022 edition of the World Juniors will get underway on Boxing Day, with four games highlighting the opening-day schedule.

Hockey Canada and the host committee, on behalf of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), unveiled the full tournament schedule on Thursday. Thirty-one games will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton and the Peavey Mart Centrium in Red Deer from Dec. 26, 2021 to Jan. 5, 2022.

“The World Juniors is a marquee event for Canadian hockey fans, and the unveiling of the schedule is a sign of how close the event is to getting underway in Edmonton and Red Deer this holiday season,” said Riley Wiwchar, executive director of the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship. “We look forward to bringing the World Juniors to both communities while showcasing some of the best international hockey to fans, both locally in these two communities, as well as across the country and around the world.”

The 10-team tournament features Canada in Group A with Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland and Germany in Edmonton, while Group B is comprised of Russia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States in Red Deer.

In addition to Canada’s New Year’s Eve match-up against Finland, it will also play the Czech Republic on Boxing Day, as well as Austria on Dec. 28 and Germany on Dec. 29. All Team Canada games will be played at 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will carry extensive game coverage and analysis throughout the World Juniors. TSN will broadcast all 31 tournament games and five pre-tournament games, while RDS will broadcast all 31 tournament games and three pre-tournament games. TSN Radio will also provide comprehensive coverage and will announce its broadcast schedule at a later date.

The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship will be played under an Exemption for Amateur Sport Hosting regarding vaccination and COVID-19 protocols while allowing fully-vaccinated ticket holders to attend in both communities.

Overall, Canada has captured 18 gold medals (1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018, 2020), 12 silver (1975, 1976, 1977, 1986, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2021) and six bronze (1974, 1978, 1983, 2000, 2001, 2012) at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

For more information from the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit the official tournament website at 2022.worldjuniors.hockey.

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Junior Team and the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #WorldJuniors.

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