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. Junior Ice Hockey live
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.
The United States will play Slovakia on Dec. 26, one of four games scheduled for the first day of the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.
The schedule was announced Nov. 4 for the 10-team tournament, which will be held from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
The U.S., which defeated Canada 2-0 in the championship game in 2021, seeks to win back-to-back titles for the first time. The last team to do so was Canada, which won the last of five straight in 2009.
The U.S. will play preliminary-round games at WP Centrium in Red Deer in Group B along with Russia, Sweden, Slovakia and Switzerland. Canada will play preliminary games at Rogers Place in Edmonton in Group A, along with Finland, Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Watch Junior Ice Hockey online
The top four teams in each group will play in the quarterfinals Jan. 2. The semifinals are Jan. 4, and the championship and third-place games are Jan. 5.
