Groups announced for World Junior Hockey Championship games in Moncton, Halifax
The two groups scheduled to compete during the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship have been announced by Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The international tournament will take place at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax and Avenir Centre in Moncton, N.B., from Dec. 26, 2022 to Jan. 5, 2023.
The IIHF formed the groups by ranking each federation on performance at the past five tournaments. They say it gives fans, teams and stakeholders time to prepare for the event, which was awarded to the Maritime region's two largest cities in May.
The 2023 tournament was initially scheduled to be held in Russia, but the IIHF removed the country's hosting rights following the invasion of Ukraine.
Group A will consist of Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Germany and Austria competing in preliminary-round games in Halifax.
Group B, the United States, Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia, will play in Moncton.
The world’s best under-20 hockey players will also play at least 10 pre-tournament games in communities throughout the two provinces.
A full tournament schedule will be available in the coming weeks.
Hockey Canada says nearly 50,000 fans entered a priority draw and will be able to buy tickets later this month. If any tickets are left, they will go on sale to the public in September.
Halifax and Sydney previously co-hosted the World Junior Hockey Championships in 2003.
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