After the 2023 IIHF World Junior tournament was stripped from Russia last month, a new host nation and city needed to be found quickly. The destination has been decided, as Hockey Canada officially announced today that Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick will hold the event next winter.
The tournament, which opens on December 26 every year, is one of the premier events for junior-aged prospects and draft-eligible players to showcase their skills to the world, helping impress NHL front offices and gain hockey fans from various markets. It was last held in Halifax in 2003, and hasn’t been in Atlantic Canada since.
Scott Smith, president of Hockey Canada, released the following statement:
Hosting the World Juniors twice in less than six months is a unique opportunity for our organization and Canadian hockey fans, and with the IIHF’s need to find a host, we were in the position to entertain bids from passionate hockey communities across the country. We appreciate the hard work and efforts put forth by the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and we strongly believe in the plans they have in place to host a successful event in Halifax and Moncton. We know the work of the host committees and volunteers will leave a lasting impression on each community, the competing teams and the fans who will travel to experience this best-on-best competition.
The 2022 event will be held in Edmonton this summer after the previous tournament was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak. That event will still allow players born in 2002 to participate, even if they have already turned 20 in the months that have passed since the original tournament was set to take place.
Many fans will remember the last time the event was in Halifax, though many Canadians will grimace with the thought. The Canadian squad lost in the finals to an Alex Ovechkin-led Russia despite the best efforts of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who was named tournament MVP.
Twenty years later, the tournament returns to the east coast, and Canada is likely to be led by their own young goal-scoring phenom in Connor Bedard. The 16-year-old is already a lock to make the 2022 squad (again) and could very well be stitching a letter onto his sweater by the time the 2023 tournament rolls around.