Preliminary Round Schedule For IIHF World Junior Championship

On December 26th, the IIHF World Junior Championship will kick off for it’s yearly batch of holiday hockey. The annual tournament pits the best under-20 players in the world against each other and this year (like two years ago) will be held in Toronto and Montreal at their respective NHL arenas.

Teams from Canada, USA, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Latvia, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland will duke it out for the three medals and bragging rights among young players around the world. This tournament is a breeding ground for NHLers, as most played for their country at one time or another.

The opening game will see Denmark face off against Sweden at noon (CST) on Monday, followed by three other matchups throughout the day. The gold medal game will be played on Thursday, January 5th at 6:30 (CST). Below is the full schedule for the preliminary round of the tournament, along with the venue (all times CST).

Monday, December 26th:

Sweden vs Denmark – 12:00pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
USA vs Latvia – 2:30pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto
Czech Rep. vs Finland – 4:00pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
Canada vs Russia – 7:00pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto

Tuesday, December 27th:

Czech Rep. vs Switzerland – 12:00pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
Latvia vs Russia – 3:00pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto
Denmark vs Finland – 4:30pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
Canada vs Slovakia – 7:30pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto

Wednesday, December 28th:

Switzerland vs Sweden – 4:00pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
Slovakia vs USA – 6:30pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto

Thursday, December 29th:

Denmark vs Czech Rep. – 12:00pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
Russia vs USA – 2:30pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto
Finland vs Sweden – 4:30pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
Latvia vs Canada – 7:00pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto

Friday, December 30th:

Switzerland vs Denmark – 4:00pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
Slovakia vs Latvia – 6:30pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto

Saturday, December 31st:

Sweden vs Czech Rep. – 12:00pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
USA vs Canada – 2:30pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto
Finland vs Switzerland – 4:30pm – Bell Centre, Montreal
Russia vs Slovakia – 7:00pm – Air Canada Centre, Toronto