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Minnesota has been selected to host the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship, with an announcement expected to be made by Sweden on Friday, according to a person familiar with the selection.
This hugely popular tournament features 10 international teams playing 29 matches over two weeks. Minnesota Sports and Events (MNSE), which leads these recruiting efforts, made a bid for the event last summer and has long had an interest in hosting a tournament in the hockey state.
The tournament dates are always the same, with the first match being played on December 26th and the last match being played on January 5th. Games are scheduled to take place at Xcel Energy Center and 3M Arena in Mariucci.
Teams typically arrive several weeks before the event and host multiple exhibition games within the state.
The last time the United States hosted this event began in December 2017 in Buffalo, New York. In 1982, a much smaller version of this event was held in the Twin Cities.
Juniors attract elite athletes from all over the world. Last January, for example, Canada won the tournament with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft and coach Connor Bedard, who now skates for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Minnesota’s selection was announced by online hockey news station The Rink Live. The Rink reported that Seattle is the other finalist in the tournament.
MNSE officials declined to confirm the selection, which will not be officially announced until Friday by the International Ice Hockey Federation in Gothenburg, Sweden, the final day of this year’s event.
In a written statement, MNSE officials said only that they had submitted a competitive bid to host the championships, adding: “We expect a decision to be made soon and are optimistic that a venue will be selected.” That’s all he said.
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