It鈥檚 the appetizer before the main course.
Three Island communities will host five exhibition games ahead of the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation world junior championship tournament. Nine sa国际传媒 communities in total will host 12 exhibition games in what is being billed as the Lordco Road to the World Juniors.
Host sa国际传媒 will meet Switzerland on Dec. 19 and Slovakia on Dec. 21, both at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria. The capital gets two of sa国际传媒鈥檚 three pre-tournament games, with the other taking place against Finland on Dec. 23 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
The fans, community and local club team will really get up close and personal in Port Alberni on Dec. 19, when the Alberni Valley Capitals of the sa国际传媒 Hockey League play Kazakhstan at Weyerhauser Arena. The Kazakhs are back in the top-tier of the IIHF world junior championships for the first time since the 2009 tournament held in Ottawa. The Bulldogs are currently fourth in the Island Division of the BCHL at 8-15-1.
鈥淭his will be a fun experience for our kids and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play against a national team,鈥� Bulldogs GM and head coach Matt Hughes said.
Port Alberni will get a second pre-tournament hosting slot when Kazakhstan plays Switzerland on Dec. 21 at Weyerhauser Arena.
These will be the first Hockey sa国际传媒 events held in the valley since Port Alberni hosted the World U-17 Hockey Challenge in 2009.
Hughes was assistant coach that year of sa国际传媒鈥檚 silver-medal U-17 team that included current NHLers Brendan Gallagher, Mark Pysyk and Campbell River-born and Port Hardy-raised Brett Connolly.
鈥淭his shows again the people of Port Alberni are amazing and so enthusiastic for and supportive of sport,鈥� Hughes said.
Hockey sa国际传媒 clearly concurs.
鈥淧ort Alberni has a proven track record of hosting events of this calibre, and getting the chance to showcase the best junior players in the world on Canadian ice is something young fans will remember for a long time,鈥� said Scott Smith, president and chief operating officer of Hockey sa国际传媒.
Nanaimo will also get a game, with the Czech Republic playing Slovakia on Dec. 19 at Frank Crane Arena.
The other pre-tournament games will take place at Prospera Place in Kelowna (Russia-Sweden on Dec. 18); Sandman Centre in Kamloops (Russia-USA on Dec. 20); Prospera Centre in Chilliwack (Denmark-Sweden on Dec. 22); Bill Copeland Arena in Burnaby (Russia-Switzerland on Dec. 23); and the Langley Events Centre (Denmark-Finland on Dec. 19 and Czech Republic-USA on Dec. 23).
鈥淭his series of exhibition games will give thousands of British Columbians the opportunity to see topnotch international junior hockey in their home communities,鈥� Lisa Beare, sa国际传媒 minister of tourism, arts and culture, said in a statement.
The Canadian team will hold its selection and training camps at Naden and the Q Centre and will also play two exhibition games against a U Sports national university all-star team on dates and Island venues yet to be determined.
The 2019 IIHF world junior tournament begins Boxing Day and runs through Jan. 5. Pool B will consist of USA, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and be based in Victoria at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Pool A will feature sa国际传媒, Russia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Switzerland and be based at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Victoria will host two quarter-finals and Vancouver two quarter-finals, the semifinals and final.
Ticket information: Hockeysa国际传媒.ca/Tickets.
