Six Alberta communities host 12 World Juniors warm-up games

Six Alberta communities will host 12 pre-tournament games ahead of the IIHF World Junior Championship 2027, Hockey Canada said in a news release Thursday, with games running from Dec. 17 to Dec. 23.

The schedule takes teams through Cold Lake, Red Deer, Camrose, Lloydminster, Edmonton and Blackfalds. Red Deer will host four games in total, Blackfalds will host three, and Camrose will host two.

Canada's national junior team will open its exhibition schedule at the Marchant Crane Centrium in Red Deer, facing Finland on Dec. 18 and Sweden on Dec. 20. The team will then play its final pre-tournament game against Sweden at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Dec. 22. The Dec. 18 opener is set for 7:30 p.m. ABT; the two games against Sweden will start at 5 p.m. ABT.

Seven Alberta communities will also serve as pre-tournament camp hosts: Blackfalds for Czechia and Norway, Camrose for Finland and Slovakia, Calgary for Canada, Cold Lake for Germany and Switzerland, Edmonton for Sweden, Lloydminster for Latvia, and Red Deer for the United States.

"As the anticipation for the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer continues to build, we are excited to unveil the Road to the World Juniors schedule and provide fans in six communities across the Province of Alberta with the opportunity to experience this prestigious event before the puck drops on Boxing Day," said Dean McIntosh, senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact with Hockey Canada.

Tickets for pre-tournament games in Cold Lake, Lloydminster, Red Deer and Edmonton are on sale now at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets. Tickets for games in Blackfalds and Camrose will be available in early November. Limited ticket packages and individual tickets for the main tournament in Edmonton and Red Deer also remain available.

TSN and RDS are expected to broadcast all three of Canada's pre-tournament games and all 29 tournament games, beginning with Czechia and Norway on Dec. 26 at 12 p.m. ABT. Select non-Canada pre-tournament games will be livestreamed through HNLive, Hockey Canada's official livestreaming partner.

The tournament itself opens on Boxing Day in Edmonton and Red Deer.