The city of London has bid more than once to host the World Junior Hockey Championship.
They have watched as cities like Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver have become the destinations of choice for the tournament, which has grown into one of the biggest events on the annual hockey calendar.
Unless things undergo a major shift, the rotation throughout Canada’s biggest cities, and possibly Halifax might just continue when this country is the host city.
But that doesn’t mean London has to sit shut out entirely.
Hockey Canada and Budweiser Gardens announced on Monday afternoon that Team Canada will meet the Czech Republic in a World Junior pre-tournament game on December 20 in London.
Budweiser Gardens’ General Manager, Brian Ohl says it has taken some time to make this happen, but everyone involved is extremely pleased to see it work out.
“London Knights’ G.M. Rob Simpson worked with our staff in talking with Hockey Canada to do something that made sense for Hockey Canada and our two organizations.”
This year’s World Junior tournament is in Buffalo – and the London strop will be part of a pair of exhibition games. Canada will face Switzerland on December 22 in Hamilton.
Ohl admits this is yet another opportunity for London to demonstrate what the city can do with an even that has international attention.
“Everything we do is a showcase,” “We need the support of the fans,” says Ohl. “But that has never been a problem in London. This is a hockey town. People love hockey and when it comes to Team Canada and the London Knights, fans are really supportive… Everything we do is a showcase and hopefully, this bodes well for the future.”
Canada is coming off a silver medal finish in Toronto and Montreal last year, losing in a shootout to former Knights’ goalie, Tyler Parsons and Team USA.
There is an excellent chance that there will be some strong local content on this year’s Team Canada roster. Londoner Nick Suzuki, along with Knights’ forwards Robert Thomas and Cliff Pu attended the Summer Showcase in August, in Plymouth, Mich., that brings together World Junior eligible players.
All three of them performed very well.
The Czech Republic lost to Canada in a quarter-final game in the 2016-17 tournament and this year’s roster could be highlighted by a couple of NHL draft-eligible prospects in Filip Zadina and Jakub Skarek.
Tickets for the game in London will go on sale on October 18 online, by phone at 1-866-455-2849, or in-person at the Courtesy Ford Box Office at Budweiser Gardens, at the Fanshawe College Biz Booth, and at Books Plus.
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