Minnesota has been chosen as the host of the 2026 world junior hockey championship, with an announcement expected to come Friday from Sweden, according to sources with knowledge of the selection.
The wildly popular tournament features 10 international teams playing 29 games over two weeks. Minnesota Sports and Events (MNSE), the organization that spearheads such recruiting efforts, placed a bid on the event last summer and had been interested in hosting the tournament in the State of Hockey for years.
The dates for the tournament are always the same with the first game played Dec. 26 and the final on Jan. 5. The games in Minnesota are expected to be played at Xcel Energy Center and 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Outside of the Olympics, the world juniors are one of hockey’s premiere showcases, featuring players under age 20. The U.S. team often includes several Minnesotans.
USA Hockey estimates a $75 million economic impact to the host community. The teams generally arrive a couple weeks in advance of the event and play host to exhibition games throughout the state.
The juniors feature elite players from around the globe. Last January, Canada won the tournament under MVP Connor Bedard, who went on to be the first overall pick in the NHL draft for Chicago.
Rosters also often include current college standouts. Jimmy Snuggerud and Ryan Chesley are among the four Gophers and six Minnesotans playing for Team USA inthis year’s tournament, which has semifinals Thursday in Sweden.
The United States generally hosts the event every few years. Buffalo, N.Y., was the last U.S. city to play host to the event that ran from Dec. 26, 2017, through early January 2018.
Minnesota played host to the sixth version of the tournament in 1982 with games across the state and in two Canadian provinces: Manitoba and Ontario. Canada won that year as well.
The selection of Minnesota was announced by “The Rink Live,” an online hockey news outlet. The Rink Live reported Seattle was the other finalist for the tournament.
MNSE officials declined to confirm the selection which won’t be official until the announcement by the International Ice Hockey Federation in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Friday, the final day of this year’s event.
In a written statement, MNSE officials said only that they submitted a competitive bid to host the championship and that they “anticipate a decision soon and remain optimistic” that their bid will be selected.