To celebrate the pre-tournament games, RBC also announced an extension of its Canada 150 initiative by giving almost 100 young Canadians in the host communities $150 with one simple request: use the money to help do acts of good in their communities. This is part of a larger campaign celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary.

Eight cities across Ontario and Quebec will play host to international teams, featuring 10 games from Dec. 19-23, before the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship officially begins Dec. 26 in Montreal and Toronto.

“As a long-time supporter of hockey and amateur sport in Canada, RBC is thrilled to provide the opportunity to present the world’s best young hockey players to fans in smaller communities,” said Matt McGlynn, senior director, brand marketing, RBC. “We’re also pleased to use these games to help celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary by extending our #Make150Count campaign to local youth to help them make a difference in their communities.”

RBC ROAD TO THE WORLD JUNIORS SCHEDULE

Dec. 19, 2016 | Canada vs. Finland | Bell Centre | Montreal, Que.
Dec. 19, 2016 | Slovakia vs. Sweden | Ed Lumley Arena | Cornwall, Ont.

Dec. 20, 2016 | Russia vs. Denmark | K-Rock Centre | Kingston, Ont.

Dec. 21, 2016 | United States vs. Switzerland | Tribute Communities Centre | Oshawa, Ont.
Dec. 21, 2016 | Canada vs. Czech Republic | Canadian Tire Centre | Ottawa, Ont.

Dec. 22, 2016 | Latvia vs. Denmark | Centre Multisport | Châteauguay, Que.
Dec. 22, 2016 | Slovakia vs. Finland | Palais des Sports | Sherbrooke, Que.
Dec. 22, 2016 | Russia vs. Sweden | K-Rock Centre | Kingston, Ont.

Dec. 23, 2016 | United States vs. Czech Republic | K-Rock Centre | Kingston, Ont.
Dec. 23, 2016 | Canada vs. Switzerland | Air Canada Centre | Toronto, Ont.

“A tremendous amount of work and planning goes into bringing an international event such as the IIHF World Junior Championship to Canada. But whether it’s World Juniors or one of our national events, Hockey Canada works closely with our partners such as RBC, the host-communities, and our provincial members to ensure we are positively impacting the greatest number of people we can,” said Tom Renney, president and CEO, Hockey Canada. “These players provide inspiration to Canadians to take up the game; to work with RBC to bring this level of competition and the ensuing development programs to so many communities across Ontario and Quebec allows us to showcase these young stars of the game, while building on our nation’s passion for hockey.”

Ticket packages for the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship are still available in both cities at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Junior Team and the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow on social media via Facebook and Twitter or Twitter.com/HC_Men.