REGINA, SK – Representatives of Hockey Canada and the 2010 host organizing committee announced on Monday that Canada’s National Junior Team will hold its December selection camp in Regina and also play two pre-competition games in Regina prior to the start of the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Tickets to the two Team Canada pre-competition games in December are part of a ticket package that also includes all 10 round-robin games in Regina. Ticket packages for the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship are currently available through Ticketmaster, either at ticketmaster.ca, 1-800-970-SEAT, or any Ticketmaster outlet. More ticket information is listed below.

Canada’s National Junior Team’s December selection camp will run from December 12-16, 2009 in Regina. Between 30 and 40 players will compete for one of the 22 final roster spots.

Team Canada’s two pre-competition games in Regina will take place in December, during the week prior to the IIHF World Junior Championship. Dates and opponents, along with the full 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship game schedule, will be announced in the near future.

“In just over nine months, Saskatchewan will be host to a very special hockey event, the IIHF World Junior Championship,” said Bob Nicholson, Hockey Canada’s president and CEO. “Canada’s National Junior Team looks forward to getting a great send-off in Regina as we will be taking on two top teams to prepare for the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship.”

"We have two extremely competitive pools in Regina and Saskatoon," said Jack Brodsky, president of the 2010 WJC host Organizing committee. "The Regina pool features world powerhouses Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic and Finland, with all four of these teams legitimate medal contenders. The Saskatoon pool includes Canada and a strong rivalry with the United States."

During the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship, the city of Regina will host a round-robin group that includes four of the five most successful nations in IIHF World Junior Championship history, including Russia, which has won an all-time high 31 medals at the event, including 15 gold medals. The Czech Republic ranks third all-time, with 15 medals, followed by Sweden (14) and Finland (13). Canada ranks second all-time, with 28 medals.

Along with the defending champions from Canada, the round-robin group in Saskatoon features Latvia, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States. The medal games and relegation-round games will be in Saskatoon from January 2-5.

Pools for the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship are as follows:

SASKATOON POOL: CANADA, SLOVAKIA, UNITED STATES, LATVIA, SWITZERLAND

REGINA GROUP: SWEDEN, RUSSIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, FINLAND, AUSTRIA

The final schedule for the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship will be finalized in the near future.

TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2010 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Tickets for the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship are available through Ticketmaster, either at ticketmaster.ca, 1-800-970-SEAT, or any Ticketmaster outlet. At this time, only full-tournament ticket packages are available.

Saskatoon’s 21-game package includes round-robin games featuring Canada’s National Junior Team, the relegation round and all medal-round games between $758 and $1178 per seat.

Regina’s 12-game package includes two pre-competition games featuring Canada’s National Junior Team and 10 round-robin games from $383 to $443 per seat. There is also an optional ticket package with limited availability that includes the Regina 12-game package and the relegation round and medal round in Saskatoon for a total of 23 games at $1,092 plus applicable service charges.