VANCOUVER & VICTORIA, B.C. – Canada will face Denmark to open the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship when the red-and-white hits the ice at home in search of a second-consecutive gold medal this December.

Hockey Canada, on behalf of the IIHF, has unveiled the full tournament schedule for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, being co-hosted in Vancouver and Victoria, Dec. 26, 2018 to Jan. 5, 2019.

An event more than 18 months in the making, this Canadian holiday tradition has been embraced by the province of British Columbia and Canadian hockey fans by the thousands who have secured their tickets to this bucket-list event.

“The announcement of the tournament schedule is another indication of how close we are to puck-drop on Boxing Day,” said tournament director Riley Wiwchar. “Excitement has been building for months in the province, and that now extends across the country and around the world as fans get set to enjoy some of the best international hockey the world has to offer.”

The 10-team tournament features Canada in Group A with the Czech Republic, Denmark, Russia and Switzerland. Group B is comprised of Finland, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States.

Canada opens the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship on Boxing Day against Denmark in Vancouver. Preliminary-round games wrap up on December 31, during which Canada will also face off against Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Russia. The bronze- and gold-medal games will take place on Saturday, Jan. 5 at Rogers Arena.

Hockey Canada previously announced the launch of two new half-package ticket options available HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets to help fans REPRESENT in Vancouver this December.

The 10-game pack (Pack A) includes one pre-competition game, five preliminary-round games, one relegation-round game, one quarter-final, one semifinal, and the gold-medal game. This package guarantees one Team Canada pre-competition game and two Team Canada preliminary-round games.

The nine-game (Pack B) ticket package includes five preliminary-round games, one relegation-round game, one quarter-final, one semifinal, and the bronze-medal game. This package also guarantees two Team Canada preliminary-round games. Both ticket packages can be purchased for as low as $499 (plus fees).

Regional economic impact studies of past IIHF World Junior Championships hosted in Canada have topped $80 million. In addition, a legacy plan for the profits of the event will provide for grassroots hockey program support across the province and throughout Hockey Canada’s 13 regional members, as well as the CHL.

Limited quantities of full-event ticket packages for both Vancouver and Victoria are also available for fans to purchase online at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will carry extensive game coverage and analysis throughout the tournament. TSN Radio will also provide comprehensive tournament coverage; details to be announced at a later date.

Overall, Canada has captured 17 gold medals (1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018). Canada has also won silver 11 times (1975, 1976, 1977, 1986, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2017), and bronze six times (1974, 1978, 1983, 2000, 2001, 2012).

Hockey fans enjoying World Juniors preview in Kamloops this week

Four of the 10 participating nations – Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States – are on the ice this week in Kamloops, B.C., for the Sport Chek World Junior Showcase, a summer preview of the high-calibre hockey fans will see this December.

Hosted at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, four games remain on the schedule at the Sport Chek World Junior Showcase, including a Canada-United States match-up on Sat., Aug. 4, at 2 p.m. PT. All remaining scheduled games are available on TSN, with individual game tickets available online or at the Sandman Centre box office for $24.90 plus fees.

For information on the IIHF and the official tournament site, please visit 2019.worldjunior.hockey.

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Junior Team and the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and #WorldJuniors.