Just 11 months ago, Canadians shared in the celebration of the National Junior Team’s gold-medal win on home ice in Toronto. In 2017, Montreal and the Bell Centre will host the medal rounds, while five Team Canada games will be played in Toronto.

“The anticipation is growing as we get set to host this year’s National Junior Team selection camp and send our players off to Finland to represent the country at this year’s tournament. At the same time, we are already hard at work to deliver on the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto, and we can’t wait to have the chance to welcome the world once again, and demonstrate the passion our fans and volunteers have for the game of hockey,” said Tom Renney, president and CEO of Hockey Canada.

IIHF World Junior Championship nets multiple benefits for Canada

Hockey fans won’t soon forget the thrill of seeing the 2015 National Junior Team celebrate their gold-medal performance at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. Hockey Canada’s post-event research points to some off-ice wins that resulted from hosting the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship as well.

A third-party study shows that last year’s world juniors resulted in over $80 million in economic activity in the host provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Meanwhile, the event’s Legacy Plan directly impacted over 30,000 hockey players from the grassroots to elite levels, and 5,500 coaches through programming support.

“Hosting events such as the IIHF World Junior Championship is about more than cheering on this year’s National Junior Team players – it’s about reinvesting into the growth of hockey across the country,” said Renney. “We direct 100 per cent of the proceeds from our ticket sales back into supporting hockey programs across the country, delivered by Hockey Canada through our 13 member associations and the Canadian Hockey League.”

The schedule for the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship will be available in the new year. In the meantime, hockey fans can cheer on Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland, on TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners. Pre-competition games begin Dec. 19, and Team Canada kicks off its tournament on Dec. 26 against the United States. Check local listings for details.

For more information on Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, and Twitter.