KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The first games of the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship will be played on B.C. ice in just eight months, but fans in and around Kamloops will get a sneak preview of the on-ice talent when Hockey Canada brings the Sport Chek World Junior Showcase to the country’s Tournament Capital, July 28-Aug. 4.

The City of Kamloops and the Kamloops Blazers have partnered with Hockey Canada to host junior team prospects from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States at the Sandman Centre. 

“I am so pleased to work with Hockey Canada, the City of Kamloops, and the Kamloops Blazers in hosting this event and welcoming these teams to Kamloops,” said Jon Pankuch, who will co-chair the host organizing committee alongside Norm Daley. Pankuch and Daley previously worked together as co-chairs of the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship when it was hosted in the city. “We have reached out to numerous volunteers and are excited to put our organizational skills together to make this a great event for the competitors, fans, and sponsors,” said Daley.

Daley and Pankuch encourage anyone interested in volunteering to register now at HockeyCanada.ca/volunteers.

The eight-day Showcase features 11 games and is used by participating teams to develop and evaluate prospective players as they prepare to field the best possible team in Vancouver and Victoria in December. 

“The City of Kamloops and the Kamloops Blazers have been great partners to Hockey Canada in hosting previous events, including the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship and the 2014 4 Nations Cup,” said Dean McIntosh, vice-president of events and properties for Hockey Canada. “Hockey fans in and around this community have supported us with their demonstrated passion for the game and for the players who hit the ice to represent our country at all levels of competition. We’re really looking forward to being able to bring the Sport Chek World Junior Showcase to Kamloops, and to have Kamloops host not just our Canadian team, but also bring their hospitality to the teams from Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. All four teams are looking forward to being in beautiful British Columbia this summer, and to bringing some great hockey into a great hockey community.” 

Ticket packages that include all Showcase games will be available for purchase beginning May 8 online at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets and at the Sandman Centre box office for as low as $99 plus fees. 

Fans from across all of Canada, and around the world, are gearing up to REPRESENT when the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship opens in Vancouver and Victoria on Dec. 26, 2018. The sale of full-event ticket packages have outpaced initial projections as the West Coast prepares to REPRESENT for the first time since 2006. Limited full-event ticket packages are available at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.

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