World Junior Hockey Championship schedule released for Halifax and Moncton

The official schedule for the upcoming 2023 World Junior Championships in Halifax and Moncton has been released.

Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation announce that the tournament will take place from December 26 to January 5, 2023.

Canada’s championship opener will be against the Czech Republic on Boxing Day in Halifax at 7:30 p.m. AT, where they will defend their gold medal in a rematch of last month’s World Juniors semi-final.

Canada and Sweden will face off on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. AT in Halifax for the first time since the 2016 tournament.

In Moncton, Finland will open the event against Switzerland at 12 p.m. AT, also on Boxing Day. The opening matches are the first of 20 preliminary round matches split between the host cities.

Last month the groups for the 2023 tournament were announced, with Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Germany and Austria in Group A playing their matches at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax. Group B, made up of the United States, Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia, will play at the Center Avenir in Moncton.

Moncton will also host Canada’s selection camp in mid-December. Hockey Canada says the pre-tournament schedule will be released in the coming weeks, with communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia ready to host games.