According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the 2022 World Junior Championships that were canceled in December will take place in August in Edmonton.
World Juniors 2022 was held in Edmonton and Red Deer in late December and early January, but the tournament was canceled after just a few days due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Back in February at the Beijing Olympics, IIHF President Luc Tardif said that the tournament would be held in the summer but did not confirm the venue. He also said that the league will be restarted, all results and stats from December will be deleted and teams will be able to submit new rosters for the new tournament.
This will certainly be another look for the WJC, which has traditionally been used as an opportunity for NHL teams to find players before the draft. The NHL Draft will be held at its usual time in June, meaning that players who qualify for the first time won’t get a chance to show off at the tournament.
Another thing to consider is whether NHL clubs want their young players to enter a tournament right before the start of their respective training camps. For example, the Buffalo Sabers might want Owen Power to pick a 2021 first overall that focuses on health for training camp rather than representing Team Canada.
