After the success of the NHL’s return in Toronto and Edmonton bubbles, the International Ice Hockey Federation will be using a similar format for the upcoming under-20 World Junior Hockey Championships.
The IIHF announced Thursday that the 2021 edition of the tournament will be held in a bubble in Edmonton without fans. The tournament was originally scheduled to be co-hosted by Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta., which will now happen in 2022.
As of Monday, the NHL has gone seven weeks without reporting a positive case of COVID-19 since 24 teams entered the Toronto and Edmonton bubbles on July 26 for the playoffs.
The 2021 edition of the tournament will feature 10 teams split into two groups of five. The first group, Pool A, will feature Canada, Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany. Pool B will include Russia, Sweden, the United States, Czech Republic and Austria. Specific details on travel and quarantine requirements for the 10 teams were not announced by the IIHF Thursday.
As a result of Edmonton and Red Deer now hosting two years in a row, Sweden, the original 2022 host-country, will now host the tournament in 2024.
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