For nearly two weeks, running parallel with the holiday season, the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Junior Hockey Championship takes place. The tournament concentrates the top players under 20 years of age from the top 10 hockey nations, with one claiming a trophy, and more coveted individual gold medals.
This year’s event will be played in a bubble format as everyone involved tries to limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. That has already proven difficult, as players and coaches from several nations have contracted the virus and are unable to travel, while other players have already dealt with an infection. It will be a battle just to get everyone to Edmonton, Alberta to start the tournament, let alone trying to keep 250 players and a similar number of staff members safe. Nevertheless, the tournament seems to be on pace to begin later this month.
The plan is to have a few tune-up games for the teams involved, and then the preliminary round gets under way on December 25, 2020 with the champion determined on January 5, 2021.
Full tournament schedule by date
Exhibition
All games from the start of the exhibition round to the Gold Medal Game will be aired on TSN and TSN Direct in Canada.
UPDATE: After reporting eight positive coronavirus cases upon landing in Edmonton, Germany (GER) will not participate in any exhibition matches, but the nation still hopes to play when the tournament officially begins on December 25.
Sweden (SWE), which also dealt with positive tests leading up to the tournament, will quarantine until the tournament begins.
The updated schedule, in which the eight remaining teams play one game each, is as follows:
December 22, 2020
Switzerland (SUI) vs. Austria (AUT) (6:00 PM EST)
Finland (FIN) vs. United States (USA) (9:30 PM EST)
December 23, 2020
Canada (CAN) vs. Russia (RUS) (6:00 PM EST)
Slovakia (SVK) vs. Czech Republic (CZE) (9:30 PM EST)
Preliminary round
All games from the start of the preliminary round to the Gold Medal Game will air on NHL Network in the U.S.
December 25, 2020
SUI vs. SVK (2:00 PM EST)
GER vs. FIN (6:00 PM EST)
RUS vs. USA (9:30 PM EST)
December 26, 2020
SWE vs. CZE (2:00 PM EST)
GER vs. CAN (6:00 PM EST)
USA vs. AUT (9:30 PM EST)
December 27, 2020
FIN vs. SUI (2:00 PM EST)
SVK vs. CAN (6:00 PM EST)
CZE RUS (9:30 PM EST)
December 28, 2020
AUT vs. SWE (6:00 PM EST)
SVK vs. GER (9:30 PM EST)
December 29, 2020
USA vs. CZE (2:00 PM EST)
CAN vs. SUI (6:00 PM EST)
AUT vs. RUS (9:30 PM EST)
December 30, 2020
FIN vs. SVK (2:00 PM EST)
SUI vs. GER (6:00 PM EST)
RUS vs. SWE (9:30 PM EST)
December 31, 2020
CZE vs. AUT (2:00 PM EST)
CAN vs. FIN (6:00 PM EST)
SWE vs. USA (9:30 PM EST)
Quarter-finals
January 2, 2021
QF1: RUS vs. GER (12:00 PM EST)
QF2: FIN vs. SWE (3:30 PM EST)
QF3: CAN vs. CZE (7:00 PM EST)
QF4: USA vs. SVK (10:30 PM EST)
Semifinals
January 4, 2021
SF1: CAN vs. RUS (6:00 PM EST)
SF2: USA vs. FIN (9:30 PM EST)
Medal Round
January 5, 2021
Bronze Medal Game: FIN vs. RUS (5:30 PM EST)
Gold Medal Game: CAN vs. USA (9:30 PM EST)
Full tournament schedule by team
| Team | Dec 25 | Dec 26 | Dec 27 | Dec 28 | Dec 29 | Dec 30 | Dec 31 | Jan 1 | Jan 2 | Jan 3 | Jan 4 | Jan 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | — | USA (9:30) | — | SWE (6:00) | RUS (9:30) | — | CZE (2:00) | — | — | — | — | — |
| CAN | — | GER (6:00) | SVK (6:00) | — | SUI (6:00) | — | FIN (6:00) | — | CZE (7:00) | — | RUS (6:00) | USA (9:30) |
| CZE | — | SWE (2:00) | RUS (9:30) | — | USA (2:00) | — | AUT (2:00) | — | CAN (7:00) | — | — | — |
| FIN | GER (6:00) | — | SUI (2:00) | — | — | SVK (2:00) | CAN (6:00) | — | SWE (3:30) | — | USA (9:30) | RUS (5:30) |
| GER | FIN (6:00) | CAN (6:00) | — | SVK (9:30) | — | SUI (6:00) | — | — | RUS (12:00) | — | — | — |
| RUS | USA (9:30) | — | CZE (9:30) | — | AUT (9:30) | SWE (9:30) | — | — | GER (12:00) | — | CAN (6:00) | FIN (5:30) |
| SUI | SVK (2:00) | — | FIN (2:00) | — | CAN (6:00) | GER (6:00) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SVK | SUI (2:00) | — | CAN (6:00) | GER (9:30) | — | FIN (2:00) | — | — | USA (10:30) | — | — | — |
| SWE | — | CZE (2:00) | — | AUT (6:00) | — | RUS (9:30) | USA (9:30) | — | FIN (3:30) | — | — | — |
| USA | RUS (9:30) | AUT (9:30) | — | — | CZE (2:00) | — | SWE (9:30) | — | SVK (10:30) | — | FIN (9:30) | CAN (9:30) |
