Sources say that it’ll be a three-horse race to see which pair of Canadian centres will host the 2023 I-I-H-F World Under-20 Championship, coming up this December and next January.

The Saskatchewan bid of Saskatoon and Regina has been submitted. If they haven’t been submitted yet, then it’s expected that bids from Ottawa-Quebec City and Halifax-Moncton will be done so very soon. Reports of a Winnipeg-Brandon bid apparently were premature. The next step in the process is for Hockey Canada to recommend a bid to the I-I-H-F, something that is likely to happen before the end of next week. A meeting on April 25-26 of the I-I-H-F is expected to determine and announce who will host the 2023 event that was taken away from Russia because of their invasion of Ukraine. Following is the news release from the Saskatchewan bid committee…..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Bid is IN! Regina and Saskatoon Officially Submit Bid
for the 2023 World Juniors
REGINA, SK – April 5, 2022 – While Saskatoon and Regina are long-time rivals on the ice, the two
cities have teamed up in record time to make a compelling case to host the 2023 IIHF World Junior
Hockey Championship.
In the space of a week, leadership from the City of Regina, City of Saskatoon, Tourism Saskatoon,
Tourism Regina, SaskTel Centre, REAL District, Saskatoon Destination Marketing Hotels and the
Regina Hotel Association have united forces to share Saskatchewan’s story with Hockey Canada
and the IIHF.
“It’s been amazing to witness so much great work happening so quickly,” Tourism Regina Chief
Tourism & Visitor Growth Officer Chelsea Galloway said. “We want to salute all of our partners,
especially the City Councils of Saskatoon and Regina not only for seeing what this opportunity
means to our province, but for clearing the way to make this bid a reality.”
Over the next two weeks, bid partners – and Saskatchewan’s hockey-loving public – will come
together to bring the World Juniors back to the province for the first time since 2010. Partners will
create a strong social media presence using the hashtag #BringItHomeSK.
The campaign launched today with the release of Saskatchewan’s bid video.
“This is a very special time for hockey in Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan is the heartland of
Canadian hockey and we’re excited to bring the World Juniors home,” Tourism Saskatoon CEO
Stephanie Clovechok said. “At the same time, April 6 marks the fourth anniversary of the Humboldt
Broncos bus crash. While we continue to grieve with the families who lost loved ones, we also pay
tribute to Logan Boulet’s selfless decision to become an organ donor – a decision that, in the face
unimaginable human tragedy, saved the lives of six people.”
This week, partners are asking everyone across the province to Light Saskatchewan Green, starting
with Green Shirt Day on April 7 (in honour of the Logan Boulet Effect, in support of organ donor
awareness). Then, on Friday April 8 and through next week, partners are asking people to again
wear green to support Saskatchewan’s World Junior bid.
Beginning Friday April 8, we encourage everyone to engage in the conversation on social media
using #BringItHomeSK, to show Hockey Canada that Saskatchewan is the best place to host.
Follow along with @tourismregina and @tourismsaskatoon. Saskatchewan corporations, business
owners, hotels, and venues are invited to light their buildings in green in support of the “Bring it
Home SK” campaign.
Beyond the love of the game, the tournament will also have a significant economic impact for the
province. The potential for an impact of $50 million with the arrival of 10 Federations representing
their home country to Saskatchewan in December 2022 will also attract over 20,000 out of town
travellers, generate over 15,000 room nights and have Saskatchewan well positioned in the eyes of
over 120 million worldwide through TSN broadcasts.