Alberta gets 2027 World Juniors and bevy of other international events over four years

“Alberta’s government is thrilled to be hosting these major sporting events. These events will create excitement around the game of hockey while driving visitors to the province, increasing tourism and bolstering local businesses,” says Joseph Schow, Minister of Tourism and Sport, adding that the estimated economic impact is $55 million.

“These tournaments and events will be an inspiration to young Albertans as they get a chance to learn from and watch the world’s best hockey players.”

The 2027 World Juniors are expected to brings in more than 400,000 fans alone, not to mention 140 jobs, the province also notes.

“Hosting international games and tournaments are critical to provide opportunities for our men’s, women’s and para athletes to develop and compete on the world stage, showcase our teams and communities, and inspire the next generation of participants and fans,” says Katherine Henderson, president, Hockey Canada.

“We are grateful that the province of Alberta has made this significant investment to enable these events to be played on home ice, which will significantly benefit each of our programs, including our national teams that are preparing for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”

The first two tournaments to take place are the World Para Hockey Championship at WinSport Arena in Calgary from May 4-12, and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup at Rogers Place in Edmonton from Aug. 5-10.

Locations for all other noted events will be shared at a later date, Hockey Canada says.

In an interview with rdnewsNOW Saturday, Jesse Smith, CEO at Tourism Red Deer, shared his hope that the central Alberta hub can get in on the action.

“The opportunity to host events like these in our region aligns with Tourism Red Deer’s goal of becoming a major event destination among mid-sized cities,” he says. “Economic impact is one things, but there’s also a sense of pride. It brings our community profile to the national and international level, and we get to showcase what central Alberta is all about. In the past, we’ve demonstrated our central Alberta hospitality anytime we’ve had events like this, and we’d be eagerly looking to do that again if we’re lucky enough to receive one of these events announced today.”

The last time Red Deer hosted an international hockey event was fairly recently, in 2022, when the Hlinka Gretzky Cup was played entirely in the city. Red Deer co-hosted the same event with Edmonton in 2018, and was supposed to in 2020 before it was cancelled due to the global pandemic.

The 2022 World Juniors were also supposed to be co-hosted by Red Deer and Edmonton, but the tournament was cancelled, then hosted entirely in Edmonton the following summer — the same summer Red Deer solely hosted the Hlinka Gretzky.

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by Josh Hall | @Vancan19

Alberta gets 2027 World Juniors and bevy of other international events over four years

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