Team USA is the winner of the 2025 World Junior Hockey championship in Ottawa, Canada, and the countdown is on for the next edition of the event.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz led off the promotional video for the 2026 World Juniors, welcoming them to the "Land of 10,000 Rinks". The next edition of the World Juniors starts the day after Christmas at the Xcel Energy Center and on the University of Minnesota campus at Mariucci Arena.
USA hockey director Pat Kelleher was in Ottawa Sunday for the ceremonial passing of the puck to Minnesota. Organizers there slid the puck across a plastic mat to the folks running the tournament next winter in the Twin Cities.
"Let me say how excited and thrilled we are, and thankful to the IHF for the opportunity to host the 50th World Junior Championship next year in the great state of hockey," said Kelleher. "It's going to be an incredible event. I think the experience for all fans that'll show up to the venues in Minnesota and be around the state will have an unforgettable experience there."
Among the dignitaries at the ceremony was Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne.
"I want to first off thank USA Hockey and the IHF for selecting us to be the host for the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championships," Nanne said. We're very honored, proud, and committed to make this event one that everybody will remember."
Team USA had nine Minnesotans on the roster in winning the World Junior championship for the second straight year. The Americans were outplayed in the first period and trailed 3-1 early in the second period before a fluke goal that deflected off a Finnish player, followed by another goal, tied the game in the second. A breakaway at 8:04 of overtime secured a 4-3 victory and a second consecutive gold medal at the under-20 tournament for Team USA>
Wendy Williams Blackshaw of Minnesota Sports and Events, a group that has worked tirelessly to bring these large sporting events to the Twin Cities, told the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar that they are hoping to channel the same energy they saw in Ottawa into the Twin Cities next year.
"One of the things we kept hearing from especially Minnesota parents, the parents of the players was, 'how do we replicate that same energy and enthusiasm next year in Xcel and in Mariucci?' And that's really what we walked away with is, we really need to put on the best event ever and replicate that same incredible excitement," Blackshaw explains. "It certainly is, and you want that here in Minnesota."
Blackshaw says they're working on making a fan fest experience that mimics the success they say in Ottawa's, plus are planning on some outdoor activities in St. Paul's Rice Park and other areas of the Twin Cities.
"And we saw that in Canada, but you know, I'm competitive," Blackshaw said. "We can do it better, I know. I kept looking at all that stuff, and I thought this is nice, but I know these guys are going to do better."
The 2025-26 World Junior Hockey Championships begin December 26th and run through January 5th, 2026 in Minnesota. Blackshaw says they expect the event to fully sell out. Tickets are already selling fast. You can find out more here.