CORNWALL, Ontario – It has been announced that come December 2020, Cornwall will be hosting the World Junior A Challenge.
This international tournament will see teams and hockey scouts from around the world come to town to see the future of hockey.
Taking place from Dec. 13 to 19 at the Cornwall Civic Complex, five-to-six of the top junior hockey teams in the world will be taking to the ice.
“If you look at some of the junior alumni who’ve played in this tournament, you are looking at some of the top NHL talent that played here just a few years ago,” said Jeff Beck, Senior Manager for Events and Properties with Hockey Canada.
Cornwall submitted a bid to host the tournament and Beck explained that there were a few things in the application that stood out to the selection committee.
“First off, there’s the infrastructure,” he said. “The Complex is a strong building and it is good to have the Benson Centre nearby as a secondary site. And being from not far from the area, I know that the Nav Centre is a world class facility.”
Beck explained that Cornwall could see a $3 million economic boost as a result of hosting the World Junior A Challenge.
“We think this is huge for tourism to host this international event,” said Cornwall’s Tourism Coordinator Kevin Lajoie.
Beck said that because of Cornwall’s central location, he would not be surprised if around 250 hockey scouts came to Cornwall for the tournament to find the NHLs future stars.
