Junior “A” Challenge

Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, has announced the game schedule for the 2011 World Junior A Challenge, set for November 7-13 at the Langley Events Centre.

Making its debut at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge will be the Czech Republic, which will play in Group B with Canada East and Russia.

The United States, three-time defending gold medallists, will play in Group A with Canada West and Sweden.

Canada East will be the first Canadian team to see action, taking on the Czech Republic in the tournament opener Monday, November 7, while Canada West will make its 2011 debut Tuesday, November 8 when it faces Sweden.

“With the addition of a top-tier international team like the Czech Republic, this year’s World Junior A Challenge is shaping up to be the most competitive in the tournament’s six-year history,” said Kirk Lamb, chairman of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.

“The profile of Junior A hockey is continuing to grow, and the World Junior A Challenge is a key component to that growth,” said Bob Nicholson, president and CEO of Hockey Canada.

“Canada’s Junior A leagues are producing world-class players, and it will be exciting to watch them represent their country in Langley.”

This year, for the first time, the CJHL Prospects Games will be held in conjunction with the World Junior A Challenge.

The two-game, total-goal series between Team East and Team West features the top 40 NHL draft-eligible players from Canada’s 10 Junior A leagues.

It will be a unique opportunity to give CJHL prospects an unprecedented audience of scouts from across North America.

Player selection is a joint initiative of the CJHL and NHL Central Scouting,

Since the first World Junior A Challenge in 2006 in Yorkton and Humboldt, Sask., more than 100 NHL draft picks have played in the tournament.

They include 13 first-round selections (Beau Bennett, Alexander Burmistrov, Joe Colborne, Nikita Filatov, Dmitri Kulikov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Moore, Vladislav Namestnikov, Riley Nash, Dylan Olsen, Jaden Schwartz, Brendan Smith and Kyle Turris).