Schedule Announced for 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship

CALGARY – The long-awaited quest for a gold medal at the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship officially begins Aug. 20 when Canada’s National Women’s Team opens up against Finland.

Hockey Canada, on behalf of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), unveiled the full 31-game tournament schedule, with all games being played at WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Aug. 20-31.

The IIHF announced Calgary as the new host city for the tournament in June, marking the eighth time Canada has hosted the event.

“The excitement has been building ever since Calgary was announced as the new host of the IIHF Women’s World Championship, and this is another reason the excitement continues to build for hockey fans,” said Dean McIntosh, vice-president of events and properties with Hockey Canada. “A tremendous amount of work has gone into hosting this international tournament with the collaborative efforts of the Public Health Agency of Canada, Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services. This tournament would also not be possible without the support of the Province of Alberta, Hockey Alberta, the City of Calgary, Tourism Calgary and WinSport, and we are grateful to be able to showcase the best women’s hockey players in the world as they compete for a gold medal.”

The 10-team tournament features Canada in Group A with Finland, Russia, Switzerland and the United States, while Group B is comprised of the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary and Japan.

In addition to Canada’s opening-day game against Finland, it will also play Russia on Aug. 22 and Switzerland on Aug. 24 before a cross-border match with its rivals from the United States on Aug. 26 to close out the preliminary round. Canada will play all of its preliminary-round games at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will carry extensive game coverage and analysis throughout the IIHF Women’s World Championship. TSN will will broadcast all preliminary-round games, quarterfinals, semifinals and medal games in Calgary. RDS will provide coverage of all Canada games, in addition to playoff round games.

Canada has captured 10 gold medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championship (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2012), in addition to eight silver (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017) and one bronze (2019).

For more information from the IIHF, please visit the official tournament website at 2021.womensworlds.hockey.

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Women’s Team and the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or following along through social media on Facebook and Twitter.

RED DEER - It was a banner year for Alberta at the 2021 NHL Draft, with 17 Albertans drafted to 13 different teams.

After three Albertans were selected in round one of the draft on Friday night, 11 more were drafted in rounds two through seven on Saturday.

Saturday’s portion of the draft saw a pair of Albertans drafted to the teams their older brothers currently play for, as Colton Dach will join older brother Kirby with the Chicago Blackhawks, while the Colorado Avalanche selected Taylor Makar, the younger brother of defenceman Cale.

The 17 Albertans drafted hail from nine different Minor Hockey Associations, 16 are alumni of the Alberta Elite Hockey League, and nine played for Team Alberta.

A full list of Albertans drafted can be found below:

RED DEER - Three Albertans heard their names called and had their dreams realized during the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft on Friday evening.

The first round of the draft, which was done virtually for the second straight year, saw three athletes from Alberta drafted, including Dylan Guenther, who was the first Albertan selected when the Arizona Coyotes selected him ninth overall.

Guenther’s Edmonton Oil Kings teammate Sebastian Cossa was the next Albertan to go, and was the first goaltender off the board as the Detroit Red Wings traded up to select him 15th overall.

Brooks Bandits defenceman Corson Ceulemans was the third and final Albertan selected in the first round, going to the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 25th pick.

All three players are Alberta Elite Hockey League alumni, and also all suited up for Team Alberta (Cossa at the 2017 WHL Cup, Ceulemans and Guenther at the 2019 Canada Winter Games).

Rounds two through seven of the 2021 NHL Draft will conclude on Saturday.

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta will conduct a U11 AA Pilot Project in the 2021-22 season that implements an amended regional hosting structure, player movement rules, league schedule and coach and player development standards. This pilot project is based largely off of the final report and recommendations of the Non-Sanctioned Hockey Workgroup of last season.

We will be working in collaboration with the Northern Alberta Interlock League (Host League), the North East Alberta Hockey League, the All Peace Hockey League and, of course, their member MHA’s. We are looking to create a series of actionable recommendations that will be identified in time for implementation of a new, province wide, U11 model in the 2022-2023 season.

The outcome of this pilot is to identify the best overall structure for the top level of U11 and to ensure alignment and progression within the entire hockey system. The principles of Long-Term Athlete Development and Hockey Canada’s U11 Pathway will be adhered to within all recommendations. The best philosophy for developing players is to create an environment where similarly skilled players can compete together and against each other.

To make it fair and equitable for all teams within the pilot, regions have been established. These regions ensure there is an opportunity for all players that reside within the pilot areas that want to play and have the skill to play at the top level of U11, can. These regions largely follow the U13AA recruitment areas. The established regions allow for the progression of players from Tiered Minor Hockey programs, through to the host programs within this pilot.

Hockey Alberta has established a Workgroup for this U11AA Pilot Project, members include:

Brett Kelly – Hockey Alberta Staff, Innisfail, AB

Mike Applegate – Hockey Alberta Staff, Lloydminster, AB

Hudson Kelly – Hockey Alberta Staff, Red Deer, AB

Randy Mak – NAI Liaison, Fort Saskatchewan, AB

Rick Nordstrom – Grande Prairie, AB

Jason Grinevitch – Bonnyville, AB

If you have any questions, please contact Brett Kelly, Manager, Officiating at [email protected]

Grant MacEwan University has developed the “Grow the Game” initiative for online anti-racism resources for hockey. The goal of the project is to fill the gap around racism information, education, awareness and its impact on those in the hockey community, both on and off the ice.

Federally funded by the Canada Heritage Anti-Racism Program, Grow the Game was created by Alim Tharani and Irfan Chaudhry as a virtual summit in December 2020. The summit featured a diverse line-up of experts to speak on a variety of different racial experiences in hockey including: the impact, anti-racism, unconscious bias and barriers in addressing racial discrimination.

“The biggest thing that we heard from people is just having a baseline of what racism is and how it manifests in the sport of hockey; and what can be done about it,” said Chaudhry. “People don’t know where to turn or what to do and then it (racism) often times does not get addressed in a meaningful way.”

Grow the Game resources are available online. To begin the education process, there is a “Starter Kit” available with definitions, articles and videos to highlight the impact of racial discrimination in hockey. As well, the website includes recordings of the discussions at the virtual summit in December.

For more information on Grow the Game, visit growthegame.hockey or contact Tharani and Chaudhry by clicking here.