2016 Under-17 tournament to be held locally

It’s going to be a year further down the road but Sault Ste. Marie is set to host the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Hockey Canada announced on Wednesday that the city will host the 2016 event.

It will be a renewed partnership between Hockey Canada and the city after Sault Ste. Marie hosted the 2013 TELUS Cup (the national midget championships).

“Our organization has partnered with Hockey Canada to host widely successful events in the past and I have no doubt, given our city’s top-notch sports and accommodation facilities, along with our solid volunteer core, the 2016 tournament will continue this positive tradition,” said Ian McMillan, executive director of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie in a prepared statement.

The tournament features three Canadian teams along with teams from five other countries.

The 2015 event in BC will include the three Canadian teams competing against the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States. The tournament had also played host to teams from Germany and Slovakia in recent years as well.

The announcement was made in addition to Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, BC being named as co-hosts of the 2015 tournament, which was initially slated to be held in Sault Ste. Marie.