"It will be in the middle of August in Alberta (Canada)," IIHF president Luc Tardif said Thursday at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. "It will be a new competition, which means we forget the results (in December)."
The tournament for players under 20 began in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta on Dec. 26 but was postponed after four days of play when the United States, Czechia and Russia each had to forfeit a preliminary-round game after players tested positive for COVID-19.
Tardif said that the 2022 WJC could consist of the
same rosters
each country had in December, regardless of whether those players turn 20 before the new tournament.
"We are talking with all participants and are negotiating on details," Tardif said. "It will be after the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. It will be a hockey festival and the teams are excited to do it."
The 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, for under-18 players, is scheduled the first week in August in Edmonton and Red Deer.
If the rosters remain the same, the top five players selected in the 2021 NHL Draft would play. Defenseman
Owen Power
, chosen No. 1 by the Buffalo Sabres, and forwards
Mason McTavish
, selected No. 3 by the Anaheim Ducks, and
Kent Johnson
, selected No. 5 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, were on the Canada roster when the tournament started in December.
Forward
Matty Beniers
, the No. 2 pick by the Seattle Kraken, and defenseman
Luke Hughes
, selected No. 4 by the New Jersey Devils, were on the United States roster.
Defenseman
Jake Sanderson
, picked No. 5 by the Senators in the 2020 NHL Draft, was captain for the United States, which is looking for back-to-back titles for the first time. The last team to do so was Canada, which won the last of five straight in 2009.
The United States is expected to play preliminary-round games in Group B with Russia, Sweden, Slovakia and Switzerland. Canada will play preliminary games in Group A with Finland, Czechia, Germany and Austria.
The IIHF will reintroduce the relegation round for the WJC; it was eliminated for the 2022 WJC. The loser of the best-of-3 relegation round will be replaced with Belarus at the 2023 tournament, scheduled for Dec. 26 through Jan. 5.
As the winner of the 2022 WJC Division I, Group A tournament, Belarus is promoted to the top tournament.
The 2022 tournament was held in Alberta because the 2021 event, which also was scheduled to be played in Edmonton and Red Deer, was played without fans in attendance and in a secure-zone at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
---
Listen: New episode of NHL Draft Class
