Buffalo New York was believed to be the front runner to host the 2016 World U18 Tournament. With the new Harbor Center opening, and the city of Buffalo playing host to the next two NHL combines and the 2016 NHL draft, many believed it was a merely a formality before they were named as hosts of the 2016 Worl U18 Tournament.
TJHN has learned that USA Hockey will announce on Friday that Grand Forks North Dakota will play host to the 2016 IIHF World Under-18 tournament.
A press conference will be held in the lobby of Ralph Engelstad Arena and will be attended by USA Hockey officials as well as North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple and Grand Forks mayor Mike Brown.
The annual tournament will feature many of the best 1998-born players in the world. It will begin in April and run for roughly 12 days.
Ralph Engelstad Arena will serve as the main site for the event. All U.S. and Canada games will be played at Engelstad and the nearby Purpur Arena is expected to be used as a secondary location.
This will be the second time that Ralph Engelstad Arena has housed a major international hockey tournament. Ten years ago, Engelstad hosted the World Junior Championship, featuring the top under-20 players in the world.
