World Junior Hockey Championship schedule released for Halifax, Moncton

The official schedule for the upcoming 2023 World Junior Championship in Halifax and Moncton has been released.

Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation say the tournament will take place from Dec. 26, until Jan. 5, 2023.

Canada's first game of the championship will be against Czechia on Boxing Day in Halifax at 7:30 p.m. AT, where they'll defend their gold medal in a rematch of last month's World Juniors semifinal.

Canada and Sweden will face off on New Year's Eve at 7:30 p.m. AT in Halifax for the first time since the 2016 tournament.

In Moncton, Finland will open the event against Switzerland at 12 p.m. AT, also on Boxing Day. The opening games are the first of 20 preliminary-round games split between the host cities.

Last month, the groups for the 2023 tournament were announced, with Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Germany and Austria in Group A playing their matches at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. Group B, made up of the U.S., Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia, will play at the Avenir Centre in Moncton.

Moncton will also host Canada's selection camp in mid-December. Hockey Canada says the pre-tournament schedule will be released in the coming weeks, with communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia set to host games.