2022 IIHF World Junior Championship Canceled Due To COVID-19

One day after Team USA was forced to forfeit a game at the IIHF World Junior Championship due to positive COVID-19 tests within the program, the entire tournament was canceled.

The IIHF announced the decision Wednesday.

“Hockey Canada has worked tirelessly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure it would be equipped to host world-class, international events in a safe and healthy environment,” Hockey Canada president Scott Smith and CEO Tom Renney said in a statement. “Despite our best efforts, and continually adapting and strengthening protocols, we have unfortunately fallen short of our goal of completing the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship and handing out medals on Jan. 5 due to the challenges of the current COVID-19 landscape.”

The United States was the first team to be forced to forfeit a game Tuesday, when it entered mandatory quarantine following two positive tests among players. But the problem grew Wednesday when a Czech player tested positive, resulting in the cancellation of the day’s scheduled game between Finland and Czechia.

In the cancellation announcement, the IIHF said Wednesday’s game between Russia and Slovakia also would have resulted in a forfeit following a positive test on Team Russia.

Bruins prospect Fabian Lysell was the only Boston representative in the tournament, but he did not see any time for Sweden due to a non-COVID illness.