(Utica) A junior women’s hockey world championship will take place, but it will have to wait at least five years, according to the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Canada and the United States will bring their development teams to Europe in December for exhibition matches in an attempt to speed up the process.
For a quarter of a century, the flagship men’s tournaments of the IIHF have been the senior men’s, under-20 and under-18 championships.
An U18 women’s world championship was added in 2008 –– Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin participated in the first, in Calgary – but there is no IIHF tournament between that and the world championship.
“It’s the missing piece of the puzzle right now,” said Katie Million, director of programs for USA Hockey’s women’s national team.
“We have our very good under-18 championship program and our women’s world championship, but it can be four to six years where we don’t see these players again. This is not the case for men. »
The world junior men’s tournament attracts millions of viewers and thousands of people to arenas, even more when it takes place in Canada, making it attractive for sponsorships.
It is also an important scouting tool for the NHL.
Canada and the United States hold camps for their under-22 women’s teams and play each other in a three-game series each summer.
The lack of money and the small pool of players outside North America hinder the immediate creation of a junior women’s tournament, said the president of the IIHF women’s committee, Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer.
“I would say (it won’t happen) in the next five years, but we will get there,” she said.
A women’s junior tournament for top countries requires the IIHF to organize the equivalent for countries in lower divisions.
Some hockey federations are experiencing financial difficulties post-pandemic, while Ukraine and Israel are experiencing geopolitical conflicts, Kolbenheyer noted.
“There are also concerns, with the exception of the top four countries, about whether they have enough players to not field the same squads in all three tournaments,” she added.
Swedish national team director Anders Lundberg raises concerns about young women leaving hockey due to the length of time involved.
“If I compare it to the men’s team, they have those moments to say, ‘Hey, I can take the next step.’ But when the period is so long between the U18 team and the senior team, players (can move on).
“For some it’s quicker but for most it can take 10 years between playing in the U18 championship and playing their first senior international match,” Lundberg said.
“That’s a big part (of the motivation) too: making sure the girls keep playing and have something to strive for. »
There are 20 players 18 or younger at the women’s world championship in Utica, spread across teams from the Czech Republic, Switzerland, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan and Sweden.
It remains to be determined whether the junior women’s tournament will be reserved for under-20s, under-21s or even under-23s.
Where to fit another women’s tournament on the calendar is another obstacle.
The U18 world championship takes place at the beginning of January, so that it does not affect the players’ school schedule too much.
Nicole Gosling is the youngest player on the Canadian team, at 21 years old.
She believes young women deserve more chances to play for their country at a world championship.
“If you look at hockey players, some peak at different times,” said the London-born defenseman.
“It would provide more players in this age group, like at university, an opportunity to represent their country, if they didn’t get that chance with the U18s. »
“On the men’s side, if someone played at the World Junior Championship, it’s always highlighted in their profile. »