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Burnaby to host World junior hockey exhibition tilt

The impending arrival of the world’s best under-20 hockey players for the World Junior Championships in Vancouver has created some residual benefits for other B.C. communities. And Burnaby will be one of those benefiting.
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The impending arrival of the world’s best under-20 hockey players for the World Junior Championships in Vancouver has created some residual benefits for other B.C. communities.

And Burnaby will be one of those benefiting.

The Bill Copeland Sports Complex will play host to a pre-tournament exhibition game between Switzerland and Russia on Dec. 23.

It’s part of a 12-game exhibition slate featuring all 10 international teams, with games in nine different communities.

The Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island will receive the bulk of the games, with games in Kamloops and Kelowna rounding out the tour.

“This series of exhibition games will give thousands of British Columbians the opportunity to see top-notch international junior hockey in their home communities,” said Lisa Beare, minister of tourism, arts and culture.

Burnaby’s tilt pits two teams who last year failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals.

The 2,000-seat Copeland Arena is one of the smaller venues for the exhibition schedule, with two other Lower Mainland games going to Langley (Dec. 19, Denmark vs. Finland; Dec. 22, U.S.A. vs. Czech Republic) while Chilliwack will host a game Dec. 22 between Sweden and Denmark.

The Canadian team’s pre-tourney schedule includes a pair of games in Victoria (Dec. 19, against Switzerland, and Dec. 21 vs. Slovakia) and in Vancouver (Dec. 23 vs. Finland at Rogers Arena).

Team rosters won’t be finalized until next month, although Russia’s lineup could include 2018 first round draft picks Vitali Kravtsov (ninth overall to the New York Rangers), and Grigori Denisenko (selected 15th overall by the Florida Panthers), as well Vasily Podkolzin, a winger currently ranked among the top five for the 2019 NHL entry draft.

Switzerland’s roster may feature Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Philipp Kurashev and 2019 prospects Valentin Nussbaumer and Nando Eggenberger.

Tickets can be purchased at www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/tickets.