The International Ice Hockey Federation has determined that the United States will next host the World Junior Championship in 2031. Meaning that if Twin Cities organizers would be interested in welcoming the planet’s best young hockey talent again anytime soon, it will be at least a few years before the bid process will even begin.
That is likely a good thing, because after years of planning and a full month of hosting 10 national teams, thousands of fans and dozens of games in St. Paul, Minneapolis and all across the state, the 2026 World Juniors local organizing team could use a little rest.
Sweden goaltender Love Harenstam (30) celebrates with teammates Eric Nilson (28) and Sascha Boumedienne (5) after defeating Czechia in an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game in St. Paul, Minn., Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
John Klinkenberg is the chief operating officer of Minnesota Sports & Events, which was the driving force behind the bid and the execution of bringing World Juniors to the Twin Cities for the first time in more than 40 years. He admitted there is a trip to Florida with family in his near future as the team behind the event’s myriad intricacies comes down from a crazy five weeks of work.
When it all came to an end last Monday, an announced crowd of 9,700 watched at Grand Casino Arena as Sweden built a big lead, then held off a late push from Czechia to win gold for the first time in 14 years.
For at least one current member of the Minnesota Wild, it was a sign of good things to come for hockey in Sweden, and in the North American pro ranks.
“They have really good young players in Sweden, and I think on that team, probably a lot of NHL guys in the next couple of years, for sure,” said defenseman Jonas Brodin, who was a member of the previous most recent Swedish team to win gold at the world Juniors in 2012.
Full wallets, empty seats
A team of numbers-crunchers from the University of Minnesota is working on a detailed analysis of the economic impact the games in St. Paul and Minneapolis had on the Minnesota economy, but according to Klinkenberg, they’re confident that pre-tournament estimates of $70 million or more will be met.
“It was amazing. Having been to last year’s in Ottawa and probably five more World Juniors, I thought Minnesota did an unbelievable job,” said Minnesota State Senator Karin Housley, a member of the organizing committee who comes from one of the first families of Minnesota hockey. Her husband, Phil, is a long-time NHLer, Olympian and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The happy look-back comes after 11 days of games where some developed the narrative that ticket sales were disappointing. Organizers acknowledge that fewer Canadian fans making the trip to Minnesota, and the United States not making it to the last two days of the medal round, hurt the turnout. But Klinkenberg noted that, at least in St. Paul, the cumulative attendance at Grand Casino Arena was the equivalent of more than seven sold-out Wild games, providing a nice boost there and in the surrounding hospitality community.
The raw attendance numbers show that ticket sales in Minnesota were lower than some previous tournaments in Canada, and similar or better to tournaments held in Europe. Overall, 2026 ranked 14th out of the 50 World Junior tournaments by total ticket sales.
United States forward Ryker Lee (17), middle, celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship quarterfinals game against Finland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
“Having 240-plus thousand people is a huge win for the area, and over 8,000 hotel nights,” Klinkenberg said. “When it comes to Canada, the attendance was softer than we expected to start, but you could definitely see the momentum building as the team continued to move on.”
Team Canada beat Finland for the bronze medal.
Among the theories on the lower-than-anticipated attendance was the reduced number of Canadians traveling to the U.S. — seen nationwide — due to factors such as the current political climate and an exchange rate that has notably devalued the Canadian dollar.
The way the schedule broke this year, there was not a head-to-head USA-Canada game, which would have been a sure sellout as well.
Looking ahead
Optimists point out the full building on New Years’ Eve to see the U.S. battle Sweden, and say that overall attendance was fine in a market that had no familiarity with this tournament over the past four decades.
“I really hope they can get it back here. Canada gets it every other year, so it’s kind of got some momentum there,” Housley said. “It was 40 years since we’d had it, and it takes a while for people to understand how huge of a tournament it is.”
Local fans and visitors found plenty to do off the ice. At RiverCentre adjacent to the main arena in St. Paul, there was a free activity area featuring displays showing the history of the World Juniors, a “hockey mom’s market” with goods made by local artisans for sale, and other activities. Outside in Rice Park, there were ice bumper cars, a skating rink, and Visit St. Paul had the world’s largest hockey puck on display.
This being Minnesota in late December and early January, organizers built in contingency plans to handle bitterly cold weather and excessive snow. They only had to use them once, when the Twin Cities got blanketed in snow. But even that worked out in their favor, in this era of social media when pictures of snow-covered downtown St. Paul flooded Instagram, X and Facebook.
“There was that day where we had five to six inches of snow and we were able to work through it,” Klinkenberg said. “I actually think it added to the ambiance of the event outside. We are Minnesota, and to showcase all of the snow and what we have to offer in the winter, it was spectacular.”
The Dietz family, dad Mike, mom Victoria, Deacon, 8, left, and Hunter 6, stop to have their photo taken in front of the “World’s Largest Hockey Puck” at the Bold North Breakaway Fan Festival at Rice Park in downtown St. Paul on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. The Bayfield, Ontario, family is in town to support team Canada in the IIHF World Junior Championships being held at Grand Casino Arena. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Place for a puck?
With the tournament coming to an end, and the outdoor decorations coming down, organizers have been faced with a challenge they had never before considered: What do you do with a hockey puck that is 22 feet wide, more than seven feet thick and weighs 5,000 pounds?
“When the Bold North Breakaway Fan Fest closed, the puck was taken down, but there is definite interest in making a permanent feature if we can,” said Jaimee Hendrickson, president and CEO of Visit St. Paul, in an email to the Pioneer Press. “We’re continuing to explore options.”
She said the key factors in what happens next are finding a permanent location large nough, and raising money to build a permanent frame to hold it.
Past iterations of World Juniors have been held in Boston, Buffalo, Grand Forks, N.D., and Anchorage, Ak. Among the American markets that have bid unsuccessfully in the past are Tampa, Fla., Detroit and Seattle. So there will definitely be competition for the next go-round in this country.
But there is a sense that Minnesota did it right and will be interested in hosting in the future.
Housley noted that the Americans bowing out to Finland in overtime during their opening medal-round game was the biggest disappointment, adding that, “Phil didn’t talk for a day and a half,” after the overtime loss. But having voted for the $5 million state legislative appropriation to help fund the tournament’s return to Minnesota, she said the investment was sound.
“I hope we can get it back in 2031,” Housley said. “I would be so excited for that.”
Canada’s Sam O’Reilly (23) celebrates his goal with teammate Caleb Desnoyers (25) after scoring on an empty net in third period IIHF World Junior Championship hockey action against Finland, in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
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