I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I IceTimesDecember 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5 Young stars go west 2019 World Juniors preview U20/Challenge Cup recaps I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 2 IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5 From the IIHF President started the season as usual with the Under-20 China meanwhile has taken its first major steps lower division World Championships, congra- forward in its preparations for the 2022 Olym- tulations to Germany which won at home in pics in Beijing. The Chinese Ice Hockey Asso- Fussen and will move up to play in the 2020 ciation recently opened its new offices, and will Building the future World Juniors! be working with the IIHF on player and coach development. By René Fasel We also kicked off the season with the U20 Challenge Cup of Asia, which is now a two-di- Investing in player development and coaching For ice hockey fans, this is the favourite vision format with ten teams featured. is so important, and I commend the various time of the year. Snow is falling, the rinks initiatives that have been spearheaded by the are cold and it’s time to hit the ice! Both the U20 and U20 Divison I Challenge IIHF’s membership, its committees, and also Cups were hosted by Malaysia, an unlikely its partners such as Infront Sports and Me- We begin our top division World Champions- ice hockey nation that has grown into a regio- dia. The IIHF-Infront Growing the Game Fund hip program as always with the IIHF World Ju- nal leader for the game. The Malaysians were received an increased number of applications nior Championship. This is a personal favouri- kind enough to host both tournaments over this year, and we have selected several we- te for many international ice hockey fans, and the span of two weeks, while also organizing ll-deserving candidates to receive funding for for good reason. The World Juniors brings an Officiating Seminar and hockey camp at their ice hockey development projects. You together ice hockey’s best young stars and the same time and in cooperation with the can read more about each of these Growing puts them in a fast-paced, frenzied tourna- IIHF Office and the Japan Ice Hockey Fede- the Game Fund projects starting on page 6. metn that offers great action. For fans either ration. at the arenas or watching at home during the We also look forward to the new year and plen- holidays, the Juniors are a special treat. This example of inter-association support has ty of exciting tournaments ahead, with the U18 thankfully been repeated often in this early Women’s World Championship being hosted This year we travel to the beautiful western phase of the season, with cooperation agree- for the first time ever in Japan this January, fo- Canadian cities of Vancouver and Victoria. metns being signed by between Russia and llowed later by the Womens’ Worlds in Finland The atmosphere in a World Juniros tourna- Japan and China and Switzerland, to name and culminating in a return to Slovakia for the ment hosted in Canada is always incredible, a few. Germany was even gracious enough 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. and I look forward to the games. to host the second-annual Development Cup in Fussen earlier in the fall, which gave teams And so, it’s time to hit the ice! We wish you We are continually seeking to bring more like FYR Macedonia the opportunity to com- lots of enjoyment playing this great game also opportunities for countries to experience in- pete in their first international tournament. a very happy holidays! ternational hockey at the juniors level. We I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 3 IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5 Kolbenheyer (on right), who attended the IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP This includes assignments of female and male News and Notes ceremony on behalf of the IIHF. Former IIHF on-ice officials for all tournaments except the top- Council member Grupp was the liaison The 2023, 2024, and 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey two men’s senior events. The assignments for person between the IIHF and the Unified World Championships are set to be chosen the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship IIHF Korean Women’s Ice Hockey Team during during the next Annual Congress in Bratislava in Slovakia and the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World the 2018 Olympics and recently published 2019. Championship Division I Group A in Kazakhstan The Peace and Sport organization selected a book on the experiences with the team will be made in February. the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and project. IIHF Council member and IIHF The joint proposal accepted during the IIHf Semi- as one of the winners at the Peace and Sport Women’s Committee chair Kolbenheyer was Annual Congress was tabled by the Ice Hockey The 346 different game officials who will officiate Awards ceremony that took place in October the Chairwoman of the Olympic women’s Federation of Russia, the Czech Ice Hockey in five categories with men, women and junior on the Greek island of Rhodes. ice hockey tournament directorate in Association, and the Swedish Ice Hockey teams at different levels come from 45 different PyeongChang 2018. Association, who so far are the only candidates countries. The United States (25), Canada (22), The awards were given to international and for 2023, 2024, and 2025 respectively. Other Finland (18), Germany (17), the Czech Republic regional organizations for their contribution The 2018 Olympic Winter Games brought nations wishing to submit competing bids will (16), Russia (16) and Switzerland (15) lead the to positive social change through sport. The athletes from north and south of the Korean have until the 15 January 2019 to notify the IIHF way but there are many more officials from IIHF was awarded the Special Jury Prize Peninsula together at the Olympics within a of their plans. these continents as well as from other regions for the achievement of the Unified Korean few weeks and helped pave the way for a of the world such as Africa, Asia, Latin America, Women’s Ice Hockey team participating at the dialogue between the leadership of the two “We are pleased that these three countries were the Middle East and Oceania. PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Koreas and other countries involved after able to come up with a proposal where each meetings at the Olympics including the ice of the potential hosts are satisfied,” said IIHF CLICK HERE FOR ASSIGNMENTS hockey venue where the Unified Korean General Secretary Horst Lichtner. “However, we Women’s Ice Hockey Team played. have to be fair to other nations that might want The IIHF also published the list of international to host a tournament in these years, so we are game officials for the new ice hockey season Athletes from north and south walked together extending the opportunity for other bids to be with IIHF licences of different categories who will at the opening ceremony under the unification submitted. be able to officiate international games including flag but the highlight was that for the first time IIHF-sanctioned tournaments but also other ever athletes from both parts of the Korean OFFICIATING events. In total 1,094 game officials from 52 Peninsula were together on the same team in countries were licensed for the new season. This a Olympic competition thanks to the effort at The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) includes 76 female referees, 389 male referees, the Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament. has assigned the referees and linesmen for 148 female linesmen and 481 male linesmen. Peace and Sport founder Joël Bouzou 28 of its 30 tournaments in the 2019 IIHF Ice (pictured, on left) handed the award to CLICK HERE TO READ MORE Hockey World Championship program. CLICK HERE FOR LICENSEES Beate Grupp (middle) and Zsuzsanna I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 4 IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5 YOUTH OLYMPICS GERMANY Kunast finished his U20 coaching stint with a For the first time the IIHF will organize 3-on-3 After the sudden departure of gold medal on home ice at the Divison I Group A hockey with men’s and women’s tournaments Marco Sturm, who became an World Championship. He will next be in charge at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games. assistant coach for the Los Angeles of the women’s national team with the long-term Kings last month, the German Ice goal of preparing and qualifying for the 2022 CLICK HERE TO VIEW A VIDEO Hockey Association has named Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Toni Soderholm as new head The 3-on-3 tournament will be played cross-ice coach of the men’s national team. Kunast was a professional goaltender in the with two games running simultaneously, one German DEL for many years winning one in each end of the rink. The tournaments will Soderholm has most recently been coaching championship with the Munich Barons in 2000 consist of 8 teams per gender category. SC Riessersee and was an assistant coach of and was on the roster of the national team Asia Thomas Wu, IIHF Council Member Franz the German U20 national team for two years several times including at the 2002 Olympic Reindl, and IIHF General Secretary Horst Licht- The teams will be mixed-NOC and therefore earning promotion to the top-level World Juniors Winter Games and the 2001 IIHF Ice Hockey ner – was in Beijing to inaugurate the new CIHA consist of players from numerous countries all last weekend.