Windsor has been selected to host the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase.
Hockey Canada announced Tuesday the showcase will be held at the WFCU Centre, in partnership with the City of Windsor and the Windsor Spitfires.
The event set for July 26-August 1 will see Canada’s National Junior Team hopefuls on the ice against players from Finland, Sweden, and the United States.
The 10 games to be held in Windsor are in preparation for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, set for December 26, 2026-January 5, 2027, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
In 2024, Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase was held in Windsor at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, but the games were also split with Plymouth, Michigan.
LaSalle’s Andrew Gibson took part in the 2024 summer showcase before being selected to represent Canada at the 2025 World Junior Hockey Championship.
Gibson says it was a hectic experience and a lot of pressure but fun.
“The fans in Plymouth weren’t nearly as good as they were here. I know Canada is the hockey country, and I know everyone will show up and show out. It will be great,” he says.
The 2025 edition of the World Junior Summer Showcase in Minnesota featured 104 National Hockey League draft picks, including 34 first-round selections.
Governor of the Windsor Spitfires John Savage says before Hockey Canada came to Windsor two years ago, they weren’t getting many fans in the buildings.
“When they came here, they saw this as a huge opportunity; it’s a lift. It’s something we can showcase and get on the TV; there are fans in here. My bet is we will fill the place, particularly for the U.S.-Canada games,” he says.
CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island Gordon Orr says it’s a nice injection of sports tourism into our summer months.
“It will maximize our sports tourism infrastructure. Of course, a world-class venue like the WFCU Centre, our hotels, food and beverage, and transportation. So, it’s a wonderful injection of about $300,000-$400,000 into our local economy. It helps support a tourism workforce of over 11,600 people employed in tourism and hospitality,” he says.
Canada will kick off the World Junior Summer Showcase against Sweden at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 29, and will also take on Finland on Thursday, July 30, at 7 p.m. ET and the United States on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 4 p.m. ET.
Tickets for the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase will go on sale on Friday, May 15. For more information, visit HockeyCanada.ca/SummerShowcase.