2018 World Junior Championship Awarded To Buffalo, Not St. Louis

The official announcement from the IIHF will be coming on Friday. Here is the official statement from the Blues:

(Dec. 3, 2015) - St. Louis Blues President and CEO of Business Operations, Chris Zimmerman, issued the following statement regarding the decision to award the 2018 World Junior Championship to the city of Buffalo.

"On behalf of the St. Louis Blues and in conjunction with the St. Louis Sports Commission, I would like to personally thank everyone involved in our bid to host the 2018 World Junior Championship in St. Louis.  Although we have fallen short in our goal to bring this world class event to the Heartland of Hockey, we have succeeded in creating a lasting and profoundly positive impression with USA Hockey that will reap rewards in the future.  We are immensely proud of the teamwork, talent and passion that was displayed in this effort by the staff of the St. Louis Blues, the staff of the St. Louis Sports Commission, our local hospitality and corporate partners as well as our civic leaders and friends."

The Blues, Tom Stillman, and the local hockey community deserve a great deal of credit for getting the city of St. Louis to the final consideration round with Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Travel considerations for foreign teams may have played a part in the final decision; Buffalo's proximity to Canada certainly did. USA Hockey and the IIHF are now more than well aware the hockey spirit that St. Louis has, and its potential to host a major tournament such as this one. I would be shocked if St. Louis wasn't in the running in the future.