By Hockey Canada

REGINA, Sask. – Hockey Canada, along with the Canadian Hockey League and the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship organizing committee, unveiled details on Tuesday on how the World Juniors in Saskatchewan will benefit hockey in Canada for years to come.

The event, hosted from through , will contribute a legacy of over $15 million in funding to various levels of grassroots hockey.

The exact financial figures will be confirmed in the next few months, pending all financial reports and an external audit of the event’s financial records.  Based on preliminary reports, the IIHF World Junior Championship steering committee is proud to confirm that the legacy funds will be distributed as follows:

• Over $7.5 million into grassroots Hockey Canada programs, high performance programs and international programming
• Over $5.3 million to the Canadian Hockey League for player development and its scholarship fund
• Over $1.5 million divided equally between Hockey Canada’s 12 other member branches to go towards supporting grassroots programming in every region in Canada
• Over $720,000 to the host Hockey Canada branch, the Saskatchewan Hockey Association, to support grassroots programming, including an education assistance program within the Saskatchewan Development Model

“Hockey Canada congratulates the host committee and the Province of Saskatchewan for all its work in making the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship such a success,” said Hockey Canada chief operating officer Scott Smith. “In seeing the legacy of this event and the economic impact that it has had on the two host communities, the host province and grassroots hockey in Canada, we will continue to work together with our partners to bring major international events to Canada on a regular basis.”

“The Canadian Hockey League wishes to express our sincere gratitude to the Host Organizing Committee and hockey fans throughout Saskatchewan for making the 2010 World Junior Championship such an overwhelming success” commented CHL president David Branch. “The proceeds from this event will enable the CHL and our 60 Member Clubs to continue providing our players with the best hockey development and scholarship opportunities available in the game today.”

“The financial success of the World Junior event in Saskatchewan will greatly enhance the capability of our Saskatchewan Development Model partnership with the WHL, SJHL & SMAAAHL to offer scholarship opportunities to Junior A and Midget AAA players,” said Saskatchewan Hockey Association president Al Hubbs. “It will also contribute to our Legacy Fund which will be utilized to assist in keeping the game affordable and offer further scholarship opportunities for future generations.”

“This event leaves a legacy that includes education and development opportunities for our youth, upgrades and additions to our facilities, and a spirit of co-operation between our two major cities,” said Jack Brodsky, president of the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship host committee. “While we did this, we showcased our province to the world. What a great event for Saskatchewan!”

The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance also has completed a study assessing the total economic impact of the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship at $50.6 million in total expenditures, supporting a net increase in economic activity in excess of $86 million in Saskatchewan, highlighted by:

• Visitor expenditures: $9.8 million
• Capital upgrades to facilities: $14.8 million
• Net increase in economic activity: $48.4 million (throughout Saskatchewan)

"These kinds of exciting opportunities help put Saskatchewan on the world map," said Brad Wall, premier of Saskatchewan. "I'd also like to thank the people of our great province for their spirit and enthusiasm, which allowed us host such a successful event.”