In an official announcement, USA Hockey has named a group of American cities as official finalists in bids to host the 2018 IIHF U20 World Junior Championships. The finalists are Chicago, St. Louis, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Tampa. Tampa's bid made the cut.
The rumors and speculation leading through the process keyed in on five locations - the aforementioned Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay as well as Detroit, Michigan and Glendale/Phoenix, Arizona. Arizona retracted its bid with thanks to the drama between the city o Glendale and the Arizona Coyotes. Detroit not making the cut, with their proximity to southern Ontario and a new arena under construction, is rather surprising.