MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State men's hockey hosts Team Switzerland in the IIHF World Junior Pre-Tournament Series, presented by Delta Dental on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. CT at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. The Mavericks are the only collegiate team playing an exhibition contest against a World Junior country this season.
 
WHAT TO KNOW

• Tickets are available at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center box office.
• The game is administered by USA hockey and will have three, 20 minute periods, and overtime (if necessary).
• There will be 15-minute intermissions and no instant replay or coaches' challenges.
• The game will be streamed on USAHockeyTV
• Local fans can watch on the Northstar Sports Network (Antenna 7.3, Spectrum Cable Box 193, Spectrum streaming 3271, Medicom 140, Midco 595, Comcast 228
• The game will be broadcast via radio on AM 1420 KTOE (Matt Dean play-by-play) 

The 50^th anniversary of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships will take place Dec. 26, 2025 – Jan. 5, 2026, in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Communities hosting World Juniors Pre-Tournament Series include Mankato, Duluth, Bemidji and Rochester. As a part of this series, Mankato will host Team Denmark's official pre-tournament camp at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
 
Mankato hosts a second Pre-Tournament series game on Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. and features Team Canada vs. Team Denmark.

The 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship will mark just the seventh time the U.S. has hosted the event, the second in Minnesota. The first-ever U.S. host site was in Minneapolis/Saint Paul in 1982, followed by Anchorage, Alaska, in 1989; Boston in 1996; Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 2005; and Buffalo, New York, in both 2011 and 2018. The 2026 event marks the 50th edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship.
 
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
This is not the first time World Junior teams have visited Mankato. West Germany battled Switzerland at All-Seasons Arena on Jan. 2, 1982 in a round robin game at the 1982 WJHC.
 
SPENGLER CUP STREAMING ON YOUTUBE
Minnesota State fans in the United States will be able to watch senior goaltender Alex Tracy and the U.S. College Selects play at the Spengler Cup on the Spengler Cup's official YouTube channel. Canadian viewers will be able to view each game of the tournament on TSN.
 
The 97th edition of the event takes place in Davos, Switzerland, Dec. 26-31.
 
The 11-game tournament will be broadcast to over 20 countries, either through a partner or via livestream. Play for the U.S. team begins Friday, Dec. 26 when it faces Team Canada at 2:15 p.m. (ET). Day 1 winners get a day off, while those who lose have a quick turnaround, playing either IFK Helsinki or host HC Davos on Saturday.
 
Each team will play a minimum of three games and maximum of five during the six-day event, with the championship game taking place Dec. 31 at 6:10 a.m. (ET).