The Junior Ball Hockey World Championship has kicked off in Liberec! Canada prepared in Pilsen before the start.

The Czechs are going to defend their medals from the world stage!

The Czech junior national teams in the under-16, under-18, under-20, under-21 (women's), and under-23 categories enter the championship in Liberec with a clear goal. They aim to win the most valuable medals on home soil, although they will face tough competition from the world's top teams. The Czech ball hockey players will be defending their last title as world champions in the U20 category. The Czech U16 team won bronze in the previous World Championship, while the U18 team claimed silver. The under-21 women's national team will also have a challenging task with strong competition. In this category, Czech women have won gold at both previous world events. The tournament already started on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. You can find the overall schedule of the Liberec tournament in the graphics below.

Canada aims for gold, betting on speed and simplicity.

The teams from the country of the maple leaf traveled to Pilsen for preparation ahead of the ball hockey championship, where they faced the local club HBC Plzen. "It was the only game rehearsal for our teams before the tournament in Liberec," said Gary Slavin, the general manager of the respective national teams and the technical director of the Canadian Ball Hockey Association. He continued, "Pilsen has always been an ideal place for us to prepare, not only because of its proximity to Prague airport but also due to the excellent facilities offered by Precol Arena. HBC Plzen has always supported us during our preparations, and the city itself is very friendly and safe for our young players. There are great dining options and services available here," added Gary Slavin.

The Plzen club played two matches with their junior and senior teams, each lasting two halves of 15 minutes of actual playing time. The Plzen juniors tested two Canadian teams in the under-16 category, divided into Canada U16 West and Canada U16 East. The Canadian ball hockey players won both matches. The Plzen juniors couldn't keep up with Canada U16 West, losing 2-4, and Canada U16 East didn't concede a goal against Plzen, winning 4-0. The event was also attended by Vít Čapek, the coach of the Red team of the Czech under-16 national representation, who even coached the Plzen men's team in the matches. "The match against the under-23 team was better from our side; we did better. The second match was weak from our side, showing that Canada knows how to play with great movement and composure even under pressure, not easily giving up the ball, which is something our players lack," revealed Čapek. He added, "The same goes for converting goal opportunities, which I believe we had in the first match but failed to convert. In the second match, our legs didn't work as well, and we were always second, so it was a poor performance from our side."

The male ball hockey players from Plzen, who compete in the highest ball hockey league, lost 2-3 to the Canadian under-23 players and 0-3 to the younger U20 team. And what did coach Vít Čapek observe from the game of the Canadian youngsters? The Czech team will face the Canadian U16 East team in Group B. "I watched both matches, and I must say that the first half was better from the Plzen side. In the second match, it was clear that the roster had changed, and Canada once again showed their strengths, playing mainly with simplicity. But the matches were balanced," added Čapek.

For more detailed information about the Junior World Championship in Liberec 2023, visit the website liberec2023.cz! Purchase tickets for the tournament at ticketportal.cz.