Canada will not grant visas to Russian juniors, TSN reports

Canada’s government has told Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) that it will not issue visas to Russian players for the 2027 World Junior Championship, TSN reporter Gord Miller said on Wednesday. The tournament runs from 26 December to 5 January in Edmonton and Red Deer.

According to Miller, Russian players who already hold valid Canadian visas because they play for teams in Canada are also ineligible, even as neutrals. That includes Russians playing in the CHL, Canada’s major junior league.

Government holds its line

Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that Russian and Belarusian athletes could not compete in Canada for their countries while the war continues. The government’s statement of 3 November allowed individual athletes to compete as neutrals but said nothing about teams. On Monday the Secretary of State for Sport, Adam van Koeverden, said the neutral designation applied to individuals, not teams.

Why Russia is on the schedule

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered the IIHF on 30 October to admit Russia’s teams to this season’s world championships. The IIHF disagrees with the ruling but sent national federations a revised schedule that puts Russia in Norway’s place in Latvia’s Group B, and Norway said it had been moved down to Division I.

What it means for Latvia

Latvia’s hockey federation said on 3 November that its teams will not play Russia or Belarus. Under the revised schedule, Latvia would meet Russia on 30 December at 22:00 Riga time. The IIHF has not said publicly what would happen to the schedule if a Russian team cannot enter Canada.

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