The party is under way for the United States, but its opposition for the 2014 World Junior Championship already has been set.
The tournament, which will be held in Malmo, Sweden, will see the United States take part in Group A. Joining them will be Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany. Group B will include Sweden, Russia, Switzerland, Finland and Norway. Norway replaces Latvia, which was relegated after finishing 10th in this year's tournament.
"It's the first time ever that we'll have the IIHF World Junior Championship in Malmo and we will try to do our best to make it a successful event," Mikael Haglund, the general secretary of the organizing committee, told reporters in Ufa, Russia.