Detroit interested in hosting 2018 world juniors

Kevin Allen | USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Red Wings executives were in Colorado Springs Thursday to talk with USA Hockey officials about the possibility of Detroit serving as the site for the 2018 World Junior Hockey Championships.

The Red Wings' new downtown arena is scheduled to be completed by then.

The World Junior Championships showcase the world's top teen-age players, many of whom go on to play in the NHL. More than 366,000 fans attended the 2015 tournament in Toronto and Montreal.

USA Hockey soon will start the bidding process and is expected to name the 2018 site by next fall.

Buffalo was the last American city to host the WJC, and that 2011 tournament drew more than 327,000 fans.

Buffalo is interested in hosting it again. The NHL's two Florida teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, are also believed to be interested, along with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes and others.

Border cities, such as Buffalo and Detroit, are attractive venues because Canadian fans flock to this tournament, especially when it is within driving distance.

Watching the WJC is a Canadian holiday tradition. Roughly 7 million of the country's 30 million population watched the gold medal game on television in January.

The Coyotes told USA TODAY Sports Thursday that they have already talked to USA Hockey about making a bid for the 2018 WJC, and are in discussions to have the potential for some Arizona State University games to played at Gila River Arena as early as next season.

The Coyotes and ASU officials have opened talks about submitting a joint application to host an NCAA Frozen Four. Coyotes executives and ASU officials will both be attending the Frozen Four together in Boston this year.

PHOTOS: Red Line Report's Top 10 draft prospects