Published 06.01.2016 02:33 GMT+2 | Author Martin Merk

Helsinki set a new IIHF World Junior Championship attendance record for Europe with 215,225 fans coming to the games and an average of 7,174.

The growth of the World Juniors in Europe continued also at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Two years after Malmo, Sweden, took the record from Helsinki and Hameenlinna in 1998, Helsinki claimed it back with by far the best attendance figures in Europe for a World Junior Championship. It’s eighth-best overall behind six events in Canada and one (Buffalo 2011) in the United States.

Helsinki did not only attract a full house for the Finnish team. Games featuring other teams were better attended than in past European editions of the World Juniors, and that made the biggest difference in terms of increasing the numbers.

The record will last at least for four years. In 2020, the Czech Republic will become the next European country to host the IIHF World Junior Championship at venues to be determined. After setting a new IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship record last May in Prague and Ostrava with 741,690 fans attending 64 games, the Czechs will surely be motivated to work on another great World Junior Championship.

The all-time World Junior Championship attendance record was established in 2012 when Calgary and Edmonton had 453,282 spectators at the arenas and 571,000 tickets sold.

Top-7 Attendance IIHF World Junior Championship in Europe

1. Helsinki, Finland, 2016, 215,225 total, 7,174 average

2. Malmo, Sweden, 2014, 144,268 total, 4,653 average

3. Helsinki & Hameenlinna, Finland, 1998, 139,680 total, 4,108 average

4. Helsinki & Hameenlinna, Finland, 2004, 116,556 total, 3,760 average

5. Pardubice & Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, 2002, 111,128 total, 3,268 average

6. Ufa, Russia, 2013, 110,175 total, 3,554 average

7. Pardubice & Liberec, Czech Republic, 2008, 103,179 total, 3,328 average

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