World U-17 Hockey Challenge

The World U-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. Prior to 2011, the tournament did not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games were held. As such, the World Under-17 Challenge was held three out of every four years. It is organized by Hockey Canada and is the first major international competition for male hockey players under the age of 17. The tournament is the first step in Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence and is used to identify players moving on to the U18 and National Junior Team.

Origins
The inaugural World Under-17 Hockey Challenge took place in Quebec as the 1986 Quebec Esso Cup. At the time, it was considered the unofficial world championship of midget hockey. It was also used as a development tool for the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association to identify players for further development as well as expose them to their first taste of international competition. The tournament was among ten teams, five regional teams from Canada, Finland, Czechoslovakia, U.S.A., Sweden, and the U.S.S.R. Team Quebec, led by future NHL first overall pick Pierre Turgeon captured gold by defeating the Soviets, who featured the likes of Sergei Fedorov and Alexander Mogilny.

Recent years
The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge has continued to grow over the years to the point where it is perhaps the largest annual event on Hockey Canada's calendar. The tournament is not an official World Championship, as it organized entirely by Hockey Canada. The IIHF holds the World Under-18 Championships each April.

The tournament is typically held over the Christmas break at the same time as the Under-20 World Junior Hockey Championships. As such, Sidney Crosby, who would have been slated to participate in the 2004 Championships did not take part having been selected to Canada's National Junior team at the time.

Participating teams
Canada enters five regional teams from across the country. These teams are: Other participating nations have included:
 * 🇨🇦 Atlantic
 * 🇨🇦 Quebec
 * 🇨🇦 Ontario
 * 🇨🇦 Western (Manitoba and Saskatchewan)
 * 🇨🇦 Pacific (Alberta and British Columbia)
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