Hockey Canada has unveiled the management team for the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, led by general manager Riley Wiwchar. The tournament is scheduled for March 28 to April 4, 2016 at the ISC Arena and McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre in Kamloops.

Wiwchar will work with all major partners, along with host committee co-chairs Norm Daley and Jon Pankuch, and event coordinators Patrick O’Donovan and Sean Pitts, in the delivery of the tournament.

Daley and Pankuch both played leading roles when Kamloops hosted the 2014 4 Nations Cup last November, and were instrumental throughout the world championship bid process to ensure another major women’s hockey event would be held in Canada’s Tournament Capital.

Both Pitts and O’Donovan volunteered at the 2014 4 Nations Cup; Pitts has spent the last two years as the first vice-president with the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association, while O’Donovan has been sport tourism coordinator for Tourism Kamloops since 2013.

Riley Wiwchar has spent the last 17 months as the Montreal city lead for the 2015 and 2017 IIHF World Junior Championships, and he will return to that role following the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship. Prior to joining the World Juniors staff, the Comox, B.C., native spent six years in the events and properties department with Hockey Canada, working out of its Calgary office, including working on the 2013 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Wiwchar has also spent time with the Commonwealth Games of Canada, and Sport Manitoba.

“Riley brings a tremendous amount of experience to this position, and we could not be more excited to have him lead the group in Kamloops as we work towards the first drop of the puck just less than a year away,” said Tom Renney, president and CEO of Hockey Canada. “This management staff knows the game, and knows the community, and we’re confident they will showcase Kamloops, British Columbia and Canada to the world next March.”

Ticket packages for the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship are on sale; full-tournament packages, including 22 games, are available for $374 (plus applicable fees).

Thirteen games will be played at the ISC Arena, including six preliminary round games, two quarter-finals, the fifth-place game, two semifinals, the bronze medal game and gold medal game. The other nine games will be played at the McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre, including six preliminary round games and three relegation round games.

For more information on tickets, including how to purchase, CLICK HERE.

The 2016 tournament will mark the seventh time that Canada has hosted the world championship, joining 1990 and 2013 in Ottawa, Ont., 1997 in Kitchener, Ont., 2000 in Mississauga, Ont., 2004 in Halifax, N.S., and 2007 in Winnipeg, Man., where a world championship attendance record of 122,152 fans was set.

It is estimated the world championship will have an economic impact of $20 million, with a projected profit in excess of $300,000 to be invested in minor hockey programs across the country.