The 6th China Youth Ice Hockey League Kicks Off in Qingdao

Competitions are divided into five age groups: U7, U9, U11, U13 and U15. Winners of each category in the Qingdao stop will earn qualifications for the national finals.

Jointly guided by the Chinese Ice Hockey Association and hosted by the National Youth Sports Federation, the event receives official support from Qingdao Municipal Sports Development Center and Qingdao Sports Development Group, with Qingdao Guoxin Stadium Operation Co., Ltd. as the official organizer.

Established in 2021, the China Youth Ice Hockey League is a renowned branded youth ice hockey event in China. The 2026 tournament features nine regional divisions nationwide, covering Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Wuhan, Suzhou, Xining and Jilin, offering a professional competitive platform for young ice hockey enthusiasts nationwide.

A rigorous and dynamic team ice sport, ice hockey integrates sophisticated skating techniques and flexible stick skills. It requires outstanding athletic skills and strong mental perseverance, and carries forward the valuable sports spirits of unity, collaboration, hard competition and self-dedication. The tacit teamwork and mutual cooperation between players remain the most touching and attractive highlight of every ice hockey match.

Qingdao Guoxin Ice Sports Center, the city’s sole professional standard competition ice rink, boasts rich experience in hosting high-level events. It has successfully undertaken a series of major competitions, including national figure skating events, international junior ice hockey tournaments, national short track speed skating leagues and ice hockey matches of the National Para Games.

Moreover, the center serves as a long-term training base for the National Para Ice Hockey Team and Qingdao Short Track Speed Skating Team. It has nurtured top winter sports talents, such as Li Wenlong, the Beijing Winter Olympics men's 1000m short track speed skating silver medalist, and the award-winning National Para Ice Hockey Team.

Committed to cultivating local winter sports talents, the center has developed a systematic youth ice hockey training system. Founded in 2021, Guoxin Ice Hockey Club has built a full-age talent echelon for players aged 6 to 14 with nearly 100 registered young athletes. The club’s municipal team has dominated top provincial competitions, securing three consecutive championships in Shandong’s highest-level ice hockey events, including the men's Group A title at the 26th Shandong Provincial Games.

In recent years, Qingdao has continuously promoted the popularization of youth ice and snow sports and optimized the local ice hockey talent training system, laying a solid foundation for the sustainable development of ice hockey among teenagers in eastern China.