QUEBEC CITY – The International Ice Hockey Federation hosted the 2008 IIHF Skills Challenge on the weekend of May 2-4 in Quebec City. The event was the first ever international skills challenge and was part of the IIHF’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

The Skills Challenge took place during the opening weekend of the 2008 IIHF World Championship. A total of 104 participants took part in the event (ages 11-16), coming from 30 IIHF member associations.

Hockey Canada held a Canadian Skills Challenge May 3rd in conjunction with the IIHF event; Twenty-four players and 12 goalies represented various Hockey Canada Branches. The top male player, top female player, top male goaltender and top female goaltender moved forward to represent Canada in the international competition.

IIHF Skills Challenge Results:

Male Skaters:
1. Tobias Rieder (GER)
2. Kiril Holub (BLR)
3. Thomas Spelling (DEN)

Female Skaters:
1. Isa Rahunen (FIN)
2. Tanja Eisenschmied (GER)
3. Josefine Persson (DEN)

Male Goalkeepers:
1. Jesper Sannerborg (SWE)
2. Rihards Cimermanis (LAT)
3. Philip Lehr (GER)

Female Goalkeepers:
1. Bianka Landry (CAN)
2. Vilma Vattovaara (FIN)
3. Rachel Pullen (GBR)

IIHF member associations represented in the IIHF Skills Challenge:
 
Austria
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Belarus
Bulgaria
Canada
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Great Britain
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Japan
Korea
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Netherlands
New Zealand
Portugal
Russia
Slovenia
Switzerland
Slovakia
Sweden
Chinese Taipei
Ukraine