The 2023 "Meet in Harbin" International Youth Ice Hockey Invitational Tournament is underway in Harbin, the capital of China's northernmost Heilongjiang province.
 
A total of 39 ice hockey clubs from China, as well as five other clubs from Asia, are participating.
 
The tournament, which lasts for seven days, includes four age groups: Under-6, U8, U10, and U12.
 
Matches are being held simultaneously at the Harbin Ice Hockey Stadium and the Huaguo Road Ice Hockey Sports Center, with a total of 122 games to be played until a winner is found.
 
This is the first international ice and snow sports event hosted by Harbin since it successfully obtained the hosting rights for the 9th Asian Winter Games in 2025.
  Harbin has long attached great importance to the selection and cultivation of ice and snow sports talents. This invitational tournament is not only a gathering for domestic ice hockey teams to learn from foreign teams, but also a stage for domestic teams to compete and showcase their skills.
 
On July 25, all matches for the U12 and U10 groups were completed. The Lingguang Yangguang Huolong team and the Qidi 12 orange team from China, respectively, won the U12 and U10 titles.
 
The Shouduren 10 red team and Shouduren 13 red team were the runners-up in their respective groups, while the Tianjin V-Team and the Shouduren 13 gold team won third place.
 
Foreign teams praised the strength of Chinese youth ice hockey teams and expressed their hope of establishing long-term friendly exchanges with the Harbin Ice Hockey Association.
 
They also expressed their desire to organize competitions in Harbin every year and invited children from Harbin to participate in their tournaments, promising to extend the same warm hospitality to their Harbin friends as they had experienced in China.
   
Ice hockey players pose for a group photo at the 2023 'Meet in Harbin' International Youth Ice Hockey Invitational Tournament. [Photo/Dongbei Network]