The eighth edition of the tournament, the most important in the ice sledge hockey calender outside the Paralympic Games, will take place at the Harborcenter in Buffalo from April 24 until May 2 next year. 

It will mark the third time the Championships has been held in the US, following the 2000 edition in Utah and a 2008 version in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

The US team will look to take advantage of home ice to secure a third world title, and continue the form that saw them defeat host nation Russia 1-0 with a clinical final performance in Sochi, after they dispatched reigning world champions Canada in the semi-finals. 

These three powerhouses of the sport will be the leading contenders in Buffalo, with the line-up completed by Czech Republic, Norway, Italy, Germany and Japan. 

The World Championships will be extra-significant for Adam Page, the US goalscorer in the Sochi 2014 final, who hails from the Buffalo region ©AFP/Getty Images



The tournament is being hailed as a way to build on the surge in popularity for the sport in the US following the Winter Paralympics.

"We are delighted that the World Championships A-Pool will be held in the USA after such a historic year for the team," said IPC chief executive Xavier Gonzalez.

"Ice sledge hockey took the step into the popular consciousness during Sochi 2014, increasing popularity almost overnight and gaining millions of new fans and followers, particularly in America where it was broadcast live on NBC for the first time ever.

"We are hugely confident that American fans, and the media, will be enthralled by what is sure to be another thrilling competition."

Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey, added: "The athletes and fans will be treated to a state-of-the-art facility in an area where hockey is an everyday passion".

The 2015 event will also be the first major stop for teams on the road to the next Winter Paralympic Games, taking place in Pyeongchang in 2018.

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