Grand Forks will be named one of three finalists for the 2011 World Junior Championship, a source says.
An official announcement is expected Thursday.
Ralph Engelstad Arena and the Moorhead Sports Center submitted a bid three weeks ago to host the prestigious tournament, which features the best under-20 players in the world.
USA Hockey, which gets to award the International Ice Hockey Federation event to an American city, is expected to announce a winner in late December.
The other two finalists could not be confirmed today, but the Twin Cities and Buffalo, N.Y., have expressed interest and are considered strong candidates because of their hockey fan base and proximity to the Canadian border.
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The tournament is huge in Canada. Canadian fans played a large role in making the 2005 tournament the most successful World Juniors ever on U.S. soil. That tournament was held in Grand Forks and Thief River Falls.
Ralph Engelstad Arena officials said earlier this month that they felt confident their bid would be the strongest because it was loaded with significant money guarantees.
"I think we give USA Hockey the best opportunity to maximize its profits," Ralph Engelstad Arena general manager Jody Hodgson said when the bid was submitted.
USA Hockey officials will visit the sites of the three finalists this fall.
The United States has hosted the tournament four times -- Minneapolis in 1982, Anchorage in 1989, Boston in 1996 and Grand Forks in 2005.
Canada won the gold medal in 2005, defeating Russia in a game that featured the last two NHL MVPs, Canada's Sidney Crosby and Russia's Alexander Ovechkin.
