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World Junior A Challenge

International U20 ice hockey tournament

World Junior A Challenge
Summary

International U20 ice hockey tournament

FieldValue
titleWorld Junior A Challenge
last_season2025 World Junior A Challenge
logoWorld Jr A Logo.png
pixels150px
sportIce hockey
inaugural2006
champion
most_champs(11)
websiteWorld Junior A Challenge
TVTSN
sponsorHockey Canada
Canadian Junior Hockey League
International Ice Hockey Federation
related_compsCJHL Prospects Game
Royal Bank Cup
World U-17 Hockey Challenge

Canadian Junior Hockey League International Ice Hockey Federation Royal Bank Cup World U-17 Hockey Challenge The World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) is an annual under-20 international ice hockey tournament sponsored by Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The tournament showcases Junior A level players and is modeled after the IIHF World U20 Championships, which displays the best of all junior-aged hockey players. It has been hosted by Canadian cities every year in CJAHL markets.

The tournament has seen teams from Canada, the United States, Russia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Belarus, Denmark, Slovakia, Germany, and Latvia. Canada is represented by two regional squads; Canada West consists of players from the British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Superior International Junior Hockey Leagues, while Canada East features players from the Northern Ontario, Ontario, Central, Quebec, and Maritime Junior Hockey Leagues. American players are chosen from the United States Hockey League. Canada West captured the first two gold medals in tournament history, while the United States won the next three. Also, Russia, who has been with the tournament since the beginning, generally sends their Under-18 Team in place of a general select squad.

History

Canada West's Justin Gvora with the first ever awarded WJAC Championship Trophy and Medallion (2006)

The tournament was created in 2006 through a proposal by the Canadian Junior A Hockey League (CJHL prior to 2008) to Hockey Canada. The idea behind the tournament was to showcase players from Canadian Junior "A" to Canadian Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and National Hockey League scouts, while also exposing them to an international level and style of play.

The inaugural 2006 tournament was hosted in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and featured six teams – Canada West, Canada East, Russia, Slovakia, Germany and Belarus. Both Canadian teams met in the final with Canada West defeating Slovakia 7-1 and Canada East defeating Russia 5–1 in their respective semifinals. Led by Kyle Turris, Canada West ran up a 4-0 tally against Canada East early in the game and held on for a 4–3 victory to win the first-ever WJAC championship.

The 2007 tournament was held in Trail, British Columbia. The United States joined the tournament for the first time, replacing Slovakia. For the second straight year, Canada West defeated the East in the final.

Beginning in 2008, the United States began a string of dominance at the tournament. They defeated Canada West in the 2008 (Camrose, Alberta) and 2009 (Summerside, Prince Edward Island) finals before winning their third consecutive title against Canada East in 2010 (Penticton, British Columbia). The 2009 tournament featured newcomers Sweden, who sent a team in place of Germany. That year also marked the first time in tournament history that Canada East failed to medal. At the 2010 WJAC, Switzerland competed in place of Belarus.

The 2013 tournament was won by the United States, 4–1, over Russia. This instance marked the first time in tournament history that both Canada East and Canada West were shut out of the gold medal game.

In 2014, the tournament started being played in December as opposed to it usually taking place in early November. The 2014 tournament marked the first time in tournament history that neither Canadian team earned a medal, with Canada East losing the bronze to Russia.

In 2025, the tournament will be hosted in Trois-Rivières, the first time in the province of Quebec.

Champions

YearGoldSilverBronzeMVPHost city (cities)
2006Canada Canada WestCanada Canada EastRussia RussiaCanada West (Kyle Turris)Yorkton, Humboldt & Canora, Saskatchewan
2007Canada Canada WestCanada Canada EastUnited States United StatesCAN West (Mike Connolly)Trail & Nelson, British Columbia
2008United States United StatesCanada Canada WestCanada Canada EastUSA (Mike Cichy)Camrose, Alberta
2009United States United StatesCanada Canada WestRussia RussiaCAN West (Sean Bonar)Summerside, Prince Edward Island
2010United States United StatesCanada Canada EastSwitzerland SwitzerlandUSA (Scott Mayfield)Penticton, British Columbia
2011Canada Canada WestCanada Canada EastUnited States United StatesCAN East (Devin Shore)Langley, British Columbia
2012United States United StatesCanada Canada WestSwitzerland SwitzerlandUSA (Vincent Hinostroza)Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
2013********Canada Canada WestUSA (Nick Schmaltz)Yarmouth & Liverpool, Nova Scotia
2014************Denmark (Nikolaj Ehlers)Kindersley, Saskatchewan
2015Canada Canada West********Canada West (Tyson Jost)Cobourg & Whitby, Ontario
2016****Canada Canada East****RUS (Andrei Svechnikov)Bonnyville, Alberta
2017Canada Canada West ********Canada West (Zach Rose)Halifax, Nova Scotia
2018****RUS RussiaCanada Canada WestUSA (Bobby Brink)Bonnyville, Alberta
2019RUS RussiaCanada Canada East****CAN East (Devon Levi)Dawson Creek, British Columbia
2020Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.Cornwall, Ontario
2021Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.Cornwall, Ontario
2022****Canada Canada East****USA (Cole Knuble)Cornwall, Ontario
2023Canada Canada WestCanada Canada East****Canada East (Trevor Hoskin)Truro, Nova Scotia
2024********Canada Canada WestCamrose, Alberta
2025****Canada Canada West****Trois-Rivières, Quebec

All-time team records

Current as of 2023 Tournament

TeamGPWOTWOTLLGFGAMedals
United States745364113481679 G, 1 S, 5 B
Canada Canada West753776252822146 G, 3 S, 2 B
Russia632964242171941 G, 3 S, 4 B
Canada Canada East752847362322800 G, 8 S, 1 B
Denmark430101480 G, 1 S, 2 B
Switzerland3063219911240 G, 0 S, 2 B
Czech Republic37103321881390 G, 0 S, 1 B
Sweden247131364880 G, 0 S, 1 B
Belarus1731112541080 G, 0 S, 0 B
Slovakia9201622420 G, 0 S, 0 B
Germany122001034620 G, 0 S, 0 B
Latvia401034240 G, 0 S, 0 B

Participation

Current as of 2025 Tournament

CountryTotalAppearancesFirstLast
111517
West
East
Total
**1348
0123
0101
0022
0011
0000
0000
0000
0000

References

References

  1. "Мировой Кубок Вызова 2009/2010 - Юниорская сборная до 18 лет (webcitation.org)". [[Ice Hockey Federation of Russia.
  2. "Мировой Кубок Вызова 2010/11 - Юниорская сборная до 18 лет (webcitation.org)". [[Ice Hockey Federation of Russia.
  3. "Мировой Кубок Вызова 2011/12 - Юниорская сборная до 18 лет (webcitation.org)". [[Ice Hockey Federation of Russia.
  4. [http://209.172.33.206/SITES/obj_nouvelles_more.asp?POLICE=Arial&TAILLE=10&COULEUR=000000&DATE=1&C=32&S=34&MINI=&L=E&ID=2143 News]
  5. "Three host communities announced for fall 2025 events".
  6. "2006 World Junior A Challenge - Schedule, Results & Rosters".
  7. "2007 World Junior A Challenge - Schedule, Results & Rosters".
  8. "2008 World Junior A Challenge - Schedule, Results & Rosters".
  9. "2009 World Junior A Challenge - Schedule, Results & Rosters".
  10. "2010 World Junior A Challenge - Schedule, Results & Rosters".
  11. "2011 World Junior A Challenge - Schedule, Results & Rosters".
  12. "2012 World Junior A Challenge - Schedule, Results & Rosters".
  13. "2013 World Junior A Challenge Schedule".
  14. "Schedule and Scores - 2014 World Junior A Challenge".
  15. "Schedule and Scores - 2015 World Junior A Challenge".
  16. "Schedule and Scores - 2016 World Junior A Challenge".
  17. "Schedule and Scores - 2018 World Junior A Challenge".
  18. "Schedule and Scores - 2019 World Junior A Challenge".
  19. "Hockey Canada statement announcing Fall 2020 event rescheduling".
  20. "World Junior A Challenge heads to Cornwall in 2020".
  21. "Hockey Canada statement announcing Fall event cancellations".
  22. "Hockey Canada statement announcing Fall 2020 event rescheduling".
  23. "Schedule and Scores - 2022 World Junior A Challenge".
  24. "Schedule and Scores - 2023 World Junior A Challenge".
  25. "Schedule and Scores - 2024 Junior A World Challenge".
  26. "2025 Junior A World Challenge".
  27. "2024 GUIDE & RECORD BOOK".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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