# 2023 IIHF World U18 Championships

The 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship was the 24th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams participated at several levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for the 2024 competition.

## Top Division

The tournament was held in Basel and Porrentruy, Switzerland, from 20 to 30 April 2023.

### Preliminary round
#### Group A

The Group A matches were played in Porrentruy, Switzerland, from 20 to 25 April 2023.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sweden | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | +15 | 12 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Canada | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 14 | +6 | 9 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Slovakia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 5 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Czechia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 4 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Germany | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 24 | −19 | 0 | Advance to Relegation round |

#### Group B

The Group B matches were played in Basel, Switzerland, from 20 to 25 April 2023.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | United States | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 6 | +31 | 12 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Finland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 14 | +9 | 9 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Switzerland (H) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 6 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Latvia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 17 | −12 | 3 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Norway | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 28 | −25 | 0 | Advance to Relegation round |

### Playoff round

Winning teams will be reseeded in accordance with the following ranking:
* higher position in the group
* higher number of points
* better goal difference
* higher number of goals scored for
* better seeding coming into the tournament (final placement at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships).
| Rank | Team | Group | Pos | Pts | GD | GF | Seed |
| 1 | United States | B | 1 | 12 | +31 | 37 | 2 |
| 2 | Sweden | A | 1 | 12 | +15 | 18 | 1 |
| 3 | Finland | B | 2 | 9 | +9 | 23 | 3 |
| 4 | Canada | A | 2 | 9 | +6 | 20 | 5 |
| 5 | Switzerland | B | 3 | 6 | −3 | 12 | 6 |
| 6 | Slovakia | A | 3 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 9 |
| 7 | Czechia | A | 4 | 4 | −2 | 12 | 4 |
| 8 | Latvia | B | 4 | 3 | −12 | 5 | 7 |

#### Bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Gold Medal Game | Gold Medal Game |
| 27 April – Porrentruy | 27 April – Porrentruy | | | |
| 1A Sweden | 6 | | | |
| 1A Sweden | 6 | 29 April – Basel | 29 April – Basel | | |
| 4B Latvia | 1 | 29 April – Basel | 29 April – Basel | |
| 4B Latvia | 1 | 1 United States | 7 | |
| 27 April – Basel | 27 April – Basel | | 1 United States | 7 | |
| 27 April – Basel | 27 April – Basel | 6 Slovakia | 1 | |
| 2A Canada | 7 | 6 Slovakia | 1 | |
| 2A Canada | 7 | | | | 30 April – Basel | 30 April – Basel |
| 3B Switzerland | 3 | | | | 30 April – Basel | 30 April – Basel |
| 3B Switzerland | 3 | | | | 1 United States (OT) | 3 |
| 27 April – Basel | 27 April – Basel | | | | | 1 United States (OT) | 3 |
| 27 April – Basel | 27 April – Basel | | | | 2 Sweden | 2 |
| 1B United States | 4 | | | | 2 Sweden | 2 |
| 1B United States | 4 | 29 April – Basel | 29 April – Basel | | | |
| 4A Czechia | 1 | 29 April – Basel | 29 April – Basel | | | |
| 4A Czechia | 1 | 2 Sweden | 7 | | | |
| 27 April – Porrentruy | 27 April – Porrentruy | | 2 Sweden | 7 | | | |
| 27 April – Porrentruy | 27 April – Porrentruy | 4 Canada | 2 | | Bronze Medal Game | Bronze Medal Game |
| 2B Finland | 2 | 4 Canada | 2 | | Bronze Medal Game | Bronze Medal Game |
| 2B Finland | 2 | | | | 30 April – Basel | 30 April – Basel |
| 3A Slovakia | 3 | | | | 30 April – Basel | 30 April – Basel |
| 3A Slovakia | 3 | | | | 4 Canada (OT) | 4 |
| | | | | | 6 Slovakia | 3 |

#### Gold medal game
### Final standings

| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
| 1 | B | United States | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 10 | +41 | 20 | Champions |
| 2 | A | Sweden | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 9 | +24 | 19 | Runners-up |
| 3 | A | Canada | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 27 | +6 | 14 | Third place |
| 4 | A | Slovakia | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 28 | −6 | 9 | Fourth place |
| 5 | B | Finland | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 17 | +8 | 9 | Eliminated in Quarterfinals |
| 6 | B | Switzerland (H) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 22 | −7 | 6 | Eliminated in Quarterfinals |
| 7 | A | Czechia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 18 | −5 | 4 | Eliminated in Quarterfinals |
| 8 | B | Latvia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 23 | −17 | 3 | Eliminated in Quarterfinals |
| 9 | B | Norway | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 31 | −19 | 6 | Avoided Relegation |
| 10 | A | Germany | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 33 | −25 | 0 | Relegated to the 2024 Division I A |

### Statistics
#### Scoring leaders

| Pos | Player | Country | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| 1 | Will Smith | United States | 7 | 9 | 11 | 20 | +15 | 2 |
| 2 | Gabe Perreault | United States | 7 | 5 | 13 | 18 | +15 | 0 |
| 3 | Ryan Leonard | United States | 7 | 8 | 9 | 17 | +16 | 4 |
| 4 | Otto Stenberg | Sweden | 7 | 7 | 9 | 16 | +13 | 4 |
| 5 | Macklin Celebrini | Canada | 7 | 6 | 9 | 15 | +11 | 6 |
| 6 | Dalibor Dvorský | Slovakia | 7 | 8 | 5 | 13 | −1 | 6 |
| 7 | Matthew Wood | Canada | 7 | 7 | 6 | 13 | +12 | 6 |
| 8 | Cole Hutson | United States | 7 | 1 | 11 | 12 | +14 | 8 |
| 9 | Cole Eiserman | United States | 7 | 9 | 2 | 11 | +3 | 8 |
| 10 | Axel Sandin Pellikka | Sweden | 7 | 2 | 9 | 11 | +8 | 0 |
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus–minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes Source: IIHF

#### Goaltending leaders

(minimum 40% team's total ice time)
| Pos | Player | Country | TOI | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO |
| 1 | Noah Erliden | Sweden | 362:20 | 9 | 1.49 | 163 | 94.48 | 2 |
| 2 | Trey Augustine | United States | 335:32 | 9 | 1.61 | 136 | 93.38 | 0 |
| 3 | Michael Hrabal | Czechia | 289:09 | 15 | 3.11 | 188 | 92.02 | 0 |
| 4 | Samuel Urban | Slovakia | 336:30 | 21 | 3.74 | 227 | 90.75 | 0 |
| 5 | Ewan Huet | Switzerland | 215:37 | 9 | 2.50 | 90 | 90.00 | 1 |
TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts Source: IIHF

### Awards

* Best players selected by the directorate:
** Best Goaltender: Noah Erliden
** Best Defenceman: Axel Sandin Pellikka
** Best Forward: Will Smith
Source: IIHF
* Media All-Stars:
** MVP: Will Smith
** Goaltender: Noah Erliden
** Defencemen: Axel Sandin Pellikka / Cole Hutson
** Forwards: Will Smith / Otto Stenberg / Dalibor Dvorský
Source:

## Division I
### Group A

The tournament was played in Angers, France, from 23 to 29 April 2023.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 12 | Promoted to the 2024 Top Division |
| 2 | Denmark | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 11 | +15 | 11 | |
| 3 | Japan | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 15 | −2 | 8 | |
| 4 | Hungary | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 7 | |
| 5 | Ukraine | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 5 | |
| 6 | France (H) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 18 | −11 | 2 | Relegated to the 2024 Division I B |

### Group B

The tournament was played in Bled, Slovenia, from 10 to 16 April 2023.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Austria | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 10 | +11 | 12 | Promoted to the 2024 Division I A |
| 2 | Slovenia (H) | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 11 | |
| 3 | Italy | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 10 | |
| 4 | South Korea | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 6 | |
| 5 | Estonia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 21 | −13 | 3 | |
| 6 | Poland | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 16 | −7 | 3 | Relegated to the 2024 Division II A |
* 1 2 Poland 1–2 Estonia

## Division II
### Group A

The tournament was played in Belgrade, Serbia, from 9 to 15 April 2023.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Lithuania | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 5 | +17 | 14 | Promoted to the 2024 Division I B |
| 2 | Croatia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 9 | +19 | 12 | |
| 3 | Great Britain | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 16 | −2 | 9 | |
| 4 | Serbia (H) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 4 | |
| 5 | Romania | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 29 | −18 | 4 | |
| 6 | Spain | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 17 | −7 | 2 | Relegated to the 2024 Division II B |
* 1 2 Serbia 6–3 Romania

### Group B

The tournament was played in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 27 March to 2 April 2023.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Netherlands | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 7 | +19 | 15 | Promoted to the 2024 Division II A |
| 2 | China | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 12 | +14 | 12 | |
| 3 | Chinese Taipei | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 25 | −9 | 6 | |
| 4 | Bulgaria (H) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 16 | −4 | 6 | |
| 5 | Australia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 20 | −8 | 6 | |
| 6 | Belgium | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 20 | −12 | 0 | Relegated to the 2024 Division III A |
* 1 2 3 Chinese Taipei 3 points, +1 GD; Bulgaria 3 points, 0 GD; Australia 3 points, –1 GD

## Division III
### Group A

The tournament was played in Akureyri, Iceland, from 12 to 18 March 2023.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Israel | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 5 | +34 | 12 | Promoted to the 2024 Division II B |
| 2 | Iceland (H) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 12 | +24 | 12 | |
| 3 | Turkey | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 15 | +12 | 9 | |
| 4 | Mexico | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 16 | +15 | 9 | |
| 5 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 29 | −21 | 3 | |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 67 | −64 | 0 | Relegated to the 2024 Division III B |
* 1 2 Iceland 1–5 Israel
* 1 2 Turkey 5–3 Mexico

### Group B

The tournament was played in Cape Town, South Africa, from 13 to 16 March 2023.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 6 | Promoted to the 2024 Division III A |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Thailand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 6 | |
| 4 | South Africa (H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 18 | −14 | 0 | |
* 1 2 3 New Zealand 3 points, +1 GD; Hong Kong 3 points, 0 GD; Thailand 3 points, –1 GD