# 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships

The 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (2019 WJC) was the 43rd edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It began on December 26, 2018, and ended with the gold medal game being played on January 5, 2019. This marked the 15th time that Canada hosted the WJC.
On December 1, 2016, it was announced that Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia had won the bid to host the 2019 World Juniors. This is the second time that Vancouver has been the primary host of the tournament and the first time that Victoria has hosted in any capacity.

## Top Division
### Venues

| Vancouver | VancouverVictoria | VancouverVictoria | Victoria |
| Rogers Arena Capacity: 18,910 | VancouverVictoria | VancouverVictoria | Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre Capacity: 7,006 |

### Match officials

The following officials were assigned by the International Ice Hockey Federation to officiate the 2019 World Junior Championships.
Referees
* Jonathan Alarie
* Kenneth Anderson
* Andris Ansons
* Tobias Björk
* Andrew Bruggeman
* Lassi Heikkinen
* Jeff Ingram
* Daniel Pražák
* Yevgeni Romasko
* Maxim Sidorenko
* Mikael Sjöqvist
* Peter Stano
Linesmen
* Maxime Chaput
* Dmitri Golyak
* Michael Harrington
* Daniel Hynek
* Balazs Kovacs
* Lauri Nikulainen
* Brian Oliver
* Peter Šefčík
* Dmitri Shishlo
* Emil Yletyinen

### Seeding

The seedings in the preliminary round are based on the 2018 tournament's final standings using the serpentine system. On 6 Jan 2018, the IIHF announced the groups. With Kazakhstan being promoted from Division I A after winning the 2018 Division I A Tournament.

#### Group A (Vancouver)

* Canada (1)
* Czech Republic (4)
* Russia (5)
* Switzerland (8)
* Denmark (9)

#### Group B (Victoria)

* Sweden (2)
* United States (3)
* Finland (6)
* Slovakia (7)
* Kazakhstan (11-Promoted)

### Format

The preliminary round is a two group of five teams each internal round-robin format, followed by a three-round playoff. In the round-robin, three points are allotted for a regulation win, and two points for an overtime or shootout win. One point is allotted for an overtime or shootout loss.
The four highest-ranked teams from each group of the preliminary round advance to the quarterfinals while the last-place team from each group will play a best-of-three series, the loser relegated to Division IA for 2020, being replaced by the winner of Division IA. All other teams will retain their Top Division status for the 2020 edition.

### Preliminary round

All times are local. (Pacific Standard Time – UTC-8)

#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Russia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 12 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Canada (H) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 5 | +18 | 9 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 5 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Switzerland | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 12 | −1 | 4 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Denmark | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | −26 | 0 | Relegation round |

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sweden | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 11 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | United States | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 10 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Finland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 6 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Slovakia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 14 | +1 | 3 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Kazakhstan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 28 | −23 | 0 | Relegation round |

### Relegation round

Note: Denmark was relegated to the 2020 Division I A

### Playoff round
#### Bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1A | Russia | 8 | | | | | | |
| 4B | Slovakia | 3 | | | | | | |
| 4B | Slovakia | 3 | 1A | Russia | 1 | | | |
| | | | 2B | United States | 2 | | | |
| 2B | United States | 3 | 2B | United States | 2 | | | |
| 3A | Czech Republic | 1 | | | | | | |
| 3A | Czech Republic | 1 | | | | 2B | United States | 2 |
| | | | | | | 3B | Finland | 3 |
| 1B | Sweden | 0 | | | | | | | 3B | Finland | 3 |
| 4A | Switzerland | 2 | | | |
| 4A | Switzerland | 2 | 4A | Switzerland | 1 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | 3B | Finland | 6 |
| 2A | Canada | 1 | 3B | Finland | 6 | 1A | Russia | 5 |
| 3B | Finland (OT) | 2 | | | | 4A | Switzerland | 2 |

#### Final
### Statistics
#### Scoring leaders

| Pos | Player | Country | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| 1 | Grigori Denisenko | Russia | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | +3 | 4 |
| 2 | Aleksi Heponiemi | Finland | 7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | +7 | 4 |
| 3 | Artur Gatiyatov | Kazakhstan | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Ryan Poehling | United States | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | +5 | 2 |
| 5 | Morgan Frost | Canada | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +8 | 12 |
| 6 | Alexander Romanov | Russia | 7 | 1 | 7 | 8 | +12 | 0 |
| 7 | Philipp Kurashev | Switzerland | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 | -5 | 4 |
| 8 | Kirill Slepets | Russia | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | +7 | 4 |
| 9 | Alexander Chmelevski | United States | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Aarne Talvitie | Finland | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | +9 | 14 |
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 | Lukáš Dostál | Czech Republic | 239:10 | 5 | 1.25 | 115 | 95.65 | 1 |
| 2 | Pyotr Kochetkov | Russia | 290:31 | 7 | 1.45 | 149 | 95.30 | 0 |
| 3 | Michael DiPietro | Canada | 243:16 | 5 | 1.23 | 103 | 95.15 | 1 |
| 4 | Cayden Primeau | United States | 298:55 | 8 | 1.61 | 126 | 93.65 | 0 |
| 5 | Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Finland | 367:16 | 11 | 1.80 | 162 | 93.21 | 0 |
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: Pyotr Kochetkov
** Best Defenceman: Alexander Romanov
** Best Forward: Ryan Poehling
Source: IIHF
* Media All-Stars:
** MVP: Ryan Poehling
** Goaltender: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
** Defencemen: Alexander Romanov / Erik Brännström
** Forwards: Grigori Denisenko / Philipp Kurashev / Ryan Poehling
Source: IIHF

### Final standings

| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
| 1 | B | Finland | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 11 | +12 | 14 | Champions |
| 2 | B | United States | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 14 | +11 | 16 | Runners-up |
| 3 | A | Russia | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 13 | +16 | 18 | Third place |
| 4 | A | Switzerland | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 23 | −7 | 7 | Fourth place |
| 5 | B | Sweden | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 11 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 6 | A | Canada (H) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 7 | +17 | 10 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 7 | A | Czech Republic | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 5 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 8 | B | Slovakia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 22 | −4 | 3 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 9 | B | Kazakhstan | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 31 | −18 | 6 | Avoided relegation |
| 10 | A | Denmark | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 34 | −31 | 0 | Relegated to the 2020 Division I A |

## Division I
### Group A

The Division I Group A tournament was played in Füssen, Germany, from December 9 to 15, 2018.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Germany (H) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 5 | +17 | 14 | Promoted to the 2020 Top Division |
| 2 | Belarus | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 9 | |
| 3 | Norway | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 13 | +2 | 8 | |
| 4 | Latvia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 6 | |
| 5 | Austria | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 5 | |
| 6 | France | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 22 | −14 | 3 | Relegated to the 2020 Division I B |

### Group B

The Division I Group B tournament was played in Tychy, Poland, from December 8 to 14, 2018.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Slovenia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 11 | +10 | 13 | Promoted to the 2020 Division I A |
| 2 | Poland (H) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 10 | |
| 3 | Hungary | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 15 | +9 | 10 | |
| 4 | Italy | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 6 | |
| 5 | Ukraine | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 20 | −6 | 5 | |
| 6 | Japan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 25 | −12 | 1 | Relegated to the 2020 Division II A |
* 1 2 Hungary 2–4 Poland

## Division II
### Group A

The Division II Group A tournament was played in Tallinn, Estonia, from January 13 to 19, 2019.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Estonia (H) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 7 | +18 | 14 | Promoted to the 2020 Division I B |
| 2 | Lithuania | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 11 | |
| 3 | Great Britain | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 16 | +14 | 9 | |
| 4 | Romania | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 20 | −7 | 7 | |
| 5 | Spain | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 18 | −10 | 3 | |
| 6 | South Korea | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 32 | −25 | 1 | Relegated to the 2020 Division II B |

### Group B

The Division II Group B tournament was played in Zagreb, Croatia, from January 15 to 21, 2019.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Serbia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 5 | +21 | 15 | Promoted to the 2020 Division II A |
| 2 | Croatia (H) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 12 | |
| 3 | Netherlands | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 22 | +3 | 9 | |
| 4 | Belgium | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 24 | −2 | 6 | |
| 5 | Israel | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 21 | −9 | 3 | |
| 6 | Mexico | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 28 | −22 | 0 | Relegated to the 2020 Division III |

## Division III

The Division III tournament was played in Reykjavík, Iceland, from January 14 to 20, 2019.

### Playoffs

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1A | Australia | 7 | | | |
| 2B | Bulgaria | 4 | | | |
| 2B | Bulgaria | 4 | 1A | Australia | 1 |
| | | | 1B | China | 5 |
| 1B | China | 12 | 1B | China | 5 |
| 2A | Turkey | 1 | 3rd place game | 3rd place game | 3rd place game |
| | | | 2B | Bulgaria | 0 |
| | | | 2A | Turkey | 6 |
| 5th–8th place semifinals | 5th–8th place semifinals | 5th–8th place semifinals | 5th place game | 5th place game | 5th place game |
| 3A | Iceland | 11 | | | |
| 4B | New Zealand | 1 | | | |
| 4B | New Zealand | 1 | 3A | Iceland | 5 |
| | | | 4A | Chinese Taipei | 3 |
| 3B | South Africa | 1 | 4A | Chinese Taipei | 3 |
| 4A | Chinese Taipei | 7 | 7th place game | 7th place game | 7th place game |
| | | | 3B | South Africa | 5 |
| | | | 4B | New Zealand | 3 |

### Final standings

| Rank | Team |
| | China |
| | Australia |
| | Turkey |
| 4 | Bulgaria |
| 5 | Iceland |
| 6 | Chinese Taipei |
| 7 | South Africa |
| 8 | New Zealand |
* Promoted to the 2020 Division II B