# 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships

The 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (2020 WJHC) was the 44th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, held from 26 December 2019 to 5 January 2020. Canada defeated Russia 4–3 to win the gold medal and their 18th world junior hockey championship. This marks the fourth time that the Czech Republic hosted the WJHC.

## Background

On 16 April 2018, it was announced that Ostrava and Třinec, in the Moravian-Silesian Region would host the tournament. This was the second time Ostrava had been selected to host the competition. The city had also twice co-hosted the senior Ice Hockey World Championships (in 2004 and 2015).

## Top Division
### Venues

| Ostrava | OstravaTřinec | OstravaTřinec | Třinec |
| Ostravar Aréna Capacity: 10,004 | OstravaTřinec | OstravaTřinec | Werk Arena Capacity: 5,200 |

### Match officials

The following officials were assigned by the International Ice Hockey Federation to officiate the 2020 World Junior Championships.
Referees
* Michael Campbell
* Ivan Fateev
* Andreas Harnebring
* Lassi Heikkinen
* Oldřich Hejduk
* Fraser Lawrence
* Sean MacFarlane
* Sergey Morozov
* Vladimír Pešina
* André Schrader
* Michael Tscherrig
* Kristian Vikman
Linesmen
* Riley Bowles
* Markus Hägerström
* Chad Huseby
* Vít Lederer
* Ludvig Lundgren
* Jonas Merten
* Tobias Nordlander
* David Obwegeser
* Nikita Shalagin
* Šimon Synek

### Preliminary round
#### Seeding

Seeds the preliminary round were based on the 2019 tournament's final standings using the serpentine system. On 6 January 2019, the IIHF announced the groups, with Germany being promoted from Division I A, after having won the 2019 Division I A Tournament.

##### Group A Werk Arena

* Finland (1)
* Switzerland (4)
* Sweden (5)
* Slovakia (8)
* Kazakhstan (9)

##### Group B Ostravar Aréna

* United States (2)
* Russia (3)
* Canada (6)
* Czech Republic (7)
* Germany (11-Promoted)

#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sweden | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 8 | +12 | 11 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Switzerland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 9 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Finland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 7 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Slovakia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 22 | −14 | 3 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Kazakhstan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 21 | −14 | 0 | Relegation round |

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Canada | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 13 | +4 | 9 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | United States | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 13 | +4 | 8 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Russia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 6 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Czech Republic (H) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 18 | −6 | 4 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Germany | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 19 | −10 | 3 | Relegation round |

### Relegation

Note: Kazakhstan was relegated to the 2022 Division I A

### Playoff round

Winning teams were reseeded for the semi-finals in accordance with the following ranking, this was a change the IIHF implemented during their 2019 annual congress. To determine this ranking, the following criteria were used in the order presented:
* 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 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships).
| Rank | Team | Group | Pos | GP | Pts | GD | GF | Seed |
| 1 | Sweden | A | 1 | 4 | 11 | +12 | 20 | 5 |
| 2 | Canada | B | 1 | 4 | 9 | +4 | 17 | 6 |
| 3 | Switzerland | A | 2 | 4 | 9 | +7 | 19 | 4 |
| 4 | United States | B | 2 | 4 | 8 | +4 | 17 | 2 |
| 5 | Finland | A | 3 | 4 | 7 | +9 | 19 | 1 |
| 6 | Russia | B | 3 | 4 | 6 | +8 | 16 | 3 |
| 7 | Czech Republic | B | 4 | 4 | 4 | −6 | 12 | 7 |
| 8 | Slovakia | A | 4 | 4 | 3 | −14 | 8 | 8 |

#### Bracket

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

#### Gold medal game
### Statistics
#### Scoring leaders

| Pos | Player | Country | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| 1 | Samuel Fagemo | Sweden | 7 | 8 | 5 | 13 | +3 | 6 |
| 2 | Barrett Hayton | Canada | 7 | 6 | 6 | 12 | +1 | 6 |
| 3 | Nils Höglander | Sweden | 7 | 5 | 6 | 11 | +6 | 27 |
| 4 | Alexis Lafrenière | Canada | 5 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +3 | 4 |
| 5 | Rasmus Sandin | Sweden | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | +3 | 6 |
| 6 | Grigori Denisenko | Russia | 7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | +4 | 8 |
| 7 | Dylan Cozens | Canada | 7 | 2 | 7 | 9 | +6 | 4 |
| 7 | Kristian Tanus | Finland | 7 | 2 | 7 | 9 | +4 | 0 |
| 9 | Calen Addison | Canada | 7 | 1 | 8 | 9 | +4 | 0 |
| 10 | Trevor Zegras | United States | 5 | 0 | 9 | 9 | +6 | 4 |
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 | Joel Hofer | Canada | 337:42 | 9 | 1.60 | 148 | 93.92 | 1 |
| 2 | Hugo Alnefelt | Sweden | 368:19 | 13 | 2.12 | 171 | 92.40 | 1 |
| 3 | Amir Miftakhov | Russia | 197:50 | 7 | 2.12 | 86 | 91.86 | 1 |
| 4 | Justus Annunen | Finland | 362:01 | 16 | 2.65 | 190 | 91.58 | 1 |
| 5 | Spencer Knight | United States | 241:26 | 10 | 2.49 | 115 | 91.30 | 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: Joel Hofer
** Best Defenceman: Rasmus Sandin
** Best Forward: Alexis Lafrenière
Source: IIHF
* Media All-Stars:
** MVP: Alexis Lafrenière
** Goaltender: Joel Hofer
** Defencemen: Rasmus Sandin / Alexander Romanov
** Forwards: Samuel Fagemo / Barrett Hayton / Alexis Lafrenière
Source: IIHF

### Final standings

| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
| 1 | B | Canada | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 17 | +15 | 18 | Champions |
| 2 | B | Russia | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 17 | +10 | 11 | Runners-up |
| 3 | A | Sweden | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 15 | +17 | 18 | Third place |
| 4 | A | Finland | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 10 | Fourth place |
| 5 | A | Switzerland | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 9 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 6 | B | United States | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 8 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 7 | B | Czech Republic (H) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 23 | −11 | 4 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 8 | A | Slovakia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 28 | −19 | 3 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 9 | B | Germany | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 23 | −3 | 9 | Avoided relegation |
| 10 | A | Kazakhstan | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 32 | −21 | 3 | Relegated to the 2022 Division I A |

## Division I
### Group A

The Division I Group A tournament was played in Minsk, Belarus, from 9 to 15 December 2019.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Austria | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 12 | Promoted to the 2021 Top Division |
| 2 | Latvia | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 11 | |
| 3 | Belarus (H) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 11 | |
| 4 | Norway | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 7 | |
| 5 | Denmark | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 16 | −10 | 3 | |
| 6 | Slovenia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 25 | −19 | 1 | Relegated to the 2022 Division I B |
* 1 2 Latvia 3–2 (OT) Belarus

### Group B

The Division I Group B tournament was played in Kyiv, Ukraine, from 12 to 18 December 2019.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Hungary | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 16 | +13 | 15 | Promoted to the 2022 Division I A |
| 2 | France | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 7 | +15 | 12 | |
| 3 | Ukraine (H) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 8 | |
| 4 | Poland | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 26 | +3 | 6 | |
| 5 | Estonia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 27 | −13 | 3 | |
| 6 | Italy | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 33 | −20 | 1 | Relegated to the 2022 Division II A |

## Division II
### Group A

The Division II Group A tournament was played in Vilnius, Lithuania, from 6 to 12 January 2020.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Japan | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 7 | +30 | 15 | Promoted to the 2022 Division I B |
| 2 | Great Britain | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 17 | +6 | 11 | |
| 3 | Lithuania (H) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 9 | |
| 4 | Romania | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 6 | |
| 5 | Spain | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 23 | −15 | 4 | |
| 6 | Serbia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 26 | −15 | 0 | Relegated to the 2022 Division II B |

### Group B

The Division II Group B tournament was played in Gangneung, South Korea, from 27 January to 3 February 2020.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | South Korea (H) | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | +14 | 15 | Promoted to the 2022 Division II A |
| 2 | Netherlands | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 13 | +17 | 9 | |
| 3 | China | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 10 | +12 | 9 | |
| 4 | Croatia | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 17 | +14 | 9 | |
| 5 | Belgium | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 25 | −10 | 3 | |
| 6 | Israel | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 50 | −47 | 0 | Relegated to the 2022 Division III |
* 1 2 3 Netherlands 3 Pts, +3 GD; China 3 Pts, –1 GD; Croatia 3 Pts, –2 GD

## Division III

The Division III tournament was played in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 13 to 19 January 2020.

### Playoffs

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| 18 January | 18 January |
| Iceland | 5 |
| Iceland | 5 | 19 January | 19 January |
| Turkey | 2 | 19 January | 19 January |
| Turkey | 2 | Iceland | 4 |
| 18 January | 18 January | | Iceland | 4 |
| 18 January | 18 January | Australia | 1 |
| Australia | 8 | Australia | 1 |
| Mexico | 3 | | |
| Mexico | 3 | 3rd place match | 3rd place match |
| | | 19 January | 19 January |
| | | Turkey | 4 |
| | | Mexico | 2 |
| 5th–8th place semifinals | 5th–8th place semifinals | 5th place match | 5th place match |
| 18 January | 18 January |
| Bulgaria | 8 |
| Bulgaria | 8 | 19 January | 19 January |
| Chinese Taipei | 1 | 19 January | 19 January |
| Chinese Taipei | 1 | Bulgaria | 6 |
| 18 January | 18 January | | Bulgaria | 6 |
| 18 January | 18 January | New Zealand | 1 |
| South Africa | 1 | New Zealand | 1 |
| New Zealand | 2 | | |
| New Zealand | 2 | 7th place match | 7th place match |
| | | 19 January | 19 January |
| | | South Africa | 4 |
| | | Chinese Taipei (OT) | 5 |

### Final standings

| Rank | Team |
| | Iceland |
| | Australia |
| | Turkey |
| 4 | Mexico |
| 5 | Bulgaria |
| 6 | New Zealand |
| 7 | Chinese Taipei |
| 8 | South Africa |
* Promoted to the 2022 Division II B