# 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships

The 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship was the 20th IIHF World U18 Championship. The tournament was played from 19 to 29 April 2018 in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, Russia. United States lost the final to Finland. It was also the first time France had ever played in the top division at the U18 World Championship.

## Top Division
### Match officials

12 referees and 10 linesmen were selected for the tournament.

### Preliminary round
#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Canada | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 11 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Sweden | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 10 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 3 | United States | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 14 | +7 | 6 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Belarus | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 24 | −13 | 3 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Switzerland | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 21 | −11 | 0 | Advance to Relegation round |
All times are local (UTC+5).
{{Ice hockey box | bg = #eeffff | date = 23 April 2018 | time = 15:30 | team1 = Belarus  | score = 5–4 | team2 = Switzerland | progression = 0–1 / 0–2 / 1–2 / 2–2 / 3–2 / 3–3 / 3–4 / 4–4 / 5–4 | periods = (0–2, 2–0, 3–2) | goalie1 = Nikita Tolopilo | goalie2 = Luca Hollenstein | goals1 = Kazyanin (Alistrov) – 27:00 / Kolyachonok (Kazyanin, Alistrov) – 30:02 / Azhgirei (Alistrov, Protas) – 44:56 / Levshunov (Kazyanin, Alistrov) – 58:44 / Alistrov (Kazyanin, Kolyachonok) – 59:48 | goals2 = 12:37 – Nussbaumer (Mettler, [[Jesse Tanner|Tanner]]) (PP) / 16:38 – Gross (De Nisco, Barbei) / 48:20 – Patry (Nussbaumer, Tanner) (PP) / 49:06 – Henauer (Verboon) | stadium = Arena Metallurg, Magnitogorsk | attendance = 3,090 | official = Christoffer Holm | official2 = Milan Zrnič | linesman = Jan-Christian Müller | linesman2 = Dmitry Shishlo | reference = https://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/500/IHM500A15_74_3_0.pdf | penalties1 = 4 | penalties2 = 4 | shots1 = 33 | shots2 = 24 }}

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Finland | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 8 | +13 | 12 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Russia (H) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 8 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Slovakia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 14 | +5 | 7 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Czech Republic | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 14 | +1 | 3 | Advance to Quarterfinals |
| 5 | France | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 30 | −26 | 0 | Advance to Relegation round |

### Playoff round
#### Bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final |
| 26 April | 26 April | | | |
| Finland | 5 | | | |
| Finland | 5 | 28 April | 28 April | | |
| Belarus | 2 | 28 April | 28 April | |
| Belarus | 2 | Finland | 2 | |
| 26 April | 26 April | | Finland | 2 | |
| 26 April | 26 April | Sweden | 0 | |
| Sweden | 6 | Sweden | 0 | |
| Sweden | 6 | | | | 29 April | 29 April |
| Slovakia | 1 | | | | 29 April | 29 April |
| Slovakia | 1 | | | | Finland | 3 |
| 26 April | 26 April | | | | | Finland | 3 |
| 26 April | 26 April | | | | United States | 2 |
| Russia | 1 | | | | United States | 2 |
| Russia | 1 | 28 April | 28 April | | | |
| United States | 5 | 28 April | 28 April | | | |
| United States | 5 | United States | 4 | | | |
| 26 April | 26 April | | United States | 4 | | | |
| 26 April | 26 April | Czech Republic | 1 | | Third place | Third place |
| Canada | 1 | Czech Republic | 1 | | Third place | Third place |
| Canada | 1 | | | | 29 April | 29 April |
| Czech Republic | 2 | | | | 29 April | 29 April |
| Czech Republic | 2 | | | | Sweden | 5 |
| | | | | | Czech Republic | 2 |

#### Final
### Final standings

| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
| 1 | B | Finland | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 12 | +19 | 21 | Champions |
| 2 | A | United States | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 12 | Runners-up |
| 3 | A | Sweden | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 16 | Third place |
| 4 | B | Czech Republic | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 24 | −4 | 6 | Fourth place |
| 5 | A | Canada | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 11 | +12 | 11 | Eliminated in Quarterfinals |
| 6 | B | Russia (H) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 18 | +3 | 8 | Eliminated in Quarterfinals |
| 7 | B | Slovakia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 7 | Eliminated in Quarterfinals |
| 8 | A | Belarus | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 29 | −16 | 3 | Eliminated in Quarterfinals |
| 9 | A | Switzerland | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 6 | |
| 10 | B | France | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 41 | −35 | 0 | Relegated to 2019 Division I A |

### Statistics
#### Scoring leaders

List shows the top ten skaters sorted by points, then goals.
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Jack Hughes | 7 | 5 | 7 | 12 | +3 | 2 |
| Maxim Čajkovič | 5 | 4 | 7 | 11 | +7 | 6 |
| Niklas Nordgren | 7 | 8 | 2 | 10 | +10 | 4 |
| Jonatan Berggren | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | +7 | 2 |
| Kaapo Kakko | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +8 | 2 |
| Oliver Wahlstrom | 7 | 7 | 2 | 9 | +2 | 4 |
| Jesperi Kotkaniemi | 7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | +9 | 37 |
| Oliver Okuliar | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +5 | 6 |
| Joel Farabee | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +1 | 6 |
| Gilian Kohler | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | +1 | 2 |
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus–minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes Source: IIHF.com

#### Leading goaltenders

Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes are included in this list.
| Player | TOI | SA | GA | GAA | Sv% | SO |
| Olivier Rodrigue | 180:57 | 79 | 4 | 1.33 | 94.94 | 1 |
| Olof Lindbom | 361:16 | 196 | 10 | 1.66 | 94.90 | 0 |
| Justus Annunen | 360:00 | 139 | 12 | 2.00 | 91.37 | 1 |
| Luca Hollenstein | 237:58 | 107 | 10 | 2.52 | 90.65 | 1 |
| Lukáš Dostál | 251:18 | 148 | 14 | 3.34 | 90.54 | 0 |
TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts Source: IIHF.com

### Tournament awards

Most Valuable Player
* Forward: Jack Hughes
All-star team
* Goaltender: Olof Lindbom
* Defencemen: Cameron York, Anton Malyshev
* Forwards: Jack Hughes, Oliver Wahlstrom, Niklas Nordgren
Source: IIHF.com
IIHF best player awards
* Goaltender: Olof Lindbom
* Defenceman: Adam Boqvist
* Forward: Jack Hughes
Source: IIHF.com

## Division I
### Division I A

The Division I A tournament was played in Riga, Latvia, from 2 to 8 April 2018.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Latvia (H) | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 15 | Promoted to the 2019 Top Division |
| 2 | Germany | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 11 | +11 | 12 | |
| 3 | Denmark | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 19 | −5 | 6 | |
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 6 | |
| 5 | Norway | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 18 | −4 | 3 | |
| 6 | Slovenia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 24 | −17 | 3 | Relegated to the 2019 Division I B |
* 1 2 Kazakhstan 2–4 Denmark
* 1 2 Slovenia 0–5 Norway

### Division I B

The Division I B tournament was played in Kyiv, Ukraine, from 14 to 20 April 2018.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Ukraine (H) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 8 | +10 | 12 | Promoted to the 2019 Division I A |
| 2 | Austria | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 12 | |
| 3 | Japan | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 10 | |
| 4 | Hungary | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 7 | |
| 5 | Italy | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 4 | |
| 6 | Romania | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 30 | −25 | 0 | Relegated to the 2019 Division II A |
* 1 2 Austria 3–5 Ukraine

## Division II
### Division II A

The Division II A tournament was played in Tallinn, Estonia, from 1 to 7 April 2018.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Great Britain | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 15 | +11 | 12 | Promoted to the 2019 Division I B |
| 2 | Lithuania | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 8 | +14 | 12 | |
| 3 | Poland | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 11 | +21 | 11 | |
| 4 | South Korea | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 6 | |
| 5 | Estonia (H) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 21 | −4 | 4 | |
| 6 | Australia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 44 | −40 | 0 | Relegated to the 2019 Division II B |
* 1 2 Great Britain 3−2 Lithuania

### Division II B

The Division II B tournament was played in Zagreb, Croatia, from 24 to 30 March 2018.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Spain | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 13 | +14 | 14 | Promoted to the 2019 Division II A |
| 2 | Croatia (H) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 8 | |
| 3 | Serbia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 11 | +5 | 8 | |
| 4 | Netherlands | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 7 | |
| 5 | China | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 19 | −3 | 7 | |
| 6 | Iceland | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 26 | −17 | 1 | Relegated to the 2019 Division III A |
* 1 2 Serbia 1–2 Croatia
* 1 2 China 5–6 (GWS) Netherlands

## Division III
### Division III A

The Division III A tournament was played in Erzurum, Turkey, from 26 March to 1 April 2018.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Belgium | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 8 | +27 | 12 | Promoted to the 2019 Division II B |
| 2 | Mexico | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 11 | |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 19 | −2 | 7 | |
| 4 | Israel | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 13 | −1 | 6 | |
| 5 | Turkey (H) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 6 | |
| 6 | Chinese Taipei | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 42 | −26 | 3 | Relegated to the 2019 Division III B |
* 1 2 Israel 2–0 Turkey

### Division III B

The Division III B tournament was played in Queenstown, New Zealand, from 26 to 28 April 2018.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | New Zealand (H) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 6 | Promoted to the 2019 Division III A |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 3 | |
| 3 | South Africa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 | |