World Junior Championship The International Ice Hockey Federation World Under 20 Championship ( colloquially known as the World Junior Hockey Championship , usually abbreviated WJHC ) is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) for national under - 20 ice hockey teams from around the world . It is traditionally held in late December , ending in the beginning of January . The main tournament features the top ten ranked hockey nations in the world , comprising the ' Top Division ' , from which a world champion is crowned . There are also three lower pools — divisions I , II and III — that each play separate tournaments playing for the right to be promoted to a higher pool , or face relegation to a lower pool . The 2010 championship took place in Saskatoon and Regina , both in Saskatchewan , Canada . History . First held in 1977 ( 1974 – 1976 were not official tournaments ) as a relatively obscure tournament , the WJHC has grown in prestige , particularly in Canada , where the tournament ranks as one of the most important events on the sports calendar . Canada typically hosts the tournament every three to four years , consistently selling out Team Canada games , offering large profit guarantees to Hockey Canada . Canada is , however , recently hosting at a more frequent rate , with two of the three most recent tournaments ( Ottawa in 2009 , Saskatchewan in 2010 ) and in Alberta in 2012 . Originally , Switzerland was selected to host the WJHC in 2010 , but withdrew . Buffalo , USA will host the tournament in 2011 . The tournament has been dominated by the teams from Russia / Soviet Union / CIS and Canada , together accounting for 27 of the 33 overall gold medals awarded . The USSR won the first four official tournaments , while the Canadians put together five straight championships between 1993 and 1997 , and another five straight from 2005 to 2009 . Canada leads the all - time gold medal count with 15 , while USSR / Russia lead the all - time overall medal count with 28 . Head - to - head matches between these two countries are always much anticipated . The tournament offers one of the most prestigious stages for young hockey players , able to significantly boost a player ' s value for upcoming NHL Entry Draft s . Punch - up in Piestany . One of the most infamous incidents in WJHC history occurred in 1987 in Piestany , Czechoslovakia , where a bench - clearing brawl occurred between Canada and the Soviet Union . It began when the Soviet Union ' s Pavel Kostichkin took a two - handed slash at Canadian player Theoren Fleury . The Soviet Union ' s Evgeny Davydov then came off the bench , eventually leading to both benches emptying . The officials , unable to break up the fight , left the ice and eventually tried shutting off the arena lights , but the brawl lasted for 20 minutes before the IIHF declared the game null and void . A 35 - minute emergency meeting was held , resulting in the delegates voting 7 – 1 ( the sole dissenter was Canadian Dennis McDonald ) to eject both teams from the tournament . The Canadian team chose to leave rather than stay for the end - of - tournament dinner , from which the Soviet team were banned . While the Soviets were out of medal contention , Canada was playing for the gold medal , and were leading 4 – 2 at the time of the brawl . The gold medal ultimately went to Finland , hosts Czechoslovakia took the silver and Sweden , who had previously been eliminated from medal contention , was awarded the bronze . Participating Countries . Canada has participated in 33 consecutive IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships , despite nearly being relegated to Pool B ( now Division I ) with the Soviet Union as punishment for the Punch - up in Piestany . USSR / Russia , Sweden , Finland , Czechoslovakia / Czech - Republic , and the United States have mainly participated at the top level . When Czechoslovakia became Czech - Republic and Slovak Republic ( late Slovakia ) in 1992 . Slovakia had to start at Pool C ( now Division II ) , and in 1995 , Slovakia became a main participant of the World Junior Hockey Championships , and won bronze in 1999 . Switzerland also became a main participant when 2 teams were added , formatting the 10 - team tournament which was first played in 1996 . West Germany / Germany frequently participated since 1977 , and West Germany became Germany in 1990 after the reunification in which East Germany merged with West Germany forming Germany . Before the format change in 1996 , Austria , Japan , Norway , Poland and Switzerland made brief appearances . After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 , the Soviet Union was known as the CIS . Former Soviet states Belarus , Kazakhstan , Latvia , and Ukraine made several appearances since 1995 . France and Denmark have so far made one appearance at the World Junior Hockey Championships . Tournament Awards . At the conclusion of each tournament , the Directorate of the IIHF presents awards to the Top Goalie , Forward and Defenceman of the tournament . The media attending the event select an All - Star team separately from this .