World Junior A Challenge

The World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) is an annual under-20 international ice hockey tournament sponsored by Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The tournament showcases Junior A level players and is modeled after the IIHF World U20 Championships, which displays the best of all junior-aged hockey players. It has been hosted by Canadian cities every year in CJAHL markets.
The tournament features six teams per year and has seen teams from Canada, the United States, Russia, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland and Belarus. Canada is represented by two regional squads; Canada West consists of players from the British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Superior International Junior Hockey Leagues, while Canada East features players from the Northern Ontario, Ontario, Central, Quebec, and Maritime Junior Hockey Leagues. American players are chosen from the United States Hockey League. Canada West captured the first two gold medals in tournament history, while the United States won the next three. Also, Russia, who has been with the tournament since the beginning, generally sends their Under-18 Team in place of a general select squad.
==History==
The tournament was created in 2006 through a proposal by the Canadian Junior A Hockey League (CJHL prior to 2008) to Hockey Canada. The idea behind the tournament was to showcase players from Canadian Junior "A" to Canadian Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and National Hockey League scouts, while also exposing them to an international level and style of play.
The inaugural 2006 tournament was hosted in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and featured six teams – Canada West, Canada East, Russia, Slovakia, Germany and Belarus. Both Canadian teams met in the final with Canada West defeating Slovakia 7-1 and Canada East defeating Russia 5-1 in their respective semifinals. Led by Kyle Turris, Canada West ran up a 4-0 tally against Canada East early in the game and held on for a 4-3 victory to win the first-ever WJAC championship.
The 2007 tournament was held in Trail, British Columbia. The United States joined the tournament for the first time, replacing Slovakia. For the second straight year, Canada West defeated the East in the final.
Beginning in 2008, the United States began a string of dominance at the tournament. They defeated Canada West in the 2008 (Camrose, Alberta) and 2009 (Summerside, Prince Edward Island) finals before winning their third consecutive title against Canada East in 2010 (Penticton, British Columbia). The 2009 tournament featured newcomers Sweden, who sent a team in place of Germany. That year also marked the first time in tournament history that Canada East failed to medal. At the 2010 WJAC, Switzerland competed in place of Belarus.
The 2013 tournament was won by the United States, 4-1, over Russia. This instance marked the first time in tournament history that both Canada East and Canada West were shut out of the gold medal game.
In 2014, the tournament was played in late December as opposed to it usually taking place in early November.
==Champions==
Year	 	 	 	MVP 	Host City
2006	Canada West 	Canada East 	Russia 	Kyle Turris 	Yorkton, Saskatchewa] Home/NewsHome/News
2007	Canada West 	Canada East 	United States 	Mike Connolly 	Trail, British Columbia Home/NewsHome/News
2008	United States 	Canada West 	Canada East 	Mike Cichy 	Camrose, Alberta SIJHL.com - 2008 WJAC in CAMROSE, AB
2009	United States 	Canada West 	Russia 	Sean Bonar 	Summerside, Prince Edward Island http://www.ojhl.pointstreaksites.com/view/ojhl/news-21/news_2662
2010	United States 	Canada East 	Switzerland 	Scott Mayfield 	Penticton, British Columbiahttp://www.mjhlhockey.ca/news_item.aspx?news_id=1802
2011	Canada West 	Canada East 	United States 	Devin Shore 	Langley, British Columbiahttp://www.thevanguard.ca/Sports/Hockey/2011-05-30/article-2545532/Yarmouth-picked-2012-host-for-world-challenge/1
2012	United States 	Canada West 	Switzerland 	Vince Hinostroza 	Yarmouth, Nova Scotiahttp://www.thevanguard.ca/Sports/Hockey/2011-05-30/article-2545532/Yarmouth-picked-2012-host-for-world-challenge/1
2013	 	 	Canada West 	Nick Schmaltz 	Yarmouth, Nova Scotiahttp://thejuniorhockeynews.com/?p=10112
2014	 	 	 	Nikolaj Ehlers 	Kindersley, Saskatchewan
2015	Canada West 	 	 	Tyson Jost 	Cobourg & Whitby, Ontario
2016	 	Canada East 	 	Andrei Svechnikov 	Bonnyville, Alberta
2017	Canada West 	 	 	Zach Rose 	Truro, Nova Scotia
2018	 	Russia 	Canada West 	Bobby Brink 	Bonnyville, Alberta
2019	Russia 	Canada East 	 	Devon Levi 	Dawson Creek, British Columbia
2020	Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.	Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.	Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.	Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.	Cornwall, Ontario
2021	Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.	Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.	Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.	Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.	Cornwall, Ontario
2022	 	Canada East 	 	Cole Knuble 	Cornwall, Ontario
2023	Canada West 	Canada East 	 	 	Truro, Nova Scotia
==All-time team records==
 	
{| cellpadding="1" width="400px" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid gray;"	 	 	
All-time team records	All-time team records	All-time team records	All-time team records	All-time team records
Rank 	Team 	GP 	W-L-OTL 	Medals
1 	United States 	46 	34-5-1 	8 G, 0 S, 3 B
2 	Canada West 	50 	27-14-3 	5 G, 3 S, 2 B
3 	Russia 	49 	22-19-2 	0 G, 3 S, 4 B
4 	Canada East 	48 	20-20-4 	0 G, 5 S, 1 B
5 	Switzerland 	22 	9-12-1 	0 G, 0 S, 2 B
6 	Czech Republic 	23 	4-12-1 	0 G, 0 S, 0 B
- 	Belarus 	17 	4-12-1 	0 G, 0 S, 0 B
8 	Sweden 	12 	3-7-2 	0 G, 0 S, 0 B
9 	Denmark 	4 	3-0-1 	0 G, 1 S, 0 B
10 	Slovakia 	5 	2-2-1 	0 G, 0 S, 0 B
11 	Germany 	12 	2-10-0 	0 G, 0 S, 0 B
==See also==
*International Ice Hockey Federation
*Hockey Canada
*World U-17 Hockey Challenge
*IIHF World U18 Championship
*IIHF World U20 Championship
==References==
==External links==
*World Junior A Challenge
Category:Tournaments