After a surprising pivot at the 2026 IIHF Congress in May, where the International Ice Hockey Federation announced that the blanket ban on Russia and Belarus’ participation on international hockey would be lifted in place of a case-by-case tournament review, the IIHF today confirmed each nation’s eligibility for IIHF tournaments for the 2026-27 season.
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Category Archives: World Junior Championship
๐จ๐ญ Reto Berra Announces Retirement From National Team At 39
Swiss goaltender Reto Berra, a consistent backstop for the Eisgenossen for over two decades, today confirmed his retirement from the Swiss national team, announcing he would continue his pro career, at age 39, with HC Fribourg-Gottรฉron of the Swiss National League.
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๐บ๐ธ ๐ธ๐ช IHLC Classics: Grimaldi, Gibson Prove No Miracles Needed
From time to time, TheIHLC.com will feature detailed recaps and boxscores of some of the most legendary games in international hockey history, considered to be “IHLC Classics.” Today, in honour of American Independence Day, we revisit Team USA’s third ever World Junior title, where Rocco Grimaldi and John Gibson carried the Americans to a dominant title win over Sweden in Ufa, Russia.
๐บ๐ธ United Statesย 3-1 Sweden ๐ธ๐ช
World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game
Ufa Arena, Ufa ๐ท๐บ
Saturday, 05 January 2013
On the strength of two Rocco Grimaldi goals, the United States became World Junior champions by defeating Sweden 3-1 at Ufa Arena on Saturday.
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๐จ๐ฆ ๐ท๐บ IHLC Classics: Canada Runs The Table For Gold #11
From time to time, TheIHLC.com will feature detailed recaps and boxscores of some of the most legendary games in international hockey history, considered to be “IHLC Classics.” Today, in honour of Canada Day, we look back at Canada’s perfect run to Gold in 2005, shutting out Russia 5-0 in the final to capture the World Junior title in Vancouver.
๐จ๐ฆย Canadaย 5-0ย Russia ๐ท๐บ
World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game
General Motors Place,ย Vancouver ๐จ๐ฆ
Thursday, 05 January 2006
For the second straight year, Canada is on top of the junior hockey world.
In a 5-0 victory over Russia at Vancouverโs GM Place on 05 January, the Canadians succeeded in neutralizing super sniper Yevgeni Malkin and fulfilling Head Coach Brent Sutterโs defence-first plan to perfection.
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๐จ๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ธ Hockey Hall Of Fame Announces Class Of 2026
The Hockey Hall Of Fame today announced their Class of 2026 to be inducted on 09 November, with first-ballot nominees Patrice Bergeron and Carey Price joining Pekka Rinne, Keith Tkachuk, Cindy Curley and Brian Burke, who will all enter the ranks of the Hall in Toronto.
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๐จ๐ฆ Jonathan Toews Formally Announces Retirement From Hockey
Canadian centre Jonathan Toews, one of the top forwards of his generation, a three-time Stanley Cup, two-time Olympic and one-time World Champion, today confirmed his retirement from hockey at the age of 38, following a single season return to his hometown Winnipeg Jets after his career was put on hold due to health issues.
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๐จ๐ฆ Kyle Calder: 1979-2026
Kyle Calder, the Canadian journeyman forward who saw his thirteen season pro career take him to the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Kazakhstan, along with capturing World Championship Gold and World Junior Championship Silver, sadly passed away today at the age of 47 after a brief illness.
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๐ธ๐ช ๐ท๐บ IHLC Classics: Juniorkronorna’s First World Junior Triumph
From time to time, TheIHLC.com will feature detailed recaps and boxscores of some of the most legendary games in international hockey history, considered to be “IHLC Classics.” Today, in honour of Swedish Sveriges nationaldag (National Day), we look back at Sweden’s first ever World Junior Championship title in 1981 – a feat that would then not be replicated again until over three decades later.
๐ธ๐ช Sweden 3-2 Soviet Union ๐ท๐บ
World Junior Championship Final Round
Curt-Frenzel-Stadion, Augsburg ๐ฉ๐ช
Friday, 02 January 1981
Sweden defeated the defending champion Soviet Union, 3-2, Friday to win the ice hockey World Junior Championships.
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2026 IIHF Congress Provides Updates On Russia, Belarus, Future Tournaments
The 2026 IIHF Congress concluded today in Zรผrich, Switzerland, with a number of major announcements made, the main one being the surprising reversal on the status of Russia and Belarus’ team participation following the original extension of their competition ban, which has been in place since 2022.
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๐จ๐ฆ Claude Lemieux: 1965-2026
Claude Lemieux, the pesky forward with a penchant for clutch performances, a multitude of trophies and medals, and one of a handful of players to win the Stanley Cup with three different clubs, sadly passed away today at the age of 60, just days after appearing in Montrรฉal during the Canadiens’ current playoff run.
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๐ท๐บ Sergei Shirokov Retires From Hockey At KHL Awards
Russian winger Sergei Shirokov, a mainstay of both the KHL and Russian national team, announced his retirement at the 2026 KHL Awards ceremony in Moscow during his acceptance speech for the Gimayev Prize, leaving the game after nearly two decades in pro hockey, capped with a Gagarin Cup, two World Championships and an Olympic Gold medal.
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๐จ๐ฟ Jakub Klepiลก Retires At 41 After Playoff Elimination
Czech journeyman forward Jakub Klepiลก, a veteran of nearly a quarter century across multiple clubs in Czechia, Russia, Sweden and the United States, confirmed his retirement from hockey at the age of 41, following Sparta Prague’s elimination from the 2026 Czech Extraliga playoffs.
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๐ธ๐ช Linus Omark Confirms Retirement Following Luleรฅ Elimination
Swedish winger Linus Omark, a mainstay on the Swedish national team for over a decade with a World Championship Gold, Swedish and Swiss League title to his name, confirmed his retirement from the game at the age of 39, following his club, Luleรฅ, being eliminated in the semifinals of the Swedish Hockey League playoffs.
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๐จ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฟ Edmonton, Calgary & Prague Named As 2028 World Cup Hosts
Making its return for the first time in twelve years, the NHL today announced the host cities for the World Cup of Hockey, with group play to be split between Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Prague, Czechia, with the semifinal and final to be hosted in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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๐ท๐บ ๐ง๐พ IIHF Continues Russia, Belarus Ban Into 2026-27 Season
Following an IIHF Council meeting, the International Ice Hockey Federation today confirmed that their ban on Russian and Belarusian teams, dating back to their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was extended through the 2026-27 hockey season.
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IHLC Results โ ๐ธ๐ช Sweden 4-2 Czechia ๐จ๐ฟ – 05 Jan 2026
๐ธ๐ช Sweden 4-2 Czechia ๐จ๐ฟ
World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game
Grand Casino Arena, Saint Paul ๐บ๐ธ
Monday, 05 January 2026
Sweden slowly and surely built a 3-0 lead by the early part of the third period and barely withstood a wild Czech rally in the dying minutes to win World Junior Championship Gold with a thrilling 4-2 win.
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๐ท๐บ Sergei Andronov Retires From Hockey At 36
Russian forward Sergei Andronov, a KHL veteran with two Gagarin Cups and an Olympic title under his belt, today confirmed his retirement from hockey at the age of 36 after his release from Salavat Yulaev Ufa this past August, following a fifteen-year pro career.
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IHLC Results โ ๐ธ๐ช Sweden 4-3 Finland ๐ซ๐ฎ (SO) – 04 Jan 2026
๐ธ๐ช Sweden 4-3 Finland ๐ซ๐ฎ (SO)
World Junior Championship Quarterfinal
Grand Casino Arena, Saint Paul ๐บ๐ธ
Sunday, 04 January 2026
Anton Frondell scored the shootout winner as Sweden beat Finland 4-3 in the early 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship semi-final.
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IHLC Results โ ๐ธ๐ช Sweden 6-3 Latvia ๐ฑ๐ป – 02 Jan 2026
๐ธ๐ช Sweden 6-3 Latvia ๐ฑ๐ป
World Junior Championship Quarterfinal
Grand Casino Arena, Saint Paul ๐บ๐ธ
Friday, 02 January 2026
It was business as usual. Undefeated Sweden employed a balanced attack to down Latvia 6-3 in the first quarter-final of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship on Friday.
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๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark Relegated From World Junior Championship
For the third straight year, Germany once again avoided relegation at the World Junior Championship, this time eliminating Denmark in an 8-4 victory to send the Lions back down to Division IA in 2027 in their relegation match-up in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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International Hockey Lineal Championship 