World Juniors teams, rosters, format and more to know about 2023 IIHF World U20 Championship

The World Juniors return to their normal start time around the holidays, as the 2023 IIHF U20 World Championship gets underway on Dec. 26. 

The 10-team tournament has been a mainstay in international competition. The tournament has been played every year since 1977, even as the IIHF and the junior teams had to navigate through COVID-19. 

It's a chance for the best teenagers and young prospects in the world to showcase their skills on the international level, as well as have the opportunity to leave the tournament with a medal around their necks.

A good portion of the players that are in attendance for the games have already been drafted, however, there are others looking to drive up their draft stock as the 2023 NHL Draft looms ahead this upcoming summer. 

MORE: Every NHL draft pick at the 2023 World Juniors

Here's the rest of the information you need to know about the 2023 World Junior hockey tournament.

Which teams compete in the World Junior Championships?

Each year, 10 teams compete in the top World Juniors tournament. 

The current format has been in place since 1996, consisting of the top 10 teams in the world. Since the tournament got its official start in 1977, Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Finland and the United States have participated in every tournament. Slovakia has competed in every tournament since the 10-team format was introduced in 1996, following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

The tournament, which is considered to be the top pool, typically has one team that will be relegated to Division I, and the winner of Division I will be promoted to the top tournament for next year. 

Numerous other countries have participated in the top pool including Switzerland, Latvia, Germany, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Austria, Denmark, France, Poland, Japan, Norway and Ukraine.

What teams are competing at the 2022 World Juniors?

Russia is still serving its indefinite ban after the IIHF instituted a suspension on all Russian and Belarusian national teams from competing in IIHF play after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

MORE: Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli top 2023 draft prospects at World Juniors

Latvia replaced Russia in 2022 and is back again in 2023. The same 10 countries from August are competing again in December at the 2023 tournament, as the IIHF previously stated no teams would be relegated/promoted from the results of the 2022 event. 

What is the format of the 2023 World Juniors?

Teams will play four preliminary games in a round-robin format within their group, followed by a three-round playoff.

In the group stage, teams earn three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, one point for an overtime loss and no points for a regulation loss.

The top four teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, where the matchups are determined by seeding. They will cross over between groups for these games: 1A vs. 4B, 1B vs. 4A, 2A vs. 3B and 2B vs. 3A. The teams that advance to the semifinals will be reseeded. 

The winners of the semifinals will face off in the gold medal game. The losers will play for bronze. 

Who has won the World Juniors in the past?

* - IIHF began officially sponsoring World Junior Championship in 1977

Who will be representing each team at the World Juniors?

In order to be able to participate in the World Juniors, a player's 20th birthday must take place by the end of the tournament's year. With these requirements in place, the field of players is mostly between the ages of 17 and 20 years old.

In total, each country's roster is made up of 25 players. Most will have 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders. They can dress 23 players per game, meaning there will be two healthy scratches for each team in every contest. 

2023 World Juniors odds

According to Sports Interaction, the 2023 tournament is a four-horse race. 

Canada, Finland, the United States and Sweden are the clear frontrunners to win this year's tournament, with the Canadians holding the best odds at -125. 

MORE: Who will win the 2023 World Juniors?

Here are the odds entering the 2023 tournament.

What country has won the most medals?

Canada enters the 2023 tournament with the most gold medals of all time. The 2022 win marked the 19th gold medal for the country. 

But Russia, which is not participating in the 2023 World Juniors, owns the most total medals with 37. It has won the most silver and bronze medals out of any country. 

The United States is tied for the third-most gold medals with Finland and owns the sixth-most total medals. 

* Includes medals won as the Soviet Union and CIS
+ Includes medals won as Czechoslovakia

2023 World Juniors schedule

Monday, Dec. 26

Tuesday, Dec. 27

Wednesday, Dec. 28

Thursday, Dec. 29

Friday, Dec. 30

Saturday, Dec. 31

Monday, Jan. 2

Wednesday, Jan. 4

Thursday, Jan. 5