Each year at the World Juniors, 10 teams are battling it out in the hopes of heading home with a medal around their necks. For some players, that's not all they get to take home.
The Directorate of the IIHF hands out three awards at the conclusion of every tournament — Best Forward, Best Defenseman and Best Goalie. These go to the players deemed to have performed the best at their position out of everyone at the tournament.
While there is the MVP of the tournament that also gets handed out, these honors have been around since the official beginnings of the IIHF event, and are up for grabs for any player participating at the games.
Here is a look at all the past winners of the awards.
What are the IIHF World Junior Championship Directorate awards?
At the conclusion of each tournament, the IIHF hands out three awards — Best Forward, Best Defenseman and Best Goalie.
The Directorate of the IIHF selects the winners of the three honors. They have been handed out every year since the IIHF took over the tournament in 1977.
Any player from any team is up for the award, no matter where the country finishes in the tournament.
Who has won Best Forward, Best Defenseman and Best Goalie at the World Juniors?
The honors have been handed out every year since 1977, but there are only two players ever to win honors multiple times.
Viacheslav Fetisov earned the award for Best Defenseman in both 1977 and 1978 playing for the Soviet Union. Vladimir Krutov followed that by earning the award for Best Forward in 1979 and 1980, also playing for the Soviet Union.
Here is the list of every winner of all three honors.
| Year | Best Forward | Best Defenseman | Best Goalie |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Tim Stutzle (Germany) | Topi Niemala (Finland) | Devon Levi (Canada) |
| 2020 | Alexis Lafreniere (Canada) | Rasmus Sandin (Sweden) | Joel Hofer (Canada) |
| 2019 | Ryan Poehling (USA) | Alexander Romanov (Russia) | Pyotr Kochetkov (Russia) |
| 2018 | Casey Mittelstadt (USA) | Rasmus Dahlin (Sweden) | Filip Gustavsson (Sweden) |
| 2017 | Kirill Kaprizov (Russia) | Thomas Chabot (Canada) | Felix Sandstrom (Sweden) |
| 2016 | Jesse Puljujarvi (Finland) | Zach Werenski (USA) | Linus Soderstrom (Sweden) |
| 2015 | Max Domi (Canada) | Vladislav Gavrikov (Russia) | Denis Godla (Slovakia) |
| 2014 | Filip Forsberg (Sweden) | Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland) | Oscar Dansk (Sweden) |
| 2013 | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Canada) | Jacob Trouba (USA) | John Gibson (USA) |
| 2012 | Evgeni Kuznetsov (Russia) | Brandon Gormley (Canada) | Petr Mrazek (Czech Republic) |
| 2011 | Brayden Schenn (Canada) | Ryan Ellis (Canada) | Jack Campbell (USA) |
| 2010 | Jordan Eberle (Canada) | Alex Pietrangelo (Canada) | Benjamin Conz (Switzerland) |
| 2009 | John Tavares (Canada) | Erik Karlsson (Sweden) | Jacob Markstrom (Sweden) |
| 2008 | Viktor Tikhonov (Russia) | Drew Doughty (Canada) | Steve Mason (Canada) |
| 2007 | Alexei Cherepanov (Russia) | Erik Johnson (USA) | Carey Price (Canada) |
| 2006 | Evgeni Malkin (Russia) | Marc Staal (Canada) | Tuukka Rask (Finland) |
| 2005 | Alex Ovechkin (Russia) | Dion Phaneuf (Canada) | Marek Schwarz (Czech Republic) |
| 2004 | Zach Parise (USA) | Sami Lepisto (Finland) | Al Montoya (USA) |
| 2003 | Igor Grigorenko (Russia) | Joni Pitkanen (Finland) | Marc-Andre Fleury (Canada) |
| 2002 | Mike Cammalleri (Canada) | Igor Knyazev (Russia) | Kari Lehtonen (Finland) |
| 2001 | Pavel Brendl (Czech Republic) | Rostislav Klesla (Czech Republic) | Tomas Duba (Czech Republic) |
| 2000 | Milan Kraft (Czech Republic) | Alex Riazantsev (Russia) | Rick DiPietro (USA) |
| 1999 | Maxim Afinogenov (Russia) | Vitali Vishnevskiy (Russia) | Roberto Luongo (Canada) |
| 1998 | Olli Jokinen (Finland) | Pavel Skrbek (Czech Republic) | David Aebischer (Switzerland) |
| 1997 | Alexei Morozov (Russia) | Joe Corvo (USA) | Marc Denis (Canada) |
| 1996 | Jarome Iginla (Canada) | Mattias Ohlund (Sweden) | Jose Theodore (Canada) |
| 1995 | Marty Murray (Canada) | Bryan McCabe (Canada) | Yevgeni Tarasov (Russia) |
| 1994 | Niklas Sundstrom (Sweden) | Kenny Jonsson (Sweden) | Jamie Storr (Canada) |
| 1993 | Peter Forsberg (Sweden) | Janne Gronvall (Finland) | Manny Legace (Canada) |
| 1992 | Michael Nylander (Sweden) | Darius Kasparaitis (CIS) | Mike Dunham (USA) |
| 1991 | Eric Lindros (Canada) | Jiri Slegr (Czechoslovakia) | Pauli Jaks (Switzerland) |
| 1990 | Robert Reichel (Czechoslovakia) | Alexander Godynyuk (Soviet Union) | Stephane Fiset (Canada) |
| 1989 | Pavel Bure (Soviet Union) | Ricard Persson (Sweden) | Alexei Ivashkin (Soviet Union) |
| 1988 | Alexander Mogilny (Soviet Union) | Teppo Numminen (Finland) | Jimmy Waite (Canada) |
| 1987 | Robert Kron (Czechoslovakia) | Calle Johansson (Sweden) | Markus Ketterer (Finland) |
| 1986 | Jim Sandlak (Canada) | Mikhail Tatarinov (Soviet Union) | Evgeny Belosheikin (Soviet Union) |
| 1985 | Michal Pivonka (Czechoslovakia) | Vesa Salo (Finland) | Craig Binnington (Canada) |
| 1984 | Raimo Helminen (Finland) | Alexei Gusarov (Soviet Union) | Alan Perry (USA) |
| 1983 | Tomas Sandstrom (Sweden) | Ilya Byakin (Soviet Union) | Dominik Hasek (Czechoslovakia) |
| 1982 | Petri Skriko (Finland) | Gord Kluzak (Canada) | Mike Moffat (Canada) |
| 1981 | Patrik Sundstrom (Sweden) | Miloslav Horava (Czechoslovakia) | Lars Eriksson (Sweden) |
| 1980 | Vladimir Krutov (Soviet Union) | Reijo Ruotsalainen (Finland) | Jari Paavola (Finland) |
| 1979 | Vladimir Krutov (Soviet Union) | Alexei Kasatonov (Soviet Union) | Pelle Lindbergh (Sweden) |
| 1978 | Wayne Gretzky (Canada) | Viacheslav Fetisov (Soviet Union) | Alexander Tyznych (Soviet Union) |
| 1977 | Dale McCourt (Canada) | Viacheslav Fetisov (Soviet Union) | Jan Hrabak (Czechoslovakia) |
When do the 2022 World Juniors start?
- Start date: Tuesday, Aug. 9
- End date: Saturday, Aug. 20
After the tournament was canceled in December 2021, the IIHF is trying again for the 2022 edition in August. It will start on Aug. 9 and run for 12 days until Aug. 20.
The group stage starts on Aug. 9 and will take place over the first seven days of the competition. The quarterfinals will all be on Aug. 17, the semifinals on Aug. 19 and the tournament will conclude with the bronze and gold medal games on Aug. 20.
How to watch World Juniors hockey games on TV, live stream
- TV channel (Canada): TSN
- Live stream (Canada): TSN.ca, TSN app
- TV channel (U.S.): NHL Network
- Live stream (U.S.): fuboTV
TSN and the NHL Network will once again be home to all the action for the 2022 World Juniors.
The American audience can view the games live on TV on the NHL Network, or can stream it though fuboTV.
Canadian viewers can watch the competition on TSN, or can stream the games through TSN.ca or in the TSN app.
