The World Juniors provides up-and-coming NHL prospects an opportunity to shine on the international level. While there can be sensational individual performances from a number of players, only one can be crowned the tournament MVP.
At the 202w tournament, the honor went to Canada's Connor Bedard. The 17-year-old phenom earned MVP, Best Forward and All-Star honors after setting multiple Canadian World Juniors records. He finished the 2023 tournament first in goals, assists and points among all skaters.
His 23 points at a World Juniors are the fourth-most ever by a skater from any country and the most by a U18 player at the tournament. Bedard was a vital part in Canada winning its second consecutive gold medal at the event.
MORE: 2023 World Juniors schedule, standings, results
Here is the list of recipients that have had the honor of winning World Juniors MVP.
Who has won MVP at the World Juniors?
The MVP of the tournament has always gone to a member of one of the three teams that received medals, either gold, silver or bronze.
The award differs from the World Juniors Directorate awards, where there are three given —Best Forward, Best Defenseman and Best Goaltender.
It is possible to win both a Directorate award and the MVP, but that's not always the case. For example, in 2021, Zegras earned MVP honors, however, the Best Forward award was given to Tim Stutzle.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Connor Bedard (MVP) |
| 2022 | Mason McTavish (Canada) |
| 2021 | Trevor Zegras (USA) |
| 2020 | Alexis Lafreniere (Canada) |
| 2019 | Ryan Poehling (USA) |
| 2018 | Casey Mittelstadt (USA) |
| 2017 | Thomas Chabot (Canada) |
| 2016 | Jesse Puljujarvi (Finland) |
| 2015 | Denis Godla (Slovakia) |
| 2014 | Filip Forsberg (Sweden) |
| 2013 | John Gibson (USA) |
| 2012 | Evgeny Kuznetsov (Russia) |
| 2011 | Brayden Schenn (Canada) |
| 2010 | Jordan Eberle (Canada) |
| 2009 | John Tavares (Canada) |
| 2008 | Steve Mason (Canada) |
| 2007 | Carey Price (Canada) |
| 2006 | Evgeni Malkin (Russia) |
| 2005 | Patrice Bergeron (Canada) |
| 2004 | Zach Parise (USA) |
MORE: Top 10 NHL prospects at 2023 World Juniors
How to watch 2023 World Juniors 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 of the action for the 2023 World Juniors.
Canadian viewers can watch the competition on TSN or can stream the games through TSN.ca or on the TSN app.
The American audience can view the games live on TV on the NHL Network, or can stream them through fuboTV.
MORE: Watch the 2023 World Juniors live with fuboTV (free trial, U.S. only)
Where is the 2023 World Juniors?
- Location: Halifax N.S./Moncton, N.B.
- Venue: Scotiabank Centre/Avenir Centre
The World Juniors will once again be split between two host cities, as the tournament will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick.
The games in Halifax will be played at the Scotiabank Centre, the home of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. Any of the contests in Moncton will be played at the Avenir Centre, where the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats call home.
This will be the second time Halifax is a host city for the World Juniors. Previously, the 2003 World Juniors were split between Halifax and Sydney, N.S. Moncton has never hosted the World Juniors before.
The 2023 tournament was originally planned to be held in Russia, with Novosibirsk and Omsk as the two host cities. However, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, their rights were pulled by the IIHF.
