The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), based in Zurich, Switzerland, is responsible for governing ice hockey worldwide. With 83 member countries, the IIHF organizes international tournaments, including the World Championships and Olympic competitions. It maintains a world ranking system and has its own Hall of Fame, established in 1997. According to IIHF's official website, the IIHF’s role extends to managing sponsorships, advertising, and merchandising related to its events. It is also involved in the development of young players, coaches, and game officials.
The IIHF operates through its General Congress and Council, with the President overseeing external matters and ensuring the federation's decisions align with its statutes. The federation is also responsible for player transfers, organizing European club competitions, and collaborating with local committees for its events. It used to manage inline hockey until 2019 when it stopped organizing those events.
Related : IIHF World Junior Championship Tournament Awards
List of IIHF World Junior Championship Directorate award winners
According to Sporting News, the IIHF World Junior Championship Directorate Awards recognize the best players at their positions in each tournament. Since 1977, three awards—Best Forward, Best Defenseman, and Best Goalie—have been given out at the end of the event.
These honors, chosen by the IIHF Directorate, highlight standout performances. Notably, Viacheslav Fetisov (Best Defenseman, 1977-78) and Vladimir Krutov (Best Forward, 1979-80), both from the Soviet Union, are the only players to win multiple times.
| Year | Best Goaltender | Best Defenceman | Best Forward | |||
| 1977 | Jan Hrabák | Czechoslovakia | Viacheslav Fetisov | Soviet Union | Dale McCourt | Canada |
| 1978 | Alexander Tyznych | Soviet Union | Viacheslav Fetisov | Soviet Union | Wayne Gretzky | Canada |
| 1979 | Pelle Lindbergh | Sweden | Alexei Kasatonov | Soviet Union | Vladimir Krutov | Soviet Union |
| 1980 | Jari Paavola | Finland | Reijo Ruotsalainen | Finland | Vladimir Krutov | Soviet Union |
| 1981 | Lars Eriksson | Sweden | Miloslav Horava | Czechoslovakia | Patrik Sundström | Sweden |
| 1982 | Mike Moffat | Canada | Gord Kluzak | Canada | Petri Skriko | Finland |
| 1983 | Dominik Hašek | Czechoslovakia | Ilya Byakin | Soviet Union | Tomas Sandström | Sweden |
| 1984 | Alan Perry | United States | Alexei Gusarov | Soviet Union | Raimo Helminen | Finland |
| 1985 | Craig Billington | Canada | Vesa Salo | Finland | Michal Pivonka | Czechoslovakia |
| 1986 | Evgeny Belosheikin | Soviet Union | Mikhail Tatarinov | Soviet Union | Jim Sandlak | Canada |
| 1987 | Markus Ketterer | Finland | Calle Johansson | Sweden | Robert Kron | Czechoslovakia |
| 1988 | Jimmy Waite | Canada | Teppo Numminen | Finland | Alexander Mogilny | Soviet Union |
| 1989 | Alexei Ivashkin | Soviet Union | Ricard Persson | Sweden | Pavel Bure | Soviet Union |
| 1990 | Stéphane Fiset | Canada | Alexander Godynyuk | Soviet Union | Robert Reichel | Czechoslovakia |
| 1991 | Pauli Jaks | Switzerland | Jiří Šlégr | Czechoslovakia | Eric Lindros | Canada |
| 1992 | Mike Dunham | United States | Darius Kasparaitis | CIS | Michael Nylander | Sweden |
| 1993 | Manny Legacé | Canada | Janne Grönvall | Finland | Peter Forsberg | Sweden |
| 1994 | Jamie Storr | Canada | Kenny Jönsson | Sweden | Niklas Sundström | Sweden |
| 1995 | Yevgeni Tarasov | Russia | Bryan McCabe | Canada | Marty Murray | Canada |
| 1996 | José Théodore | Canada | Mattias Öhlund | Sweden | Jarome Iginla | Canada |
| 1997 | Marc Denis | Canada | Joe Corvo | United States | Alexei Morozov | Russia |
| 1998 | David Aebischer | Switzerland | Pavel Skrbek | Czech Republic | Olli Jokinen | Finland |
| 1999 | Roberto Luongo | Canada | Vitali Vishnevsky | Russia | Maxim Afinogenov | Russia |
| 2000 | Rick DiPietro | United States | Alex Riazantsev | Russia | Milan Kraft | Czech Republic |
| 2001 | Tomáš Duba | Czech Republic | Rostislav Klesla | Czech Republic | Pavel Brendl | Czech Republic |
| 2002 | Kari Lehtonen | Finland | Igor Knyazev | Russia | Mike Cammalleri | Canada |
| 2003 | Marc-André Fleury | Canada | Joni Pitkänen | Finland | Igor Grigorenko | Russia |
| 2004 | Al Montoya | United States | Sami Lepistö | Finland | Zach Parise | United States |
| 2005 | Marek Schwarz | Czech Republic | Dion Phaneuf | Canada | Alexander Ovechkin | Russia |
| 2006 | Tuukka Rask | Finland | Marc Staal | Canada | Evgeni Malkin | Russia |
| 2007 | Carey Price | Canada | Erik Johnson | United States | Alexei Cherepanov | Russia |
| 2008 | Steve Mason | Canada | Drew Doughty | Canada | Viktor Tikhonov | Russia |
| 2009 | Jacob Markström | Sweden | Erik Karlsson | Sweden | John Tavares | Canada |
| 2010 | Benjamin Conz | Switzerland | Alex Pietrangelo | Canada | Jordan Eberle | Canada |
| 2011 | Jack Campbell | United States | Ryan Ellis | Canada | Brayden Schenn | Canada |
| 2012 | Petr Mrázek | Czech Republic | Brandon Gormley | Canada | Yevgeni Kuznetsov | Russia |
| 2013 | John Gibson | United States | Jacob Trouba | United States | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Canada |
| 2014 | Oscar Dansk | Sweden | Rasmus Ristolainen | Finland | Filip Forsberg | Sweden |
| 2015 | Denis Godla | Slovakia | Vladislav Gavrikov | Russia | Max Domi | Canada |
| 2016 | Linus Söderström | Sweden | Zach Werenski | United States | Jesse Puljujärvi | Finland |
| 2017 | Felix Sandström | Sweden | Thomas Chabot | Canada | Kirill Kaprizov | Russia |
| 2018 | Filip Gustavsson | Sweden | Rasmus Dahlin | Sweden | Casey Mittelstadt | United States |
| 2019 | Pyotr Kochetkov | Russia | Alexander Romanov | Russia | Ryan Poehling | United States |
| 2020 | Joel Hofer | Canada | Rasmus Sandin | Sweden | Alexis Lafrenière | Canada |
| 2021 | Devon Levi | Canada | Topi Niemelä | Finland | Tim Stützle | Germany |
| 2022 | Jesper Wallstedt | Sweden | Kasper Puutio | Finland | Mason McTavish | Canada |
| 2023 | Adam Gajan | Slovakia | David Jiříček | Czech Republic | Connor Bedard | Canada |
| 2024 | Hugo Hävelid | Sweden | Axel Sandin Pellikka | Sweden | Cutter Gauthier | United States |
Related: List of IIHF World Junior Championship Media All-Star Teams
FAQs on IIHF World Junior Championship
A. The IIHF was formed on May 15, 1908, 116 years ago.
A. The tournament will be held in Ottawa, Canada.
A. The Canadian Tire Centre and TD Place will host the games.
A. The championship will take place from December 26, 2024, to January 5, 2025.
A. 10 teams will participate in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.
