Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a closed, vulcanized, rubber disc called a "puck" into the other team's goal. Each goal is worth one point. The team which scores the most goals is declared the winner. In a formal game, each team has six skaters on the ice at a time, barring any penalties, one of whom is the goaltender. Ice hockey is a full contact sport, and is considered to be one of the more physically demanding team sports. It is distinct from field hockey, in which players move a ball around a non-frozen pitch using field hockey sticks.
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European Championships, the precursor to the World Championships, were first held in 1910. The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship. From 1920 to 1968, the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year.
Hockey Canada is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority of organized ice hockey in Canada. There are some notable exceptions, such as the Canadian Hockey League, U Sports, and Canada's professional hockey clubs; the former two are partnered with Hockey Canada but are not member organizations. Hockey Canada is based in Calgary, with a secondary office in Ottawa and regional centres in Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal.
The World U-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. Prior to 2011, the tournament did not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games were held. As such, the World Under-17 Challenge was held three out of every four years. It is organized by Hockey Canada and is the first major international competition for male hockey players under the age of 17. The tournament is the first step in Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence and is used to identify players moving on to the U18 and National Junior Team.
The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), sometimes referred to as World Juniors, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally held in late December, ending in early January. The tournament usually attracts the top hockey players in this age category.
The World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) is an annual under-20 international ice hockey tournament sponsored by Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The tournament showcases Junior A level players and is modeled after the IIHF World U20 Championships, which displays the best of all junior-aged hockey players. It has been hosted by Canadian cities every year in CJAHL markets.
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is an annual international under-18 ice hockey tournament administered by Hockey Canada, the Czech Ice Hockey Association, and the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation.
The IIHF Women's World U18 Championship, officially the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship, is an annual ice hockey tournament for national women's under-18 (U18) ice hockey teams, administered by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It is the junior edition of the IIHF Women's World Championship and participation is limited to female ice hockey players under 18 years of age.
The International Ice Hockey Federation is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 82 member countries.
The Czech Republic women's national under-18 ice hockey team is the national women's junior ice hockey team of the Czech Republic, which represents Czechia at the International Ice Hockey Federation's Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship and other international U18 competitions.
The Swedish women's national under-18 ice hockey team is the national women's junior ice hockey team of Sweden. The team represents Sweden at the International Ice Hockey Federation's Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship and other international ice hockey tournaments and events.
The IIHF Asian Oceanic U18 Championship was an annual event held by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) each at the start of every year for national under-18 ice hockey teams from Asia and Oceania. The Championships first held in 1984 and was played every year until 2002 where the competition ceased as teams were integrated into the World U18 Championships.
The IIHF European Junior Championships were an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation and held from 1968 to 1998, with an unofficial tournament being held in 1967. The tournament was played as a U19 tournament from 1968 to 1976. In 1977, the IIHF created the IIHF World Junior Championships, and the U19 championships became U18. The tournament was dominated by the Russians, Czechs, Swedes and Finns, winning all but two of the medals in the 31 years it was held.
Jessica Eve Campbell is a Canadian ice hockey coach for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the American Hockey League and former forward with the Canadian women's national team. She made her debut playing with the Canadian national team at the 2014 4 Nations Cup and won a silver medal with the team at the 2015 IIHF Women's World Championship.
Jared Seth Jones is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. After two seasons playing for the United States National Team Development Program, Jones joined the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Portland Winterhawks.
The Thailand men's national under-18 ice hockey team is the men's national under-18 ice hockey team of Thailand. The team is controlled by the Ice Hockey Association of Thailand, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The Chinese Taipei men's national under-18 ice hockey team is the men's national under-18 ice hockey team of the Republic of China. The team is controlled by the Chinese Taipei Ice Hockey Federation, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The 2016 IIHF Women's U18 World Championship was the ninth Women's U18 World Championship in ice hockey organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
2024 IIHF World U18 Championships 
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