The tournament has seen teams from Canada, the United States, Russia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Belarus, Denmark, Slovakia, Germany, and Latvia. Canada is represented by two regional squads; Canada West consists of players from the British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Superior International Junior Hockey Leagues, while Canada East features players from the Northern Ontario, Ontario, Central, Quebec, and Maritime Junior Hockey Leagues. American players are chosen from the United States Hockey League. Canada West captured the first two gold medals in tournament history, while the United States won the next three. Also, Russia, who has been with the tournament since the beginning, generally sends their Under-18 Team in place of a general select squad.[1][2][3]
History
Canada West's Justin Gvora with the first ever awarded WJAC Championship Trophy and Medallion (2006)
The inaugural 2006 tournament was hosted in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and featured six teams – Canada West, Canada East, Russia, Slovakia, Germany and Belarus. Both Canadian teams met in the final with Canada West defeating Slovakia 7-1 and Canada East defeating Russia 5-1 in their respective semifinals. Led by Kyle Turris, Canada West ran up a 4-0 tally against Canada East early in the game and held on for a 4-3 victory to win the first-ever WJAC championship.
The 2007 tournament was held in Trail, British Columbia. The United States joined the tournament for the first time, replacing Slovakia.[4] For the second straight year, Canada West defeated the East in the final.
Beginning in 2008, the United States began a string of dominance at the tournament. They defeated Canada West in the 2008 (Camrose, Alberta) and 2009 (Summerside, Prince Edward Island) finals before winning their third consecutive title against Canada East in 2010 (Penticton, British Columbia). The 2009 tournament featured newcomers Sweden, who sent a team in place of Germany. That year also marked the first time in tournament history that Canada East failed to medal. At the 2010 WJAC, Switzerland competed in place of Belarus.
The 2013 tournament was won by the United States, 4-1, over Russia. This instance marked the first time in tournament history that both Canada East and Canada West were shut out of the gold medal game.
In 2014, the tournament started being played in December as opposed to it usually taking place in early November. The 2014 tournament marked the first time in tournament history that neither Canadian team earned a medal, with Canada East losing the bronze to Russia.
In 2025, the tournament will be hosted in Trois-Rivières, the first time in the province of Quebec.[5]
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United States 
