Belarus men's national junior ice hockey team

The Belarusian men's national under-20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Belarus. The team represented Belarus at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship. Prior to independence in 1991, Belarusian players played for the Soviet Union, which played in the World Juniors from its inception in 1974. Belarus has played in the top division eight times, first in 1999 and most recently in 2018, with their best finish being ninth overall in both 2001 and 2002. The most recent tournament, the 2019 tournament, had Belarus finished second in Division I, the second tier, and twelfth overall.

Belarus
Shirt badge/Association crest
The coat of Arms of Belarus is the badge used on the players jerseys
AssociationBelarus Ice Hockey Federation
Head coachBelarus Pavel Perepekhin
AssistantsBelarus Andrei Kudin
Belarus Andrei Zalivako
CaptainArtur Gavrus
Most pointsAndrei Kostitsyn (21)
IIHF codeBLR
First international
 Kazakhstan 4 - 0 Belarus 
(Minsk, Belarus; November 10, 1992)
Biggest win
 Belarus 19 - 0 Lithuania 
(Minsk, Belarus; November 12, 1992)
Biggest defeat
 Russia 12 - 1 Belarus 
(Podolsk, Russia; December 27, 2000)
IIHF World U20 Championship
Appearances28 (first in 1993)
Best result9th (2001, 2002)
International record (W–L–T)
50–47–6

Due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Ice Hockey Federation banned all Belarusian national and club teams from its events indefinitely, and Hockey Canada banned Belarus’s “participation in events held in Canada that do not fall under the IIHF’s jurisdiction.”[1][2][3]

History

Belarus became an independent nation in 1991, and the team made their first appearance at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 1998, when Belarus won Pool B (now Division I). The U20 team played at the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Winnipeg, but the Belarusians never won a game. Belarus finished 10th and were relegated to Pool B for 2000. The team returned to the top level by defeating Germany in the final. The Belarusians avoided relegation by winning and tying a game against the Kazakhs.

Belarus competed in the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Championships, until finally being relegated under the new IIHF format. Belarus returned to the top division in 2005, but were relegated again. Belarus has mainly been in the second-tier Division I level since then, though have been promoted to the top division on occasion, most recently in 2018.

World Junior Championship record
Year Rank
1974–1992As part of  Soviet Union
Belarus 19933rd in Minsk Group (Pool C)
Slovakia 199426th (Pool C)
Spain 199520th (Pool C1)
Slovenia 199622nd (Pool C)
Romania 19971st, Promoted to Pool B
Poland 19981st, Promoted to Top Division
Canada 199910th place (Relegated to Pool B)
Belarus 20001st, Promoted to Top Division
Russia 20019th place
Czech Republic 20029th place
Canada 200310th place (Relegated to Division I)
France 20041st, Promoted to Top Division
United States 200510th place (Relegated to Division I)
Belarus 20061st, Promoted to Top Division
Sweden 200713th place (Relegated to Division I)
Latvia 200813th place (Division I)
Switzerland 200913th place (Division I)
Poland 201014th place (Division I)
Belarus 201113th place (Division I)
Germany 201212th place (Division I)
France 201312th place (Division I)
Poland 201413th place (Division I)
Italy 20151st, Promoted to Top Division
Finland 201610th place (Relegated to Division I)
Germany 20171st, Promoted to Top Division
United States 201810th place (Relegated to Division I)
Germany 201912th place (Division I)
Belarus 202013th place (Division I)
Denmark 2021Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Denmark 20221st, Promoted to Top Division (expelled)
Canada 2023

References
  1. "IIHF suspends Russia and Belarus from international play amid Ukraine invasion - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca.
  2. "Ice Hockey Federation bans Russia and Belarus from all competition, strips Russia of 2023 World Juniors". infobae.
  3. "Russia, Belarus Suspended From International Soccer, Hockey Over Ukraine Attacks". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
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