U20 World Junior Championship WJC-20 1978-1979
World Juniors external links
World Juniors Team Rosters
1978-1979
1978-1979 Season
Soviet Union U20 finished first in the 1978-79 WJC-20 standings with 11 points. Czechoslovakia U20 (9 points) and Sweden U20 (8 points) followed.
1978-1979 WJC-20 Standings
| # | Team | GP | W | T | L | OTW | OTL | GF | GA | +/- | TP | PPG | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Soviet Union U20 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 46 | 11 | 35 | 11 | 1.83 | No playoffs held  |
| 2. |  Czechoslovakia U20 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 19 | 23 | -4 | 9 | 1.50 | No playoffs held |
| 3. |  Sweden U20 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 19 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 1.33 | No playoffs held |
| 4. |  Finland U20 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | - | - | 20 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 0.67 | No playoffs held |
| 5. |  Canada U20 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | - | - | 23 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 1.20 | Saved in relegation |
| 6. |  USA U20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | - | - | 21 | 23 | -2 | 4 | 0.80 | Saved in relegation |
| 7. |  West Germany U20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | - | - | 17 | 26 | -9 | 2 | 0.40 | Saved in relegation |
| 8. |  Norway U20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | - | 6 | 46 | -40 | 0 | 0.00 | Relegated |
1978-1979 WJC-20 Player Stats
| # | Player | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Vladimir Krutov (F) | 6 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 2 |
| 2. | Anatoli Tarasov (F) | 6 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| 3. | Vyacheslav Ryanov (F) | 6 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| 4. | Georg Holzmann (F) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 19 |
| 5. | Alexander Gerasimov (F) | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 24 |
1978-1979 WJC-20 Goalie Stats
| # | Player | GP | GAA | SVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dmitri Saprykin (G) | 1 | 0.00 | 1.000 |
| 2. | Vladimir Gerasimov (G) | 6 | 1.94 | .931 |
| 3. | Roland Melanson (G) | 2 | 1.50 | .929 |
| 4. | Tom Semenchuk (G) | 3 | 2.33 | .928 |
| 5. | Pelle Lindbergh (G) | 6 | 2.00 | .927 |
World Juniors Stories
Insights and analysis from EP Editorial team
1978-1979 WJC-20 Demographics
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World Juniors Games
| date | home | visiting | score |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sweden U20 |  Czechia U20 | 4 - 2 | |
 Canada U20 |  Finland U20 | 6 - 3 | |
| Canada U20 | Czechia U20 | 4 - 6 | |
| Sweden U20 | Finland U20 | 4 - 3 (SO) | |
| Canada U20 |  Slovakia U20 | 7 - 1 |
World Juniors Team Comparison (Averages)
| # | Team | Players | Experience | Height | Weight | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Canada U20 | 20 | 101 | 5'11" | 187 lbs | 19.55 |
| 2. | Czechoslovakia U20 | 20 | 187 | 6'0" | 190 lbs | 19.50 |
| 3. | Finland U20 | 20 | 182 | 5'11" | 181 lbs | 19.45 |
| 4. | Norway U20 | 20 | 96 | 5'11" | 185 lbs | 19.00 |
| 5. | Soviet Union U20 | 20 | 155 | 5'11" | 185 lbs | 19.55 |
| 6. | Sweden U20 | 20 | 190 | 5'10" | 176 lbs | 19.50 |
| 7. | USA U20 | 20 | 132 | 5'11" | 181 lbs | 19.25 |
| 8. | West Germany U20 | 20 | 133 | 5'11" | 176 lbs | 19.30 |
Where Are They Now?
Played in the league during season
| # | player | season | team | league | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Connor McDavid (F) | 2026-2027 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 9 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 2 |
| 2. |  Artur Gatiyatov (F) | 2026-2027 | Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk | Kazakhstan | 21 | 4 | 22 | 26 | 12 |
| 3. |  Danila Karaban (F) | 2026-2027 | Saryarka Karaganda | Kazakhstan | 22 | 17 | 8 | 25 | 2 |
| 4. | Yevgeni Rymarev (F) | 2026-2027 | HK Almaty | Kazakhstan | 19 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 2 |
| 5. | Dias Guseinov (F) | 2026-2027 | Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk | Kazakhstan | 22 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 6 |
| 6. |  William Bundgaard (F) | 2026-2027 | HV71 U20 | U20 Nationell | 14 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 12 |
| 7. | Andrei Buyalsky (F) | 2026-2027 | Polonia Bytom | PHL | 13 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 0 |
| 8. |  Arturs Kuzmenkovs (F) | 2026-2027 | Kraft | II-divisioona | 7 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 6 |
| 9. | Edgars Siksna (D) | 2026-2027 | Saryarka Karaganda | Kazakhstan | 22 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 4 |
| 10. | Roman Červenka (F) | 2026-2027 | HC Dynamo Pardubice | Extraliga | 11 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 4 |
Regular Season
World Juniors All-Time Points
| # | Player | GP | G | A | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Peter Forsberg (F) | 14 | 10 | 32 | 42 |
| 2. | Robert Reichel (F) | 21 | 18 | 22 | 40 |
| 3. | Pavel Bure (F) | 21 | 27 | 12 | 39 |
| 4. | Esa Tikkanen (F) | 21 | 17 | 19 | 36 |
| 5. | Alexander Mogilny (F) | 20 | 18 | 17 | 35 |
World Juniors All-Time Goals
| # | Player | GP | G | A | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Pavel Bure (F) | 21 | 27 | 12 | 39 |
| 2. | Vladimir Ruzicka (F) | 19 | 25 | 9 | 34 |
| 3. | Markus Näslund (F) | 14 | 21 | 13 | 34 |
| 4. | Robert Reichel (F) | 21 | 18 | 22 | 40 |
| 5. | Alexander Mogilny (F) | 20 | 18 | 17 | 35 |
World Juniors All-Time Assists
| # | Player | GP | G | A | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Peter Forsberg (F) | 14 | 10 | 32 | 42 |
| 2. | Robert Reichel (F) | 21 | 18 | 22 | 40 |
| 3. | Esa Keskinen (F) | 14 | 10 | 22 | 32 |
| 4. | Trevor Zegras (F) | 12 | 7 | 20 | 27 |
| 5. | Jordan Schroeder (F) | 19 | 7 | 20 | 27 |
World Juniors All-Time Penalty Min.
| # | Player | GP | G | TP | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Alexander Svitov (F) | 11 | 2 | 4 | 101 |
| 2. | Teemu Laakso (D) | 18 | 6 | 10 | 74 |
| 3. | Petr Čajánek (F) | 7 | 3 | 8 | 63 |
| 4. | Sven Felski (F) | 14 | 3 | 4 | 63 |
| 5. |  Thomas Nüssli (F) | 14 | 5 | 9 | 62 |
World Juniors All-Time Games Played
| # | Player | GP | G | A | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jochen Hecht (F) | 26 | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| 2. | Björn Christen (F) | 26 | 8 | 4 | 12 |
| 3. | Michael Frolík (F) | 25 | 12 | 4 | 16 |
| 4. | Michel Riesen (F) | 25 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
| 5. | Robert Sterflinger (D) | 25 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
World Juniors All-Time Points Per Game
| # | Player | GP | G | TP | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Peter Forsberg (F) | 14 | 10 | 42 | 3.00 |
| 2. | Wayne Gretzky (F) | 6 | 8 | 17 | 2.83 |
| 3. | Doug Weight (F) | 7 | 5 | 19 | 2.71 |
| 4. | Cody Hodgson (F) | 6 | 5 | 16 | 2.67 |
| 5. | Dale McCourt (F) | 7 | 10 | 18 | 2.57 |
World Juniors All-Time Points Per Season
| # | Player | Season | League | GP | G | A | TP | PPG | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Peter Forsberg (F) | 1992-1993 | WJC-20 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 4.43 | 8 |
| 2. | Markus Näslund (F) | 1992-1993 | WJC-20 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 3.43 | 33 |
| 3. | Raimo Helminen (F) | 1983-1984 | WJC-20 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 3.43 | 4 |
| 4. | Connor Bedard (F) | 2022-2023 | WJC-20 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 3.29 | 2 |
| 5. | Robert Reichel (F) | 1989-1990 | WJC-20 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 3.00 | 4 |
World Juniors All-Time Goals Per Season
| # | Player | Season | League | GP | G | A | TP | PPG | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Markus Näslund (F) | 1992-1993 | WJC-20 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 3.43 | 33 |
| 2. | Vladimir Ruzicka (F) | 1982-1983 | WJC-20 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 2.86 | 6 |
| 3. | Pavel Bure (F) | 1990-1991 | WJC-20 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 2.14 | 31 |
| 4. | Raimo Helminen (F) | 1983-1984 | WJC-20 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 3.43 | 4 |
| 5. | Robert Reichel (F) | 1989-1990 | WJC-20 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 3.00 | 4 |
World Juniors All-Time Assists Per Season
| # | Player | Season | League | GP | G | A | TP | PPG | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Peter Forsberg (F) | 1992-1993 | WJC-20 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 4.43 | 8 |
| 2. | Connor Bedard (F) | 2022-2023 | WJC-20 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 3.29 | 2 |
| 3. | Esa Keskinen (F) | 1984-1985 | WJC-20 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 2.86 | 2 |
| 4. | Doug Weight (F) | 1990-1991 | WJC-20 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 2.71 | 4 |
| 5. | Raimo Helminen (F) | 1983-1984 | WJC-20 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 3.43 | 4 |
World Juniors All-Time Penalty Min. Per Season
| # | Player | Season | League | GP | G | A | TP | PPG | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Petr Čajánek (F) | 1994-1995 | WJC-20 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 1.14 | 63 |
| 2. | David Stich (D) | 2008-2009 | WJC-20 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.17 | 58 |
| 3. | Alexander Svitov (F) | 2000-2001 | WJC-20 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.17 | 58 |
| 4. | David Wolf (F) | 2008-2009 | WJC-20 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.17 | 53 |
| 5. | Leon Draisaitl (F) | 2013-2014 | WJC-20 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1.00 | 52 |
Player Nationalities Throughout History
List of World Juniors Champions
World Juniors Awards
- U20 WJC All-Star Team
- U20 WJC Best Defenseman
- U20 WJC Best Face-Off Percentage
- U20 WJC Best Forward
- U20 WJC Best GAA
- U20 WJC Best Goaltender
- U20 WJC Best Plus/Minus
- U20 WJC Best SVS%
- U20 WJC Bronze Medal
- U20 WJC Gold Medal
- U20 WJC Most Assists
- U20 WJC Most Assists by Defenseman
- U20 WJC Most Goals
- U20 WJC Most Goals by Defenseman
- U20 WJC Most Penalized Player
- U20 WJC Most Points
- U20 WJC Most Points by Defenseman
- U20 WJC Most Valuable Player
- U20 WJC Silver Medal
- U20 WJC Top 3 Player on Team