Since 2003 the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) have been publishing their world rankings for the senior men’s and women’s national teams. They however don’t publish the same set of rankings for the men’s under-20, men’s under-18 or women’s under-18 programs. As a result, we have put together our own equivalent ranking, starting with the women’s under-18 program. We will follow this up with rankings for the men’s under-20 and under-18 programs soon.
The ranking uses the same points system as the one used by the IIHF for their existing world rankings. It also makes the same allowances for countries who have been unable to participate, like Russia which is currently expelled from the competition or China and New Zealand who were unable to travel in 2022.
We have also included a focus on the Australian women’s under-18 team since making their debut at the 2016 World Championships. When Australia first entered the competition there was only 22 nations active. As of 2024, 35 countries have at some stage competed in the tournament with 32 playing in the most recent edition. Despite the increase in teams Australia have managed to mostly maintain their position at 21st, going as high as 20th in 2020 and as low as 24th in 2022.
Australia’s all-time rankings
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st | 21st | 21st | 21st | 20th |
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st | 24th | 21st | 21st |
World Rankings
| Rank | Team | Points | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 3,920 | +1 |
| 2 | Canada | 3,910 | –1 |
| 3 | Russia | 3,800 | – |
| 4 | Finland | 3,760 | +1 |
| 5 | Czech Republic | 3,745 | +1 |
| 6 | Sweden | 3,745 | –2 |
| 7 | Slovakia | 3,580 | +1 |
| 8 | Switzerland | 3,550 | –1 |
| 9 | Germany | 3,470 | – |
| 10 | Japan | 3,425 | – |
| 11 | Italy | 3,325 | +1 |
| 12 | Hungary | 3,275 | +1 |
| 13 | France | 3,265 | –2 |
| 14 | Austria | 3,195 | +1 |
| 15 | Norway | 3,140 | –1 |
| 16 | Denmark | 3,090 | – |
| 17 | Poland | 3,025 | – |
| 18 | Spain | 2,955 | +2 |
| 19 | South Korea | 2,940 | –1 |
| 20 | Chinese Taipei | 2,905 | –1 |
| 21 | Australia | 2,840 | – |
| 22 | Great Britain | 2,735 | – |
| 23 | Netherlands | 2,705 | – |
| 24 | Latvia | 2,655 | +4 |
| 25 | Turkey | 2,575 | –1 |
| 26 | Kazakhstan | 2,550 | –1 |
| 27 | Mexico | 2,465 | –1 |
| 28 | New Zealand | 2,450 | –1 |
| 29 | Iceland | 2,190 | +1 |
| 30 | China | 2,030 | –1 |
| 31 | Belgium | 1,695 | +1 |
| 32 | Bulgaria | 1,660 | –1 |
| 33 | South Africa | 1,420 | new |
| 34 | Estonia | 915 | –3 |
| 35 | Romania | — | –1 |
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