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 rankings which started with the women’s under-18 in February and now the men’s under-20. The men’s under-18 rankings will follow in early May.
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 Belarus and Russia which are currently expelled from the competition or Bulgaria, China, and New Zealand who were unable to travel in 2022.
As of 2024, 54 countries have at some stage competed in the tournament with 43 playing in the most recent edition. In the last ten years Australia’s best ranking as been 30th which they held in 2015 and their lowest was 37th in 2019 and 2020.
Australia’s ranking over the past ten years
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30th | 31st | 32nd | 35th | 37th |
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37th | 36th | 36th | 36th | 35th |
World Rankings
| Rank | Team | Points | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 3,870 | +2 |
| 2 | Canada | 3,850 | –1 |
| 3 | Russia | 3,825 | –1 |
| 4 | Sweden | 3,810 | +2 |
| 5 | Czech Republic | 3,795 | – |
| 6 | Finland | 3,755 | –2 |
| 7 | Slovakia | 3,550 | +2 |
| 8 | Switzerland | 3,525 | – |
| 9 | Germany | 3,490 | –2 |
| 10 | Latvia | 3,455 | – |
| 11 | Norway | 3,285 | +3 |
| 12 | Austria | 3,270 | –1 |
| 13 | Kazakhstan | 3,255 | –1 |
| 14 | Belarus | 3,220 | –1 |
| 15 | France | 3,155 | +2 |
| 16 | Denmark | 3,140 | –1 |
| 17 | Hungary | 3,100 | –1 |
| 18 | Slovenia | 3,005 | – |
| 19 | Japan | 2,975 | +1 |
| 20 | Ukraine | 2,925 | –1 |
| 21 | Italy | 2,840 | +2 |
| 22 | Estonia | 2,820 | – |
| 23 | Poland | 2,810 | –2 |
| 24 | South Korea | 2,680 | +1 |
| 25 | Great Britain | 2,620 | –1 |
| 26 | Croatia | 2,615 | +3 |
| 27 | Lithuania | 2,600 | –1 |
| 28 | Spain | 2,505 | –1 |
| 29 | Netherlands | 2,455 | +1 |
| 30 | Romania | 2,440 | –2 |
| 31 | China | 2,430 | – |
| 32 | Serbia | 2,330 | – |
| 33 | Belgium | 2,255 | – |
| 34 | Iceland | 2,250 | – |
| 35 | Australia | 2,135 | +1 |
| 36 | Chinese Taipei | 2,120 | +1 |
| 37 | Israel | 2,055 | +1 |
| 38 | Mexico | 2,010 | –3 |
| 39 | Bulgaria | 1,970 | +1 |
| 40 | New Zealand | 1,945 | +1 |
| 41 | Turkey | 1,945 | –2 |
| 42 | South Africa | 1,730 | – |
| 43 | Kyrgyzstan | 1,655 | – |
| 44 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,630 | – |
| 45 | Luxembourg | 700 | +2 |
| 46 | North Korea | — | –1 |
| 47 | Armenia | — | –1 |
| 48 | Ireland | — | – |
| 49 | Greece | — | – |
| 50 | United Arab Emirates | — | – |
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