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 for the three programs. The women’s under-18 ranking was released earlier in February and the men’s under-20 in March.
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 IIHF competition or Australia, China, Hong Kong, and New Zealand who were unable to travel in 2022.
In 2024, 51 countries and two regions participated in the U18 World Championship and the U18 Asia and Oceania Cup tournaments. In the last ten years Australia’s best ranking as been 30th which they held in 2018 and their lowest was 35th in 2015 and 2016.
Australia’s ranking over the past ten years
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35th | 35th | 32nd | 30th | 31st |
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33rd | 33rd | 33rd | 34th | 34th |
World Rankings
| Rank | Team | Points | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 3,905 | +1 |
| 2 | Canada | 3,870 | +2 |
| 3 | Sweden | 3,870 | –2 |
| 4 | Russia | 3,860 | –1 |
| 5 | Finland | 3,690 | – |
| 6 | Slovakia | 3,615 | +4 |
| 7 | Czech Republic | 3,610 | –1 |
| 8 | Switzerland | 3,570 | –1 |
| 9 | Belarus | 3,535 | –1 |
| 10 | Latvia | 3,500 | –1 |
| 11 | Germany | 3,360 | – |
| 12 | Norway | 3,340 | – |
| 13 | Kazakhstan | 3,285 | – |
| 14 | Denmark | 3,155 | – |
| 15 | Ukraine | 3,125 | +2 |
| 16 | Hungary | 3,095 | +2 |
| 17 | Japan | 3,075 | –2 |
| 18 | Austria | 3,035 | +1 |
| 19 | France | 3,010 | –3 |
| 20 | Slovenia | 2,940 | – |
| 21 | Italy | 2,830 | – |
| 22 | Estonia | 2,785 | +2 |
| 23 | Lithuania | 2,765 | +2 |
| 24 | South Korea | 2,765 | –1 |
| 25 | Poland | 2,725 | –3 |
| 26 | Great Britain | 2,635 | – |
| 27 | Romania | 2,530 | – |
| 28 | Croatia | 2,500 | +1 |
| 29 | Serbia | 2,475 | –1 |
| 30 | Netherlands | 2,450 | +2 |
| 31 | Spain | 2,390 | –1 |
| 32 | China | 2,370 | –1 |
| 33 | Bulgaria | 2,255 | – |
| 34 | Australia | 2,220 | – |
| 35 | Chinese Taipei | 2,175 | +1 |
| 36 | Belgium | 2,110 | –1 |
| 37 | Israel | 2,080 | – |
| 38 | Iceland | 2,000 | – |
| 39 | Mexico | 1,980 | +1 |
| 40 | Turkey | 1,960 | –1 |
| 41 | New Zealand | 1,840 | – |
| 42 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,830 | – |
| 43 | Hong Kong | 1,770 | +1 |
| 44 | South Africa | 1,665 | +1 |
| 45 | Thailand | 1,190 | +1 |
| 46 | Turkmenistan | 1,165 | +2 |
| 47 | Uzbekistan | 1,120 | – |
| 48 | Mongolia | 1,070 | +1 |
| 49 | Luxembourg | 1,070 | –6 |
| 50 | United Arab Emirates | 1,035 | – |
| 51 | Iran | 1,000 | – |
| 52 | India | 560 | +3 |
| 53 | Malaysia | 540 | +1 |
| 54 | Macau | 520 | new |
| 55 | Kuwait | 500 | new |
| 56 | Indonesia | 480 | new |
| 57 | Kyrgyzstan | 155 | –5 |
| 58 | Ireland | — | –5 |
| 59 | Armenia | — | –3 |
| 60 | North Korea | — | –3 |
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