The IIHF has talked about a World Juniors for women, but it's closing in on 50 years of a men's tournament, and the gap remains. When will a women's World Junior Championship happen?
The IIHF has talked about a World Juniors for women, but it's closing in on 50 years of a men's tournament, and the gap remains. When will a women's World Junior Championship happen?
“We had a lot of discussions about (a World Junior) already, it’s already on the table,” IIHF Council Member Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer told The Hockey News in 2023.
An IIHF sanctioned Women's World Junior tournament remains the largest looming gap between men's and women's offerings on the international stage. Men have had a World Junior tournament since 1977. With the calendar about to turn to 2025, it's closing in on 50 years with a gap being left in the careers of women's hockey players, who following the U-18 tournament have no where to go until they're able to make a senior national team.
The IIHF has continued to use the excuse that the reason for not launching a women's World Junior tournament is financial. When the men's tournament was launched, it was not a money making venture. The opportunity for women's sports right now globally is sky high, with new leagues and teams launching, corporations jumping to sponsor events and leagues, and attendance levels soaring. To pass on this wave of momentum would be to pass on an opportunity for long term success.
In 2023 the founding of a World Junior championship for women sounded near the forefront of planning for the IIHF. At the 2024 World Championships in Utica, that was no longer the case. The tournament was not as much of a vocalized priority from IIHF officials, and the timeline for a tournament was being pushed farther into the future.
At the same time, Canada and USA have their own ideas on the topic. It was a main reason for the two nations forming more active national development teams. According to USA Hockey representatives, participation of national development teams in the Women's Euro Hockey Tour was a step toward forming a World Junior Championship for women.
One item Canada, USA, and the IIHF seem to agree on is that a women's World Junior tournament may not match the men's tournament in age categorization. According to IIHF representatives, early discussions surrounded the formation of a U-22 tournament.
With the PWHL in operation, a World Junior tournament makes even more sense, as teams look to scout prospects.
In North America's top leagues, there is global growth occurring. There are currently large numbers of players from Sweden (18), Finland (12), Czechia (7), Austria (7), Germany (6), France (4), Hungary (4), and Switzerland (4) in the NCAA.
Those numbers are set to continue to climb as rising stars like Adela Sapovalivova and Tereza Plosova (Czechia), Hilda Svensson and Jenna Raunio (Sweden), Sanni Vanhanen (Finland), Ivana Wey and Naemi Herzig (Switzerland), Manon Le Scodan and Jade Barbirati (France), Ema Tothova and Nela Lopusanova (Slovakia) and many others are set to join the NCAA.
With talent levels and global depth continuing to climb, the time has never been better for a women's World Junior Championship. It's up to the IIHF, who has shown priority to men's hockey at all levels.
Historically, the only way women got the IIHF to act was through grassroots efforts. The IIHF denied tournaments and support for women for the bulk of history, but soon, it will not be possible for the organization to continue ignoring equitable treatment of women's hockey players. With the rise of the PWHL and Canada and USA leading the way through their national development teams, the clock is ticking before a women's World Junior Championship becomes a reality.