Livescore
The 2023 World Junior Championship was one to remember.
Multiple upsets, numerous contests decided in overtime and Canada earning the gold medal once again.
Connor Bedard was the story of the tournament before and during the competition, and will continue to be in the weeks after. The 17-year-old phenom earned MVP, Best Forward and All-Star honors after setting multiple Canadian records. He finished the 2023 tournament first in goals, assists and points among all skaters.
MORE: Every record Connor Bedard broke at the 2023 World Juniors
Here are all of the awards from the 2023 World Juniors.
World Juniors 2023 MVP
Bedard’s performance at the 2023 World Juniors was one for the history books. His 23 points are the fourth-highest total by a skater at a single tournament.
He set all-time Canadian World Juniors records for points and goals, and he set the mark for points and assists by a Canadian at a single competition. He also broke Jaromir Jagr’s record for points at a tournament by an under-18 player.
The consensus top pick of the 2023 NHL Draft registered a point in every game for Canada, with the exception of the gold-medal game.
World Juniors 2023 Directorate Awards
- Best Forward: Connor Bedard (Canada)
- Best Defenseman: David Jiricek (Czechia)
- Best Goalie: Adam Gajan (Slovakia)
No surprise to see Bedard also earn Best Forward honors.
Jiricek was a big part of Czechia’s run to the championship game. He ended his tournament with seven points and was a workhorse on the back end.
Gajan played in just four contests, but he was sensational for Slovakia in its quarterfinal victory over Canada. He was called in to join the team just days before the tournament and began as the No. 3 goalie. He eventually stole the starting job and ended the games with a 2.40 goals-against average and a tournament-leading .936 save percentage.
World Juniors 2023 Media All-Stars
- Forwards: Connor Bedard (Canada), Logan Cooley (USA), Jiri Kulich (Czechia)
- Defensemen: Ludvig Jansson (Sweden), David Jiricek (Czechia)
- Goalie: Tomas Suchanek (Czechia)
In addition to his MVP and Best Forward awards, Bedard collected a media All-Star team honor, joining Cooley and Kulich on the forward line.
Cooley finished second among all skaters with 14 points in the tournament. Kulich’s seven goals were tied with Cooley for the second-most, with both trailing only Bedard.
Jiricek was joined on defense by Jansson, who finished tied for the Team Sweden lead in points with 10.
Czechia does not get to the gold-medal game without Suchanek. The undrafted goalie was stellar for the Czechs, finishing first out of all goalies in goals-against average (1.52) and second in save percentage (.934%).
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