World Juniors presents one of the biggest stages for young rising NHL prospects to showcase their talent at the international level. It’s no wonder we’ve seen so many memorable performances by individuals over the years.
Just last summer, Canadian Mason McTavish tied a Canadian record with four goals in a game. He finished with 17 points in the tournament, a mark that ranks in the top 15 for most points scored in a single tournament.
While sensational individual performances don’t always lead to gold medals, there’s a good chance it will lead to at least a medal. In addition, there were a number of players who boosted their roster in the draft by performing at the World Junior Championships, despite leaving the competition without any equipment.
MORE: 2023 World Juniors schedule, rankings, results
Here’s a look at the top goalscorers in junior world history.
Most points at a Junior World
It’s rare to see a player score at least 20 points at the World Juniors. It’s a feat that has only been accomplished six times in World Junior history and hasn’t happened since 1993.
Even rarer is 30 points, and there is only one player who has ever achieved that milestone. The great Peter Forsberg.
The former Avalanche star had the best single performance ever seen at the World Junior Championships, recording 31 points in just seven games for Sweden in 1993. A 10-point performance in a 20-1 win against Japan certainly helped Forsberg to sort the result table.
At the same tournament, Markus Naslund, one of Forsberg’s teammates in Sweden, set a world junior record with 13 goals. He finished the competition with 24 points, which is tied with Finland’s Raimo Helminen for the second most points in a single tournament.
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The US record is 19, which Doug Waite accomplished at the 1991 games. Canada’s record is 18, which was set by Dale McCourt in 1977 and then repeated in 2011 by Brayden Schenn.
| Player | A team | year | aims | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Forsberg | Sweden | 1993 | 7 | 24 | 31 |
| Marcus Naslund | Sweden | 1993 | 13 | 11 | 24 |
| Raimo Helminen | Finland | 1984 | 11 | 13 | 24 |
| Robert Reichel | Czechoslovakia | 1990 | 11 | 10 | 21 |
| Vladimir Ruzichka | Czechoslovakia | 1983 | 12 | 8 | 20 |
| Esa Keskinen | Finland | 1985 | 6 | 14 | 20 |
| Esa Tikanen | Finland | 1985 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| Long weight | USA | 1991 | 5 | 14 | 19 |
| Dale McCourt | Canada | 1977 | 10 | 8 | 18 |
| Alexander Mogilny | Soviet Union | 1988 | 9 | 9 | 18 |
| Brayden Shen | Canada | 2011 | 8 | 10 | 18 |
| Trevor Zegras | USA | 2021 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
| Jaromir Jagr | Czechoslovakia | 1990 | 5 | 13 | 18 |
