Belarus men's national junior ice hockey team

Belarus
	The coat of Arms of Belarus is the badge used on the players jerseys
Association	Belarus Ice Hockey Federation
Head coach	Pavel Perepekhin
Assistants	Andrei Kudin; Andrei Zalivako
Captain	Artur Gavrus
Most points	Andrei Kostitsyn (21)
IIHF code	BLR
First international
	Kazakhstan 4 - 0 Belarus ; (Minsk, Belarus; November 10, 1992)
Biggest win
	Belarus 19 - 0 Lithuania ; (Minsk, Belarus; November 12, 1992)
Biggest defeat
	Russia 12 - 1 Belarus ; (Podolsk, Russia; December 27, 2000)
IIHF World U20 Championship
Appearances	28 (first in 1993)
Best result	9th (2001, 2002)
International record (W–L–T)
	50–47–6

The Belarusian men's national under-20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Belarus. The team represented Belarus at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship. Prior to independence in 1991, Belarusian players played for the Soviet Union, which played in the World Juniors from its inception in 1974. Belarus has played in the top division eight times, first in 1999 and most recently in 2018, with their best finish being ninth overall in both 2001 and 2002.

Due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Ice Hockey Federation banned all Belarusian national and club teams from its events indefinitely, and Hockey Canada banned Belarus's “participation in events held in Canada that do not fall under the IIHF’s jurisdiction.”^[1]^[2]^[3]

History edit

Belarus became an independent nation in 1991, and the team made their first appearance at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 1998, when Belarus won Pool B (now Division I). The U20 team played at the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Winnipeg, but the Belarusians never won a game. Belarus finished 10th and were relegated to Pool B for 2000. The team returned to the top level by defeating Germany in the final. The Belarusians avoided relegation by winning and tying a game against the Kazakhs.

Belarus competed in the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Championships, until finally being relegated under the new IIHF format. Belarus returned to the top division in 2005, but were relegated again. Belarus has mainly been in the second-tier Division I level since then, though have been promoted to the top division on occasion, most recently in 2018.

World Junior Championship record edit

Year	Rank
1974–1992	As part of Soviet Union
1993	3rd in Minsk Group (Pool C)
1994	26th (Pool C)
1995	20th (Pool C1)
1996	22nd (Pool C)
1997	1st, Promoted to Pool B
1998	1st, Promoted to Top Division
1999	10th place (Relegated to Pool B)
2000	1st, Promoted to Top Division
2001	9th place
2002	9th place
2003	10th place (Relegated to Division I)
2004	1st, Promoted to Top Division
2005	10th place (Relegated to Division I)
2006	1st, Promoted to Top Division
2007	13th place (Relegated to Division I)
2008	13th place (Division I)
2009	13th place (Division I)
2010	14th place (Division I)
2011	13th place (Division I)
2012	12th place (Division I)
2013	12th place (Division I)
2014	13th place (Division I)
2015	1st, Promoted to Top Division
2016	10th place (Relegated to Division I)
2017	1st, Promoted to Top Division
2018	10th place (Relegated to Division I)
2019	12th place (Division I)
2020	13th place (Division I)
2021	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2022	1st, Promoted to Top Division (expelled)
2023	Expelled
2024	Expelled