Who saw this coming? In our second Power Rankings of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, the Czechs vault into first place. They topped Group A as the only team in this tournament without a regulation-time loss, and this is the first time they’ve won a group since their last gold medal in 2001. Host Canada occupies second place after reeling off three big victories powered by scoring leader Connor Bedard’s exploits. The U.S., despite finishing first in Group B with a decisive win over Finland, is just a hair behind in third place. Bring on the New Year and bring on the quarter-finals!

1		CZE	O Canada, we scored five goals on thee
2		CAN	Like Crosby and MacKinnon, we like winnin’
3		USA	Beating Finland was absolutely Hughes
4		SWE	Our 54-game playoff win streak starts now!
5		FIN	The medal round is in Tampere, right?
6		SVK	Martinez: Golden Glove. Gajan: Green Glove.
7		SUI	Takin’ care of business and workin’ overtime
8		GER	Killing penalties is murder
9		LAT	Wouldn’t be here if his name was Bedards
10		AUT	Mozart: Symphony No. 35-2

Click here to check out the previous editions of the Power Rankings.

The Power Rankings are for the enjoyment of IIHF.com readers, and reflect the progress of teams during the IIHF World Junior Championship. They are distinct from the official standings and IIHF World Ranking.