Fussen, Germany welcomed the stars of the future during the inaugural IIHF A Pool World Under-18 Junior Championship. Ten nations showcased many of the world's top prospects under the watchful eyes of dozens of club team scouts.
Finland and Sweden both dominated their respective groups, going undefeated in their four game round robin group. Fittingly, those two teams faced each other in the last game of the final round, and essentially was the gold medal game. The resulting 2 - 2 tie was good enough for the Finns to claim the title, backed by Ahi Ahonen who won the IIHF Directorate Award for Best Goalkeeper. Slovakian star Marian Gaborik led his team to the bronze medal and earned Best Forward honours in part because of a tournament high ten points in the seven games. Sweden's Magnus Hedlund was chosen as the tournament's outstanding defenseman.
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