Ranking the best world junior rosters of the past 5 years

We're still a couple of days away from puck drop at this year's world juniors. In the meantime, we'll look back at the top rosters from the past five tournaments.

Canada and the United States have claimed four of the past five gold medals, so the North American rivals dominate our list. We're judging the rosters based on how the players have transitioned to the NHL rather than in-tournament performance, as evidenced by silver medal-winning clubs making the cut.

Let's dive into it, starting with a team that provided one of the most dramatic moments in tournament history.

5. Canada, 2022 🥇

Record: 7-0
Goal differential: +27
Prominent NHL talent: Mason McTavish, Kent Johnson, Connor Bedard, Tyson Foerster, Ridly Greig, Will Cuylle

The 2022 tournament was one of the least popular outings in the event's history due to low attendance and an unprecedented summer schedule, but Canada's championship squad was legitimately stacked.

McTavish drove the bus as captain, leading the tournament with 17 points en route to his MVP title and a spot on the media All-Star team, which also featured defenseman and future Anaheim Ducks teammate Olen Zellweger. The latter was second on the team with 11 points and is putting up solid numbers in the AHL as a 20-year-old. Logan Stankoven, Josh Roy, and Brennan Othmann also played key roles in the victory and are currently working their way toward the NHL.

While not as deep as the others on the list, the core of current NHLers from Canada's 2022 team is impressive. Bedard didn't dominate the way he did in 2023 but still managed four goals and four assists. Johnston had nine points and scored the golden goal after McTavish's unforgettable goal-line save, while Foerster, Greig, and Cuylle provided solid scoring depth. Each player now earns regular minutes for their respective NHL squads.

4. Canada, 2020 🥇

Record: 6-0-0-1
Goal differential: +15
Prominent NHL talent: Barrett Hayton, Alexis Lafreniere, Dylan Cozens, Connor McMichael, Joe Veleno, Ty Dellandrea, Jamie Drysdale, Bowen Byram, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Quinton Byfield, Kevin Bahl, Dawson Mercer

The second Canadian roster on our list didn't run over its competition like the 2022 squad but, four years later, this group is running wild in the NHL.

Hayton, while inconsistent with the Arizona Coyotes so far, was Canada's captain and leading scorer with 12 points. He, Lafreniere - who was drafted first overall months later - and goaltender Joel Hofer all made the tournament All-Star team after defeating Russia in a gold-medal thriller most remembered by Akil Thomas' late winner.

None of the players listed above are stars in the big leagues yet, but each has carved out an important role on their respective teams and still has plenty of time to blossom. Byfield, for example, was held to a single point at the tournament and didn't immediately live up to the hype after being drafted second overall a few months later. Now, at 21, he's in the midst of a career year with the Los Angeles Kings.

3. USA, 2019 🥈

Record: 5-0-1-1
Goal differential: +11
Prominent NHL talent: Ryan Poehling, Josh Norris, Jason Robertson, Joel Farabee, Oliver Wahlstrom, Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Noah Cates, K'Andre Miller, Jack Drury, Mikey Anderson

Here we start to see some true NHL star power. The 2019 United States team lost to Finland in the championship game but boasts a far more impressive roster (at least on paper) five years later. Despite all the talent, the Americans hardly lit up the scoresheet over their seven games, and Poehling led the team with five goals and eight points.

Most of this roster's ranking comes from Robertson and the Hughes brothers, who have developed into world-class players at the highest level and are all likely to be on USA's next best-on-best roster. Ironically, none of the three did much when they suited up together for the Stars and Stripes in 2019. Robertson managed seven points, but Jack and Quinn were both goalless and combined for six assists.

While this squad earns credit for boasting some of the best players on the list, its depth doesn't quite match the two units ahead of it.

2. Canada, 2021🥈

Record: 6-1
Goal differential: +29
Prominent NHL talent: Dylan Cozens, Quinton Byfield, Alex Newhook, Cole Perfetti, Dawson Mercer, Bowen Byram, Jamie Drysdale, Connor Zary, Kirby Dach (injured), Kaiden Guhle, Devon Levi, Philip Tomasino, Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs, Jordan Spence, Thomas Harley, Justin Barron, Connor McMichael, Braden Schneider

The 2021 tournament in British Columbia was one for the ages talent-wise, and Canada's runner-up squad is bound to stand the test of time. This outfit recorded 16-2 and 10-0 wins in the preliminary round, but was stifled in the gold medal game against the only team ranked ahead of them.

Several core pieces from the 2020 team returned for a second year, but Canada's roster added some elite talent in 2021 up front in Perfetti and Krebs, on the back end in Guhle and Harley, and between the pipes in Levi. Only three years after this team captured a silver medal, everyone on the roster except Ryan Suzuki and goalies Dylan Garand and Taylor Gauthier have played at least one NHL game.

While the volume of quality players Canada rostered in 2021 is unmatched over the past five tournaments, it would be unfair to put them ahead of the team that broke their hearts on home soil.

1. United States, 2021 🥇

Record: 6-1
Goal differential: +26
Prominent NHL talent: Trevor Zegras, Matthew Boldy, Arthur Kaliyev, Bobby Brink, Cam York, Cole Caufield, Brock Faber, Matty Beniers, Jake Sanderson, Dustin Wolf, Spencer Knight

On the strength of Zegras' MVP performance - he managed 18 points in seven games - the USA captured their fifth and most recent tournament championship.

While this United States squad lacks the depth of its Canadian counterpart, its core is rich with first-round draft picks who blossomed into stars. Zegras is a household name, while Boldy, Caufield, and Beniers are spearheading the massive wave of American talent at the NHL level. Elsewhere, Faber is firmly in the Calder Trophy mix for rookie of the year honors this season, while Wolf, who only played one game in the tournament, has established himself as one of the world's top netminding prospects after being named the AHL's best goalie in back-to-back seasons.

With so much time left in the careers of all the players we listed, it'll be fascinating to monitor how this list ages. But, for now, the 2021 USA roster is the cream of the crop.