| Tourney Name: | IIHF World U20 Championship |
| Year: | 1997 |
| Size: | 75px |
| Country: | Switzerland |
| Dates: | December 26, 1996 – January 4, 1997 |
| Num Teams: | 10 |
| Venues: | 2 |
| Cities: | 2 |
| Type: | ihj |
| Winners: | Canada |
| Count: | 10 |
| Second: | United States |
| Third: | Russia |
| Fourth: | Czech Republic |
| Games: | 31 |
| Goals: | 204 |
| Attendance: | 31336 |
| Points: | 10 |
| Nextseason: | 1998 |
The 1997 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were held in Geneva and Morges, Switzerland. The tournament was won by Canada, who won their record fifth-straight gold medal with a 2–0 victory over the United States in the gold-medal match. Mike York of the United States was the top scorer in the tournament, with five goals and five assists for ten points.
The tournament all-star team selected upon the conclusion of the tournament included forwards Mike York (United States), Sergei Samsonov (Russia) and Christian Dube (Canada); defencemen Mark Streit (Switzerland) and Chris Phillips (Canada); and goaltender Brian Boucher (United States).
Notable future National Hockey League (NHL) stars that played in this year's tournament included Joe Thornton (Canada), Daniel Brière (Canada) and Marián Hossa (Slovakia).
was relegated for the 1998 World Junior Championships.
| width=15 | ! | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 4th | ||
| 5th | ||
| 6th | ||
| 7th | ||
| 8th | ||
| 9th | ||
| 10th | ||
was relegated for the 1998 World Juniors
| width=165 | Player | width=125 | Country | width=20 | GP | width=20 | G | width=20 | A ! | width=20 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 5 | 5 | 10 | ||||||||
| 6 | 5 | 4 | 9 | ||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | ||||||||
| 7 | 2 | 7 | 9 | ||||||||
| 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||||||||
| 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
(minimum 40% team's total ice time)
| width=165 | Player | width=125 | Country | width=20 | MINS | width=20 | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 180 | 0.33 | ||||||
| 357.13 | 1.51 | ||||||
| 419.52 | 1.86 | ||||||
| 300 | 2.00 | ||||||
| 428.27 | 2.66 |
| Media All-Star Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Goaltender |  Brian Boucher | ||
| Defencemen |  Chris PhillipsMark Streit | ||
| Forwards | Christian Dubé Sergei Samsonov Michael York |
This tournament was played in Kyiv Ukraine, from December 27 to January 5.
Played in Gheorgheni and Miercurea Ciuc, Romania from December 30 to January 3.
was promoted to Pool B, and was relegated to Pool D for 1998.
Played in Sofia Bulgaria from December 30 to January 3.
was promoted to Pool C for 1998.