| World U-17 Hockey Challenge | |
| Last Season: | 2023 World U-17 Hockey Challenge |
| Pixels: | 200px |
| Sport: | Ice hockey |
| Inaugural: | 1986 |
| Champion: | White |
| Most Champs: | Ontario (8) |
| Website: | World U-17 Hockey Challenge |
| Sponsor: | Hockey Canada |
| Related Comps: | Canadian Junior Hockey League World Junior A Challenge |
The World U-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. Prior to 2011, the tournament did not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games were held. As such, the World Under-17 Challenge was held three out of every four years. It is organized by Hockey Canada and is the first major international competition for male hockey players under the age of 17. The tournament is the first step in Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence and is used to identify players moving on to the U18 and National Junior Team.
The inaugural World Under-17 Hockey Challenge took place in Quebec as the 1986 Quebec Esso Cup. At the time, it was considered the unofficial world championship of midget hockey. It was also used as a development tool for the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association to identify players for further development as well as expose them to their first taste of international competition. The tournament was among ten teams, five regional teams from Canada, Finland, Czechoslovakia, the United States, Sweden, and the Soviet Union. Team Quebec, led by future NHL first overall pick Pierre Turgeon captured gold by defeating the Soviets, who featured the likes of Sergei Fedorov and Alexander Mogilny.
Prior to November 2014, the tournament was held from late December through to early January. Originally, Canada would field five teams, selected on a regional basis.
The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge has continued to grow over the years to the point where it is perhaps the largest annual event administered under Hockey Canada's own auspices. Although the tournament is not sanctioned by the IIHF, it attracts U17 teams from the United States, Sweden, and Russia on an annual basis and Czech Republic, Finland, and Slovakia on a semi-annual basis.
The tournament is currently held in November of each year.
Canada enters three teams each year. Prior to November 2014, Canada entered five regional teams
Other participating nations have included:
| width=90 | Year | width=145 style="background-color: #F7F6A8;" | Gold | width=135 style="background-color: #DCE5E5;" | Silver | width=135 style="background-color: #FFDAB9;" | Bronze | width=260 | Host city (cities) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarnia | |||||||||
| White | Charlottetown and Summerside | ||||||||
| Red | Langley and Delta | ||||||||
| 2021 | Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic. | Charlottetown and Summerside | |||||||
| 2020 | Tournament cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic. [1] | Charlottetown and Summerside | |||||||
| Medicine Hat and Swift Current | |||||||||
| Red | Dawson Creek and Fort St. John | ||||||||
| 2016 | Black | Sault Ste. Marie | |||||||
| White | Dawson Creek and Fort St. John | ||||||||
| Sarnia and Lambton Shores | |||||||||
| Pacific | (Sydney/North Sydney/Port Hawkesbury) | ||||||||
| Drummondville and Victoriaville | |||||||||
| Ontario | Windsor | ||||||||
| 2011[2] | Ontario | Pacific | |||||||
| 2010 | Ontario | Timmins / Iroquois Falls / Cochrane / Kapuskasing / Kirkland Lake / New Liskeard | |||||||
| 2009 | Ontario | Pacific | Campbell River / Courtenay / Duncan / Nanaimo / Parksville / Port Alberni | ||||||
| 2008 | Ontario | West | London / Lucan / St. Thomas / Stratford / Strathroy / Woodstock | ||||||
| 2007 | The ice hockey tournament at the 2007 Canada Winter Games was held in place of a 2007 tournament. | ||||||||
| 2006 | Quebec | Balgonie / Fort Qu'Appelle / Indian Head / Milestone / Moose Jaw / Regina / Southey / Weyburn | |||||||
| 2005 | West | Pacific | Atlantic | Lethbridge | |||||
| 2004 | Ontario | Pacific | Quebec | St. John's | |||||
| 2003 | The ice hockey tournament at the 2003 Canada Games was held in place of a 2003 tournament. | ||||||||
| 2002 | Pacific | Ontario | Selkirk / Stonewall | ||||||
| 2001 | Pacific | Ontario | New Glasgow / Truro | ||||||
| 2000 | Ontario | Pacific | Timmins / Chapleau / Cochrane / Haileybury / Hearst / Kapuskasing / Kirkland Lake / New Liskeard / Smooth Rock Falls / Rouyn-Noranda | ||||||
| 1999 | The ice hockey tournament at the 1999 Canada Games was held in place of a 1999 tournament. | ||||||||
| 1998 II | West | Swift Current | |||||||
| 1998 I[3] | Ontario | Quebec | Kitchener | ||||||
| 1997 | Ontario | Quebec | Red Deer | ||||||
| 1995 | Ontario | Quebec | Moncton | ||||||
| 1994 | Quebec | Pacific | Amos | ||||||
| 1992 | Ontario | Quebec | Sudbury | ||||||
| 1991 | The ice hockey tournament at the 1991 Canada Games was held in place of a 1991 tournament. | ||||||||
| 1990 | Quebec | Quebec City | |||||||
| 1988 | Quebec | Quebec City | |||||||
| 1986 | Quebec | Pacific | Quebec City | ||||||
| align=left | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Medals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 8 | 2 | 3 | 13 | |
| 6 | 9 | 2 | 17 | ||
| Quebec | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | |
| 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | ||
| West | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| White | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Pacific | 0 | 6 | 4 | 10 | |
| Red | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Black | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Atlantic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
In bold, players selected first overall in the NHL entry draft