Thailand has completed a sweep of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship Division 3, Group B to win gold. This was Thailand’s debut at the World Juniors and did not disappoint, going 3-0-0-0 with a 19-5 goal differential.
The Thai team earned dominant victories over Luxembourg (6-1), Kyrgyzstan (5-2), and South Africa (8-2). The victory against runner-up Kyrgyzstan on the second day already secured the gold medal. To go along with the strong play, Thailand had over 600 fans in attendance for their final match and their livestreams did not struggle to reach over 7,000 viewers at a time.
Thailand’s star player in this tournament was 17-year-old defender Natchayatorn Yannakornthanapunt — leading in scoring with 7 (5+2) points in 3 games. Goaltender Vijak Niyomvong, who is also just 17, starred in net with a 95.7 SV% over his 2 wins. Other notable producers include Natapat Patong (5+1), Chayaphon Jaratkorn (2+3), and Tanat Limpanyakul (2+3).
Kyrgyzstan also made history at this tournament by earning a silver medal. That marks their first ever medal at the World Junior Championship, after participating in Division 3/3A at the previous three championships. With an average age of just 16.44 years, it would appear this group has lots of room to grow going into the future.
The bronze medallists were South Africa, who edged out last-place Luxembourg with a dramatic 7-6 overtime win in their second game. Defender Raees Baker — playing in his fourth World Juniors — had the honours of scoring the deciding goal. South Africa finally put an end to their 17-game losing streak at the World Junior Championship, dating back to the 2020 tournament. The lone African participant was outscored 159-36 during the drought.
South Africa 🇿🇦 win against Luxembourg 🇱🇺 in OT and put an END to their 17-game losing streak at the World Juniors!
— Hockey Worldwide (@H0ckeyWorldwide) December 12, 2024
RSA was outscored 159-36 in the losing streak since 2020. A huge win for their program.
15 Y.O. Jacob Bate with 3 points. OT winner for Raees Baker. pic.twitter.com/2buQRHgmiv
Final Standings:
- Thailand – 3-0-0-0 (9P) / 19-5 GD
- Kyrgyzstan – 2-0-0-1 (6P) /14-9 GD
- South Africa – 0-1-0-2 (2P) / 11-21 GD
- Luxembourg – 0-0-1-2 (1P) / 9-18 GD