Plus–minus (sports)

Lore & Background

The plus/minus statistic was first used in the 1950s by the Montreal Canadiens, a National Hockey League (NHL) team, for evaluating its own players. Plus-minus was hockey's first enhanced statistic, becoming an official NHL statistic in 1959-60. In ice hockey, when a team that is at even-strength or shorthanded scores a goal, all players on the ice on the scoring team register a plus while all players on the conceding team on the ice register a minus. When a goal is scored by a team on the power play, no plus or minus points are awarded to either team. Empty net situations are treated the same as even-strength unless the team that scores is on the power play. Penalty shot goals are excluded. A player's plus−minus statistic is calculated for each game played. There are some drawbacks to the traditional calculation, as not all types of goals are included, specifically power play goals, and every goal included is weighted the same regardless of the situation. Also, traditional plus–minus is not applied to goaltenders. Situational plus–minus (Sit +/−) is an alternative calculation that takes into account all types of 'team-based' goals, excluding only penalty shot and shootout goals, and weights each goal based on the number of skaters on the ice, applying the rating to all players including goaltenders.

Reader's Guide

The NHL introduced the Plus-Minus Award in the 1982-83 season, awarded to the top plus player for that season that played in at least 60 games. The award was named the Emery Edge Award and was won in the inaugural season by Charlie Huddy of the Edmonton Oilers. The award was last given for the 2007-08 season, at which point it was named the Bud Light Plus/Minus Award and was won by Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings. Although the statistic was pioneered in the sport of hockey, it has found its way into use in other sports and areas of life. In basketball, the NBA's Houston Rockets first utilized a modified version of the stat, which indicated that Shane Battier, who had a plus–minus score of plus 10, was a much more effective player than had been previously believed. A plus−minus statistic has also been used in sports economics to analyze the degree of competitive balance over time in association football.

Did You Know?

• The NHL Plus-Minus Award was first given in the 1982-83 season and last given for the 2007-08 season.
• In basketball, the Houston Rockets used a modified version of plus-minus to evaluate Shane Battier.

Sweden's Triumphant Return to the Top

Sweden claimed their third World Junior Championship title at the 50th edition of the tournament, ending a fourteen-year drought that stretched back to their 2012 victory. In the gold medal game, the Swedish squad outscored Czechia 4–2 to lift the trophy. This milestone edition, running from December 26, 2025, through January 5, 2026, marked a half-century of the prestigious junior ice hockey competition. The Swedish success was underpinned by standout individual performances, with Love Härenstam earning the Best Goaltender honor from the tournament directorate, while Anton Frondell was named Best Forward. The Czech team, despite falling short in the final, produced their own star in Adam Jiříček, who took the Best Defenceman award. The gold medal game's statistics were not yet reflected on the official IIHF website as of January 6, 2026, suggesting the tournament's administrative wrap-up was still in progress.

A Homecoming for the Twin Cities

The 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships marked a notable return to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, a venue that had last hosted the event in 1982. This was the seventh occasion the United States had welcomed the tournament and the first since 2018. Games were split across two arenas: Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul and 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, giving fans in both cities a front-row seat to the action. All match times were listed in local Central Standard Time (UTC−6). The tournament featured ten qualified teams in the Top Division, with Denmark making their return after an absence since 2019, stepping in for Kazakhstan, who had been relegated to Division I, Group A, following their last-place finish in 2025. The IIHF assigned match officials to oversee the competition, ensuring consistent officiating across both venues throughout the preliminary, relegation, and playoff rounds.

Individual Honors and Media Recognition

The tournament's individual awards highlighted a blend of Swedish and Czech excellence. The IIHF directorate selected Love Härenstam as Best Goaltender, Adam Jiříček as Best Defenceman, and Anton Frondell as Best Forward. The media panel's All-Star team told a slightly different story, naming Vojtěch Čihař as the tournament MVP. Härenstam's goaltending honor was echoed by the media, who also placed him at net. The defensive pairing for the media All-Stars consisted of Zayne Parekh and Tomáš Galvas, while the forward line featured Michael Hage, Anton Frondell, and Vojtěch Čihař. Čihař's dual recognition as media MVP alongside Frondell's directoriate nod illustrated how different evaluators weighed contributions. The scoring and goaltending leaderboards tracked standard metrics including games played, goals, assists, points, plus-minus, penalty minutes, time on ice, goals against, save percentage, and shutouts, with goaltending leaders required to have logged at least 40 percent of their team's total ice time.

Tournament Architecture and the Broader Junior Circuit

The 2026 World Junior Championships operated within a multi-tier structure that extended well beyond the Top Division. Eligibility required players to have been born no earlier than 2006, and rosters could include up to 22 skaters and 3 goalkeepers, with a maximum of 20 skaters and 2 goalkeepers dressing for any single game. The playoff bracket featured quarterfinal winners reseeded for the semifinals based on group placement, preliminary-round points, goal differential, goals scored, and original seeding. Beyond the elite group, Division I, Group A, was staged in Bled, Slovenia, from December 7 to 13, 2025, while Division I, Group B, took place in Milan, Italy, from December 8 to 14, 2025. Division II and Division III tournaments followed in early 2026 across Bucharest, Belgrade, Sofia, and Bishkek, underscoring the global reach of junior ice hockey competition.