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Five current Oilers who have won gold at the World Juniors
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Photo credit: Photo by Richard Wolowicz/HHOF-IIHF Images
Sean Panganiban
Dec 26, 2025, 09:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 23, 2025, 13:21 EST
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The U20 World Juniors is always an exciting tournament, featuring some of the best 20-and-under hockey players competing for their countries against other nations, all in the hopes of winning a gold medal during the holiday season.
For many households, it’s a cherished tradition to gather with loved ones, devour Christmas leftovers, and tune into some exciting hockey. Personally, some of my favourites from past World Juniors include watching Jonathan Toews score pressure-packed shootout goals in 2007, former Oiler Jordan Eberle score clutch tallies for Team Canada in 2009, and the former ‘Bison King’ Jesse Puljujärvi dominate the tournament in 2016, becoming the first player from Finland to win MVP honours.
With that in mind, several current Oilers have represented their country at the World Juniors, but only five managed to capture gold, and we dive into their journeys below.

Curtis Lazar Won Gold at the 2015 World Juniors with Team Canada

Oilers’ centerman Curtis Lazar represented Team Canada on several occasions as a teenager, playing at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge, the 2012 U-18 Ivan Hlinka – Gretzky Cup, and the 2014 World Juniors, where Canada finished fourth, with Lazar recording seven points in seven games.
After finishing fourth in 2014, Lazar received a huge honour at the 2015 World Juniors, having been selected as team captain, with Sam Reinhart and Connor McDavid serving as alternates.
That said, he connected on goals with future Oilers teammate McDavid on several occasions, including in the quarterfinal, where Lazar converted off of a pass from McDavid en route to an 8–0 win over Denmark.
Canada beat Slovakia in the semifinals and faced a tough Russian squad in the gold medal game, defeating them in a 5-4 thriller. After winning the gold medal, Team Canada’s captain, Lazar, reflected on the camaraderie with his teammates, saying:
“The unity and the chemistry we have in the dressing room. I mean, everyone got along. Myself being captain, I take it upon myself to bring everyone together. I joined the camp late, but by that time, everyone was a part of it; that’s big. You go on the ice, you’re playing for each other.”
Overall, Lazar finished the 2015 World Juniors sixth in points with nine in seven games, scored one game-winning goal, and played a strong two-way game, finishing with a +8 plus/minus.

Connor McDavid Won Gold at the 2015 World Juniors with Team Canada

Hockey fans got to witness Connor McDavid’s signature moment while representing Team Canada, when he scored the game-winning overtime goal in the gold medal game against Team U.S.A at the Four Nations Face-Off last February.
But well before he helped Team Canada win their latest gold medal, the Oilers’ captain represented his nation multiple times. At the 2013 U18 World Championships, he set a Canadian record with an incredible 22 points (eight goals and 14 assists).
The following year, at just 16 years old, he earned a spot on Team Canada at the U20 World Juniors, becoming the sixth-youngest player in tournament history to represent Canada. That placed him in elite company alongside Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros, Jason Spezza, Jay Bouwmeester, and Sidney Crosby, and he finished the tournament with one goal and three assists in a third-place finish.
Yet, he made an even bigger impact with Team Canada at the 2015 World Juniors, hosted on home ice with games split between Toronto and Montreal, skating alongside Nic Petan and his now-Oilers teammate Lazar, where the young phenom showed the hockey world why he was on track to become hockey’s next superstar.
McDavid had many highlight-reel moments during the 2015 World Juniors, but two of the best were when he turned on the jets against Denmark in the preliminary round, blew past two defenders for a stunning goal, and in the gold medal game against Russia, the future Oiler split the defence for another breakaway, slipping the puck five-hole past the goaltender to help Team Canada win 5-4.
All in all, McDavid tied for third in points at the 2015 World Juniors, led all players with eight assists, and played a key role in helping Team Canada win the gold medal, all while earning a spot on the tournament All-Star Team.

Darnell Nurse Won Gold at the 2015 World Juniors With Team Canada

Darnell Nurse was selected to be a shutdown defender on Team Canada’s blue line at the 2015 World Juniors, getting his first taste of being teammates with McDavid before the two later suited up for the Oilers.
Nurse was an absolute force on the back end for Team Canada. He finished the tournament with a goal and an impressive +8 rating. Moreover, his impact was at its peak in the final game against the Russians, where he put on a defensive clinic, delivering big hits and shutting down the cycle, and was named Team Canada’s Player of the Game, helping his team win 5-4 in an exciting win on home ice.
Overall, the Hamilton, ON native was heavily relied on to play important minutes in crucial situations for Team Canada, and here’s another impressive feat — he wasn’t on the ice for a single even-strength goal the entire tournament. Ultimately, Nurse was named one of the team’s three best players for the tournament, along with Max Domi and Reinhart.

Kapanen Won Gold at the 2016 World Juniors With Team Finland

Oilers fans got a firsthand look at Kapanen’s clutch gene last playoffs. The Kuopio, Finland native scored the lone goal in a 1-0 overtime win in Game 5 over the Vegas Golden Knights, sending his team to the Western Conference Final, but his knack for scoring clutch goals traces back to the 2016 World Juniors.
The Oilers forward was part of a stacked Team Finland at the 2016 World Juniors, playing alongside the likes of Patrik Laine, Sebastian Aho, and Mikko Rantanen, with the tournament held in their home country of Finland.
Team Finland defeated Canada 6-5 in the quarterfinals and beat Sweden 4-3 in the semifinals, setting up a showdown with Russia in the gold medal game.
Russia scored with just six seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime, and in OT, Kapanen emerged as the hero, deking two defenders, wrapping around the net, and putting home the game-winning goal, kicking off celebrations in Finland.
The win marked Finland’s fourth-ever gold medal at the World Juniors, and the undeniable saviour of the gold medal game, Kapanen, said during the postgame celebration, “Everything’s so blurry.” He added, “So excited and in shock at the same time.” Overall, Kapanen finished the tournament with five points in seven games and cemented himself as a Finnish hero with his OT winner.

Jack Roslovic Won Gold at 2017 World Juniors with Team U.S.A

Before 2017, Oilers’ forward Jack Roslovic had won gold medals with Team U.S.A. on two prior occasions, one at the 2014 U-17 Hockey Challenge and the other at the 2015 World U18 Championships and was looking to add his third gold while representing his nation at the 2017 World Juniors, which were played in Montreal and Toronto.
The 2017 Team U.S.A. World Juniors squad was stacked with talent and featured future NHL stars like Clayton Keller, Troy Terry, Tage Thompson, and Adam Fox. That said, Roslovic and his teammates steamrolled their way to the Finals, winning their first six games before taking on Team Canada in the gold-medal game.
In the winner-take-all game against Team Canada, the Americans overcame two two-goal deficits, tying the game late in the third period to force overtime. The game eventually went to a shootout, where Terry scored the winning goal, securing a 5-4 shootout victory over the Canadians.
With his team winning the 2017 World Juniors, Roslovic added his third gold medal while representing his country, recording two assists in seven games. That said, both of those helpers came in a preliminary game against Slovakia, in which he was named U.S. Player of the Game.

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