Former NHLer Kieffer Bellows looks back at all-time American World Junior goal-scoring record

This story appeared on hockeysverige.se this week and has been translated from Swedish to English.

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The World Junior Championship holds a special place in Kieffer Bellows’ heart.

In fact, it’s hard to say whether anyone has been part of as many classic World Junior moments as Bellows.

Bellows competed in two World Junior tournaments, with the highlight being his gold medal in 2017 with the United States. The following year, a star-studded American team was eliminated by an equally star-studded Swedish squad in the semifinals. The American roster had names like Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes, Brady Tkachuk, Jeremy Swayman and Jake Oettinger. Despite that, the U.S. had to settle for bronze.

Bellows, however, stole the headlines at both tournaments.

“I’m so jealous of all the guys who are going there to play the World Juniors now,” the 27-year-old told Hockey Sverige. “Especially because they’re playing in my hometown (St. Paul, Minnesota). I really wish I could experience that again. But I’m also grateful for what I got to experience. I played one tournament in Toronto and Montreal, and one in Buffalo. We have ‘Petey’ (Brynäs teammate and Anaheim Ducks prospect Lucas Pettersson) there now, and I’ve told him to really enjoy it. I truly wish I could play the World Juniors again.”

Back in 2017, Bellows was selected in the first round of the NHL Draft by the New York Islanders. He made the U.S. team in 2017 as an 18-year-old – a group that included Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, Troy Terry, Fox, Charlie McAvoy, and Luke Kunin as its most prominent stars. Bellows went scoreless throughout the tournament until the final in Montreal against Canada.

The teams had also met in the group stage, where the U.S. came out on top. This time, Canada was out for revenge. They jumped out to a 2–0 lead—but then Bellows entered the story.

“It was exactly the kind of game you dream about,” Bellows said. “Everything was perfect. We’re playing Canada in the final, at the Bell Centre, it’s sold out, and the atmosphere is incredible. We’re down 2–0, but we come back to 2–2 after I score a power-play goal. Then they pull away to 4–2, before I get an amazing pass from Charlie McAvoy and make it 4–3. Then we tie it 4–4 as well (Colin White), and the game goes to a shootout.”

It turned into a thrilling classic, with the U.S. ultimately emerging victorious.

“Tyler Parsons stepped up in goal and Troy Terry became our big shootout hero,” Bellows remarked. “That’s a special memory I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Everyone on that team shares a special bond, and there are many guys I’m still in touch with today.”

That was a pretty star-studded team, to say the least.

“We had so many incredibly talented players, and a lot of guys from that team have gone on to have amazing careers. I’m grateful and lucky to have been part of it.”

What made it all even more special for Bellows was that it was Canada on the other side. Kieffer’s father, Brian, is a prominent Canadian hockey star who won the Canada Cup in 1985. He also played three World Championships wearing the Maple Leaf.

“Both my parents were there for that game,” he said. “It was special having them in the stands. And yes, my dad is Canadian at heart. He always has been and always will be. But he told me that as long as I was playing, he would cheer for my team. Playing that game in Canada made it extra special. There’s always a strong rivalry between the countries, and that was definitely amplified by the fact that the game was played in Montreal.”

That year, Bellows was an underager with a smaller role. The following year, he was expected to lead the American offense.

“I remember that year so clearly. (Current US WJC coach) Bob Motzko was our coach, and he pulled me and a few others aside and told us we were going to take on leadership roles. We were the ones who were supposed to make the difference.”

And make a difference he did. Bellows wrote himself into American hockey history by scoring nine (!) goals in seven games, breaking Jeremy Roenick’s 30-plus-year tournament record of eight goals.

“Nine goals is impressive, but I would trade that for another gold medal any day of the week,” he said with a crooked smile. “To be honest, I didn’t even know there was a record to break at the time. I just wanted to help the team. But after I broke the record (in the bronze medal game), I got a text from Jeremy Roenick congratulating me. That’s something I’ll always remember. Now I can reflect on how special it was, but I still would have preferred another gold.”

HS: Do you know how many players have scored more goals than you in a single World Junior tournament in the 2000s?
KB: “No, no idea.”

HS: None. You’re tied with Connor Bedard, Kirill Kaprizov and Max Friberg at nine goals.
HB: “Wow, that’s great company to be in. I’m happy about that.”

The American gold dreams were crushed in the semifinals, where Sweden went on a powerful run within a few minutes in the third period. One goal in particular stands out in Bellows’ memory. It was scored by Axel Jonsson-Fjällby, who is now his teammate at Brynäs.

“It was a really tough game,” Bellows said. “They had a great team, so we knew it would be a challenge, and they played very well and made things difficult for us. They had strong goaltending, and then they decided the game with a shorthanded goal. I remember both him (Jonsson-Fjällby) and the goal. He entered the offensive zone, cut inside from the wing and shot. I was on the ice when it happened.”

HS: Has he brought that goal up with you?
KB: “(Laughs) Luckily, he hasn’t. Not yet, at least.”

The tournament in Buffalo also featured one of the most iconic World Junior games of all time: the outdoor matchup between the U.S. and Canada at New Era Field, played in front of more than 44,000 spectators. The game ended 3–3 after regulation and went to a shootout—just like the final the year before. And just like in that final, Bellows played a decisive role. He scored once in regulation, and then tallied the shootout winner.

“It was an absolutely unbelievable game,” Bellows said. “Canada led 2–0. Again. But we came back—again. And won in a shootout—again. This time, Jake Oettinger was outstanding in goal. We had so many great players on that team.. It was surreal. There were 40,000 people cheering for Team USA at a junior game. We didn’t really know what to expect, even though we’d heard the crowd would be good. But we never could have imagined it would be like that. It was incredible, and you could feel the crowd throughout the entire game.”

Bellows’ heroics aside, the game is perhaps best remembered for the massive snowfall that caused long delays.

“I remember it so clearly. We went out for warmups and the sky was completely blue, sunny—just a perfect day. I thought the light might be difficult to deal with. Then we went back into the locker room and came out again to play—and there was this insane snowfall. It was just like the 2008 Winter Classic. I watched that game at home and remember it vividly, and this was identical.”

There’s no doubt the 27-year-old will be following the tournament on TV eight years after playing in it himself.

“(Shakes his head) Has it really been that long? That’s incredible. I’ll definitely be getting up to watch some games. ‘Petey’ told me we’re playing Sweden on New Year’s Eve, so I’ll absolutely be watching that one. I know Sweden has some really good players, so it’ll be a great game.

“The whole tournament is just so special. It’s the future of the NHL on display.”

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