The IIHF World Junior Championship may be new to Buffalo, but not to Sabres’ forward Drew Stafford.

Stafford had the privilege of playing in the tournament for two straight years. The forward’s strong play at the University of North Dakota earned him a spot on Team USA in both 2004 and 2005.

“It was a huge deal for me to wear my country’s colors,” says Stafford.  “We had a pretty good team, but at the same time Canada’s always the favorite.  We had such a fun time because we came together and had a blast while winning the whole thing. It was something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Stafford’s first year in the tournament was a memorable one, as he was a part of the American team that defeated Canada 4-3 in the championship game to win its first-ever gold medal.

“It was amazing (to win a gold medal.) We were a very close team and had a lot of fun together, so that was even more important than winning. We really came together as a team and wanted to win it for each other,” said Stafford.

Stafford’s success continued the next year in 2005 as he was named to Team USA’s squad for a second straight year. Stafford had a very solid tournament, contributing seven points in eight games to finish eighth in scoring.

“That was awesome because my second year was in Grand Forks, which is where I played my college hockey in North Dakota,” recalls Stafford.  “It was pretty cool to be at home and defending the gold medal. We had a great turnout because it was close to Winnipeg so a lot of Canadian fans came, but we also had a lot of Americans come as well,”

Team USA made it deep into the tournament again in 2005, but fell short with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game.  Stafford scored a goal in the loss.

Last year, Team USA captured its second gold medal after defeating Canada 6-5 in the finals of the 2010 World Junior Championship. It was a special feeling for Stafford, who watched the Americans celebrate in triumph.

“My two years at the tournament were awesome, so I knew what the guys were going through. It was pretty cool seeing them win last year and beating Canada, who seem to always be the favorite and get the media hype.  The U.S. flew under the radar and stole the medal from them,” he said.

Stafford is looking forward to watching the World Junior Championship in Buffalo later this year and encourages the fans to come out and show support for their country.

“We have such a great hockey market here and our fans are some of the best in the league. I am hoping it’s a good turnout for the Americans and that our fans here can come out and support the tournament because it really is an awesome showcase for future stars.”