It’s been a decade since Jordan Leopold participated in the IIHF World Junior Championship, but the Buffalo Sabres defenseman will always remember the experience.

“It’s quite a long time ago, but it was neat at the time,” recalled Leopold.  “I ended up playing against a lot of guys from different countries and played with a lot of guys from my country, so it was a pretty neat accomplishment.”

Leopold was selected to play for Team USA in 1999 and 2000 based on his performance at the University of Minnesota.  Leopold played for Minnesota in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) from 1998 to 2002, and compiled 12 goals and 99 assists in 164 games.  When Leopold took the ice for the first time donning his country’s colors, he was overwhelmed by the different environment.

“It was a totally different amateur level.  There were a lot of scouts in the stands, and a lot of people were watching.   It’s the future of the NHL three or five years from now.  They’re the best in the world at that age group, so it’s pretty neat,” Leopold said.

In Leopold’s first year playing in the IIHF World Junior Championship, Team USA failed to qualify in the final round of the tournament.  Although Team USA didn’t win as many games as it would have liked, Leopold recalled a specific game of the tournament that he will never forget.

 “My first opportunity was in Winnipeg, Canada.   We ended up beating Canada in the Round Robin, which was a big accomplishment for us at the time because they were the hockey powerhouse.”

Leopold’s continued success at the collegiate level in Minnesota earned him a second trip to the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2000, where he recorded a goal and two assists in seven games to help Team USA advance to the bronze medal game.

“In my second year, we played in the bronze medal game, but we lost in a shootout.  I can’t say it was the highlight for me, but for us to get to a medal game is quite an accomplishment,” said Leopold.  “It set a lot of us up for the NHL.  It was an honor to represent my country and being able to play on that team many years later.”

One of the biggest differences Leopold remembers about the World Juniors was the overwhelming size of the event.  Despite facing the pressure to perform at an early age, Leopold maintained a positive attitude throughout the tournament and encourages this year’s participants to do the same.

“The biggest thing is to not read the papers or get too absorbed in the media hype.  Just have fun because you are representing your country’s colors with pride and go for the medal,” said Leopold. “It’s a fun time, and they will never forget it.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.   Someone because of age may never get a chance to experience anything like this again.  It’s very special to be chosen to play.”

The 2011 World Junior Championship will be played in Buffalo this year, which makes Team USA the host of the event.  Although Leopold is new to the Buffalo Sabres team, he is quite familiar with the fans and is also excited to have the tournament hosted in the city.

“I have played in Buffalo a lot as an opposing player (prior to this season), and I can tell you it’s a fun place to play because there’s a lot of knowledgeable fans who really care about hockey, and that’s what matters.  There are a lot of kids in the area that play hockey and could one day end up on a World Junior team, so it’s special to play here.   Hockey is great around the world, and as long as we can share it with people who love it, that’s what it’s all about,” said Leopold.

As for the event itself, Leopold thinks Western New York is the perfect place for the tournament and hopes to see the local crowd get involved. 

“Buffalo can expect to see a lot of Canadians, but hopefully we get a lot of Americans too because when you look at the Olympics from last year, and the kind of influence your home country has, it is a step in the right direction,” said Leopold.   “I think you’ll see a bigger crowd in Buffalo than in the past U.S. places, which is important.  The last juniors (in the U.S.) were in North Dakota, which was a great place to play, but now you’ll draw a bigger crowd from Ontario, and the world will be watching.”