In most of the world, hockey means field hockey, where players run around on grass or artificial turf, hitting a small ball with a curved stick. But in North America and much of Europe, hockey usually means ice hockey, played on a frozen rink with skates, a puck, and a lot more padding.
Both sports are called international hockey when players represent their country. And both keep track of records. So here, we will talk about the top 5 youngest goalscorers in international hockey.
Top 5 Youngest Goalscorers In International Hockey History
This list is a combination of both Ice and field hockey:
| Name | Age | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Matvei Michkov | 16 years, 11 months, 2 days | Ice Hockey |
| Safdar Abbas | 16 years | Field Hockey |
| Juraj Slafkovský | 17 years | Ice Hockey |
| Viggo Björck | 18 years, 66 days | Ice Hockey |
| Macklin Celebrini | 19 years | Ice Hockey |
1. Matvei Michkov
Russia’s Matvei Michkov is the youngest player on this entire list. On 11 November 2021, at the Karjala Cup, Michkov made his debut for Russia’s senior men’s national team and scored a goal against Sweden at just 16 years, 11 months and 2 days old.
That beat the previous record held by NHL superstar Alexander Ovechkin, who had debuted for Russia at 17 years, 11 months and 15 days.
Michkov was such a prodigy as a teenager that he had already broken national scoring records at under-16 and under-20 level before this senior call-up ever happened. He was later drafted 7th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft.
2. Safdar Abbas
Safdar Abbas remains one of field hockey’s most famous teenage stories. At the 1973 Hockey World Cup in Amstelveen, Netherlands, the Pakistani forward was given a surprise chance to play in the tournament’s final pool match against Argentina.
He scored, becoming, by most historical accounts, the youngest player and goalscorer in Hockey World Cup history at 16 years old.
Abbas’s fame lived on unexpectedly: decades later, his nephew Sohail Abbas became the highest goalscorer in the history of modern field hockey, and has often said his uncle’s story was what first inspired him to pick up a stick.
3. Juraj Slafkovsky
At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, barely anyone outside Slovakia had heard of 17-year-old Juraj Slafkovsky.
In Slovakia’s very first game of the tournament, a 6-2 loss to Finland, Slafkovsky scored both of his country’s goals, becoming the first 17-year-old to score at the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament since American Eddie Olczyk back in 1984.
He didn’t stop there: by the end of the Games, Slafkovsky had scored 7 goals in 7 games, more than anyone else in the entire tournament, and was named the competition’s Most Valuable Player as Slovakia won its first-ever Olympic ice hockey medal, a bronze.
4. Viggo Bjorck
Fast forward to 17 May 2026, and another teenager was making headlines. Sweden’s Viggo Bjorck came off the bench during a 6-2 win over Denmark at the IIHF World Championship and scored on the power play, becoming, at 18 years and 66 days old, the youngest player ever to score a goal for the Swedish men’s senior national team at a World Championship.
It capped a remarkable few months for Bjorck, who had already become the youngest Swedish player ever to appear at the tournament, breaking a record previously held by NHL first-round pick Leo Carlsson.
5. Macklin Celebrini
On 12 February 2026, in Canada’s opening match against Czechia at the Milano Cortina Games, 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini deflected a Cale Makar shot past the goalkeeper to open the scoring, becoming the youngest Canadian to score an Olympic hockey goal. Celebrini didn’t slow down after that: he finished the tournament as the leading goalscorer as Canada won the silver medal, and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team.
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