The 2003 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred as the 2003 World Junior Hockey Championships, was the 27th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The tournament was held in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, from December 26, 2002 to January 5, 2003. Russia won the gold medal for the second consecutive year with a 3–2 victory over Canada in the championship game, while Finland won the bronze medal with a 3–2 victory over the United States.

Dimitri Andreevich Pätzold is a Kazakh-born German professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for EV Landshut of the DEL2. He has also played in the Kontinental Hockey League. Due to his Russian German descent he also holds Russian citizenship. Internationally Pätzold has represented the German national team at several tournaments, including the 2010 Winter Olympics.