It’s a busy week for the Regina Pats with four Western Hockey League (WHL) games on the schedule, but there will be plenty of attention focused 4,000 kilometres to the east.

That’s because the team’s two top prospects, Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue, will be wearing the Maple Leaf with Canada White at the 2025 U17 World Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia.

This year’s tournament puts the spotlight on some of the best 2009-born players from around the world, but that’s what makes Schultz and Pue special – both have 2010 birthdays, making them the only 15-year-olds among the 44 Canadians who made the trip to Truro.

(To put their age in context for the average Canadian hockey fan, Pue was born 12 days before Sidney Crosby scored the Golden Goal in Vancouver, while Schultz came along 15 days after the memorable marker.)

Since Canada went to a national under-17 team format in 2014, only five other underagers have cracked the rosters – Joe Veleno (2015), Matthew Savoie (2019), Shane Wright (2019), Michael Misa (2022) and Landon DuPont (2024). And only Savoie – like Schultz and Pue – was not granted exceptional status to play Major Junior hockey as a 15-year-old.

So the expectations are high, not that that’s anything new for the Pats’ dynamic duo.

“We’ve just got to put all that stuff aside, try not to worry about it too much,” Pue says. “And we’ve just got to play. Maddox has to play his game. I have to play my game. We just have to focus on the game, in the moment. Try not to worry too much about all the outside noise and just do our best.”

“There's going to be pressure all the time, right? The biggest thing is handling it,” Schultz adds. “I think I've been doing a really good job with that, just doing some different exercises mentally and always going back to what I'm capable of.”

Schultz has been showing what he is capable of for the last few seasons, and it’s exactly why he finds himself on the East Coast.

After racking up 63 goals and 134 points in just 27 games in U15 AA during the 2023-24 season, Schultz made the jump to the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League (SMU18AAAHL) last year as a 14-year-old with the Regina Pat Canadians.

All he did in the SMU18AAAHL was lead the league in scoring with 93 points (43-50—93) in 44 games and help the Pat Canadians claim league and regional titles before posting nine goals and 20 points in a seven-games-in-seven-days marathon at the TELUS Cup, scoring the overtime winner in the gold medal game to give Regina its record-tying fifth U18 Men’s National Club Championship.

His hometown Pats unsurprisingly made him the first-overall selection in the WHL Prospects Draft in May, but they opened eyes two picks later by trading three first-rounders to the Kelowna Rockets for the right to draft Pue.

The pair had some familiarity with each other through camps put on by their shared representation, but they’ve become fast friends in the early weeks of the 2025-26 season.

Since they can’t play full-time schedules in the WHL until next year (both have appeared in eight early-season games), Pue, a product of Langley, B.C., made the move to the Prairies and joined Schultz with the Pat Canadians.

“After the Pats traded up for me, it was trying to figure out what U18 team I'm going to be with,” Pue says. “It would have been difficult if we were going back and forth [to Langley]. So the Pat Canadians were our best option. The Pats helped us, and it was an easy decision because it just saves me from all the travel.”

So far, the partnership has been a positive one – the duo is one-two in SMU18AAAHL scoring, with Schultz (15-12—27 in nine games) three points up on Pue (7-17—24 in eight games), and Regina sits atop the standings with 11 wins from 12 games.

Now their chemistry has come to the Maritimes.

“It’s someone to bounce things off,” Schultz says of having a familiar face along for the ride. “Coming to something like [the U17 World Challenge] and not really knowing a ton of guys, it helps having some familiarity. So just having him here and both of us having the opportunity to compete for a gold medal is great.”

And at the end of the day, that’s what this experience is all about – the opportunity to wear the Team Canada jersey for the first time and hopefully return to Regina with a gold medal.

Canadian teams have won the last two editions of the U17 World Challenge, and Schultz and Pue are both firmly focused on a three-peat.

“Win a gold medal,” Schultz says of the goal for the week. “I think that sets the bar high, but in a tournament like this, that's what we need to do. I think we have a good group and a tight group.”

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the 44 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada Red and Canada White at the 2025 U17 World Challenge, set for Nov. 2-8 at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro, Nova Scotia.

The rosters were selected by head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON) and Mike Johnston (Dartmouth, NS/Portland, WHL), U17 lead with the POE management group.

Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, and Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, also provided input, along with regional scouts Pierre Cholette (Quebec), Scott Grieve (Ontario), Jared Power (West), Rob Simpson (Ontario) and Darren Sutherland (Atlantic).

U17 directors of operations Dave Drinkill (Elmvale, ON/Saginaw, OHL) and Dylan Seca (Sunridge, ON/Sarnia, OHL) provided additional support.

All 44 players have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League (CHL) teams, including 19 from the Western Hockey League (WHL), 17 from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and eight from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

“We are incredibly proud to announce the 44 athletes who will represent Canada at the U17 World Challenge next month in Truro,” said Millar. “This is an important step in their development and a tremendous opportunity to compete at the international level. We believe we have assembled two strong teams that will compete to defend our back-to-back gold medals.”

The 2025 U17 World Challenge kicks off on Nov. 2, with Canada Red taking on Finland at 3:30 p.m. AT and Canada White facing off against Sweden at 7:30 p.m. AT. Teams will play two preliminary-round games before the medal round, which concludes on Nov. 8 with the medal games. The event will also feature pre-tournament games in Truro, Amherst and Wolfville on Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. AT.

All tournament games will be available via livestream on HNLive.ca.

 TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the medal games; check local listings for details. 

Fans looking to secure their seat to watch the top under-17 players from five countries can purchase a variety of ticket options, including full-event packages, weekend packages, family packages and single-game tickets at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.

More than 2,000 NHL draft picks have suited up since the inception of the U17 World Challenge (previously known as the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and Quebec Esso Cup) in 1986, including 18 first-overall draft picks since 2001 (Ilya Kovalchuk, 2001; Rick Nash, 2002; Marc-André Fleury, 2003; Alexander Ovechkin, 2004; Erik Johnson, 2006; Patrick Kane, 2007; John Tavares, 2009; Taylor Hall, 2010, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 2011; Nathan MacKinnon, 2013; Aaron Ekblad, 2014; Connor McDavid, 2015; Auston Matthews, 2016; Jack Hughes, 2019; Alexis Lafrenière, 2020; Owen Power, 2021; Macklin Celebrini, 2024; Matthew Schaefer, 2025).

For more information on Hockey Canada and the U17 World Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has unveiled the schedules and ticket package details for the 2025 editions of the U17 World Challenge, U18 Women’s National Championship, Para Cup and Junior A World Challenge.

“We are excited to unveil the schedules for our four fall events that will happen across Canada in November and December, and to provide an opportunity for fans to secure their tickets to watch some of the top players compete in incredible communities,” said Dean McIntosh, senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact for Hockey Canada. “These are exciting events for participants and fans alike, and we are grateful for the commitment of our host committees, volunteers, community leaders and Members who help us create world-class experiences for everyone involved.”

The U17 World Challenge returns to Nova Scotia for the first time since 2014, with Truro set to host at the 2,500-seat Rath Eastlink Community Centre from Nov. 2-8. Six teams – Canada Red, Canada White, Czechia, Finland, Sweden and the United States – will be split into two groups and will each play two preliminary-round games before the medal round. The event will also feature pre-tournament games in Truro, Amherst and Wolfville on Oct. 31.

For the first time in tournament history, the U18 Women’s National Championship will be held in Newfoundland and Labrador. Eight teams consisting of the top under-18 players in Canada – Alberta, Atlantic, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario Blue, Ontario Red, Quebec and Saskatchewan – will compete for gold at Glacier Arena in Mount Pearl and CBS Arena in Conception Bay South from Nov. 2-8.

The Para Cup is set to return to British Columbia for the first time since the inaugural event in 2007, with Dawson Creek hosting at the 4,500-seat Ovintiv Event Centre from Nov. 30-Dec. 6. Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will take on China, Czechia and the United States as it looks to secure its first gold medal at the event since 2013.

The Junior A World Challenge will head to Quebec for the first time when Trois-Rivières plays host at the 4,390-seat Colisée Vidéotron, set for Dec. 7-13. The four-team tournament will feature Canada East, Canada West, Sweden and the United States, with each team playing three preliminary-round games before the tournament wraps up with the bronze and gold medal games on Dec. 13. The event will also feature pre-tournament games, with matchups and locations to be announced in the coming weeks.

Full-event ticket packages for the U17 World Challenge, U18 Women’s National Championship, Para Cup and Junior A World Challenge are on sale now and can be purchased at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.

Hockey Canada and the local organizing committees of the 2025 Para Cup and 2025 Junior A World Challenge are currently looking to fill volunteer positions for both events. Individuals that are interested in creating a world-class experience for players and fans alike are encouraged to CLICK HERE to learn more about Hockey Canada’s volunteer program or visit the individual event pages to apply now.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will air select tournament games, with broadcast details to be announced at a later date. Tournament games not being broadcast by TSN and RDS will be available via livestream.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has invited 119 players to participate in two of its Program of Excellence summer camps, including Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp and Canada’s national under-17 development camp.

“We are excited to kick off a new season by announcing the 119 players that will attend camps in Oakville this month,” said Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), general manager of the Program of Excellence. “Our under-18 selection camp provides us with an opportunity to evaluate players and select a roster that we believe will give us the best chance to defend our gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Our under-17 camp is an opportunity to introduce athletes to the Program of Excellence and allow them to compete against other top players in Canada while we begin evaluating and preparing for the U17 World Challenge this fall.”

As part of Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp, 40 players—four goaltenders, 12 defencemen and 24 forwards—have been invited to compete for a chance to represent Canada at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, set for Aug. 11-16 in Brno, Czechia, and Trencin, Slovakia. The camp roster includes six players who won gold at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship (Carels, Di Iorio, Edwards, Lin, Rudolph, Verhoeff), while 34 played for Canada Red or Canada White at the 2024 U17 World Challenge.

The selection camp, set for July 29-Aug. 1 at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ontario, will include a pair of Red-White games on July 31 and Aug. 1. Following camp, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will practice at MET Arena in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, from Aug. 3-6. It will take on Hungary’s national under-20 team on Aug. 7 in Budapest and Slovakia on Aug. 9 at Easton Arena in Piestany as part of its pre-tournament schedule.

The player selection process was led by Millar, with support from Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, QC/Drummondville QMJHL), who serves as the U18 lead with the Program of Excellence management group, head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, and Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations.

On the under-17 side, 79 players—eight goaltenders, 23 defencemen and 48 forwards—will take the ice at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex as part of Canada’s national under-17 development camp, set for July 19-23. All 79 players have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League (CHL) teams (30 from the OHL, 27 from the WHL and 22 from the QMJHL).

The selection process was led by Millar and Bonora, with assistance from Mike Johnston (Dartmouth, NS/Portland, WHL), who guides the U17 program as part of the POE management group. Roy and Salmond also supported the process. Players will continue to be evaluated through the beginning of the 2025-26 season in preparation for the 2025 U17 World Challenge, scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 8 in Truro, Nova Scotia.

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team and Canada’s national under-17 program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the coaching and support staffs that will lead Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team in defence of its gold medal at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as well as Canada’s national under-17 teams through the 2025 U17 World Challenge.

After leading Canada White to a gold medal as head coach at the 2024 U17 World Challenge and helping Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team to a gold medal as an assistant at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, Mathieu Turcotte (Kirkland, QC) will take the reins as head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team. He will be joined by associate coach Travis Crickard (St. John’s, NL/Saint John, QMJHL) and assistant coach Rick Steadman (London, ON/London, OHL), as well as goaltending consultant Antoine Samuel (Lac-Etchemin, QC/Moncton, QMJHL) and video coach Jonathan Deschênes (Québec, QC/Sherbrooke, QMJHL).

“We are excited to announce the coaching and support staffs that will lead our National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team through selection camp and at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup,” said Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), general manager of the Program of Excellence. “We are confident their Canadian Hockey League experience, in addition to their backgrounds in international tournaments, will help build and lead a team ready to compete in August.”

Turcotte spent the past two seasons (2023-25) as head coach of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Prior to joining the Armada, he served as head coach of the Blizzard du Séminaire Saint-François of the Ligue de hockey M18 AAA du Québec, winning a national title at the 2023 Men’s U18 National Club Championship. He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs (2019-22) and six seasons with the LHM18AAAQ’s Chevaliers de Lévis as an assistant coach (2008-10) and GM/head coach (2015-19). Turcotte was also an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs (2010-12) and Chicoutimi Saguenéens (2012-14). 

Crickard recently completed his third season as the head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and was promoted to general manager in October 2024. He also spent time with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Ottawa 67’s (2013-14) and Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Kelowna Rockets (2014-19). Crickard has won three gold medals with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the IIHF U18 World Championship, twice as an assistant coach (2024, 2025) and once as video coach (2021). He also won a silver medal as head coach of Canada Red at the 2024 U17 World Challenge. Crickard was an assistant coach for Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, finishing fourth and was a member of the Canada Black staff at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge as video coach (2016)—winning a silver medal—and assistant coach in 2017.

Steadman has been an assistant coach with the OHL’s London Knights since the 2014-15 season, helped guide the Knights to two Memorial Cup championships (2016, 2025) and three OHL championships (2016, 2024, 2025). Steadman previously held various coaching positions with the U18 AAA Gold Mavericks at the Ontario Hockey Academy. Internationally, he was an assistant coach with Canada Black at the 2023 U17 World Challenge.

For a full list of staff for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please click here.

Canada will open the preliminary round of the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Finland on Aug. 11 at 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT. It will also take on Switzerland and Czechia on Aug. 12 and Aug. 13, respectively, before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 16. Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will play pre-tournament games in Budapest against Hungary’s national under-20 team on Aug. 7 and in Piestany against Slovakia on Aug. 9.

On the under-17 side, Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert, SK/Prince Albert, WHL) and Scott Barney (Oshawa, ON/Sudbury, OHL) will serve as head coaches of Canada Red and Canada White, respectively, at the 2025 U17 World Challenge.

Joining McDonald on Canada Red is assistant coaches Mathieu Gravel (Longueuil, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL) and Brendan Taylor (Oakville, ON/Sault Ste. Marie, OHL), as well as goaltending consultant Jeff Harvey (St. Albert, AB/Saskatoon, WHL) and video coach Enrick Corneau (Chicoutimi, QC/Chicoutimi, QMJHL).

On Canada White, Barney will be joined by assistant coaches Kyle Chipchura (Westlock, AB/Edmonton, WHL) and Joël Perrault (Montréal, QC/Rimouski, QMJHL), as well as video coach Alex Darling (Chelsea, QC/Peterborough, OHL).

“As the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, we are thrilled with the coaching staff we have assembled from across the CHL to help introduce our players to the program,” added Millar. “They all bring a unique skill set and are committed to the development of players on and off the ice, which we know will help set a strong foundation for future success within our program.”

McDonald was named head coach of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in May after finishing the 2024-25 season as the interim head coach. He also served as an assistant coach with the Raiders for parts of five seasons (2020-25). McDonald won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada White at the 2024 U17 World Challenge and won silver as an assistant with Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. He also spent four seasons with the Warman Wildcats AAA program at both the U15 and U18 levels.

Barney recently completed his first season as head coach of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. Prior to joining Sudbury, he spent six seasons with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Humboldt Broncos, joining the club as an assistant coach in 2018 before being promoted to head coach midway through the season. In 2019, Barney also assumed the role of general manager. Barney led the Broncos to six straight playoff appearances and two division titles, finishing with a record of 169-71-15. Internationally, he guided Canada West to a gold medal as head coach at the 2023 World Junior A Challenge. He was also an assistant coach for Canada West in 2019.

Chipchura just wrapped up his second season with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Chipchura took on the role of assistant coach this season after serving as a development coach in 2023-24. Prior to joining the Oil Kings, Chipchura spent two seasons with the Northern Alberta Xtreme of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL), serving as head coach of the U17 Prep team following one season as an assistant coach with the U15 Prep team.

Gravel recently finished his third season as assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs in his second stint with the team. In his return, he helped the Voltigeurs capture the Gilles-Courteau Trophy as QMJHL champions in 2024. He previously spent one season with Drummondville as an assistant coach in 2016-17. Prior to his return to Drummondville, Gravel was an assistant coach with Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (2017-2022), winning the U SPORTS national championship in 2022. He also held head coaching positions in the Ligue de Hockey Préparatoire Scolaire (U15) and LHM18AAAQ. Internationally, Gravel won a silver medal with Canada Red at the 2018 U17 World Challenge, and he has also served as a skills coach for the U17 program (2016-18).

Perrault recently completed his second season as head coach of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic. Perrault guided the Océanic to a berth in the QMJHL Final before the hosts were eliminated from playoff contention at the 2025 Memorial Cup. Perrault held various coaching roles from 2016-23 in Quebec at the U15, Espoir and U18 levels, including earning LHM18AAAQ Coach of the Year honours with the Saint-Eustache Vikings during the 2022-23 season.

Taylor has spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Prior to joining the Greyhounds, Taylor spent six seasons with the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads as an assistant coach (2017-22) after serving as video coach in 2016-17. Taylor was also an assistant coach with the Oakville Blades in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL).

For a full list of staff for Canada’s national under-17 teams, please click here. 

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team and Canada’s national under-17 program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the four Canadian Hockey League (CHL) general managers that will comprise the Program of Excellence (POE) management group for the 2025-26 season.

Mike Johnston (Dartmouth, NS/Portland, WHL) makes his POE management group debut, guiding the under-17 program through the 2025 U17 World Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia, while Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL) returns for his second-consecutive year to lead the under-18 program. Dave Brown (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON/Erie, OHL) will also join the POE management group in an advisory role, providing overall support to all three programs through the 2025-26 season. Johnston, Lemay and Brown join Mark Hunter (Petrolia, ON/London, OHL), who was recently announced as the management group lead for Canada’s National Junior Team.

The management group was selected by Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations.

“Mike, Yanick, Mark and Dave will provide a wealth of knowledge throughout our Program of Excellence from their vast Canadian Hockey League and international experience,” said Millar. “We are tremendously grateful for their commitment to Hockey Canada’s under-17, under-18 and under-20 programs and are looking forward to their contributions to Canada’s success in international play this season.”

Johnston served as an assistant coach for Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship and has been senior vice-president and general manager of the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for 13 seasons (2009-12, 2013-14, 2016-25). He recently stepped down as head coach after 12 seasons (2009-12, 2013-14, 2016-24), winning U.S. Division Executive of the Year and Coach of the Year awards in 2023-24. Johnston is one of just 11 head coaches in WHL history to win 500 games and he led the Winterhawks to seven-consecutive 40-win seasons. He has also served as an assistant (1999-2003) and associate coach (2003-04) with the Vancouver Canucks, an associate coach with the Los Angeles Kings (2005-08) and head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins (2014-16). Johnston coached Canada’s National Men’s Team from 1994-99, winning two gold medals (1997, 2007), two silver (1996, 2008) and one bronze (1995) at the IIHF World Championship. He also won gold at three IIHF World Junior Championships (1994, 1995, 1996) as an assistant coach, was an assistant at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games and head coach at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championship, and won the Spengler Cup in 1993.

Lemay returns to the POE management group for the second-straight season, leading the under-18 program, after helping guide Canada White and Canada Red to gold and silver, respectively, at the 2024 U17 World Challenge. He is entering his third season as general manager of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Last season, Lemay helped the Voltigeurs to an 86-point season and finished atop the QMJHL Central Division. Prior to joining Drummondville, he served as an amateur scout with the Winnipeg Jets for 12 seasons (2011-23), was head scout of the QMJHL’s Junior de Montréal for three seasons (2008-11) and spent 10 seasons with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles as a scout (1998-2002) and head scout (2002-08).

Brown returns to the POE management group for a third-straight season after helping lead Canada to gold medals at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship, and assisting Canada White to gold at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. He is currently in his eleventh season (2015-25) as general manager of the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after serving four seasons (2011-15) as director of hockey operations with the team. He helped lead Erie to an OHL championship in 2017 and contributed to a CHL record of four-consecutive 50-win seasons (2011-15). Prior to joining the Otters, Brown spent seven seasons with the Mississauga/Niagara IceDogs, serving as assistant general manager (2003-05) and general manager (2005-10).

The management group will work alongside Salmond, Millar, Roy and POE head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), as well as the organization’s hockey operations staff. Day-to-day operations for the POE management group include assisting in coach and player selections, supporting the coaching staffs and providing input during camps and tournaments throughout the season.

The Program of Excellence is overseen by Katherine Henderson (Thunder Bay, ON), Hockey Canada’s president and chief executive officer; Misha Donskov (Montréal, QC), vice-president of hockey operations and men’s national teams coach; Salmond; Millar; Roy; Dan MacKenzie (Guelph, ON), CHL president; Bryan Crawford (Hamilton, ON), OHL commissioner; Mario Cecchini (Saint-Lambert, QC), QMJHL commissioner; and Dan Near (Markham, ON), WHL commissioner.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

After another successful NHL Draft, one thing remains clear – no country develops hockey players quite like Canada.

In total, more than one-third of the players who had their names called in Los Angeles – 85 of 224 – hail from north of the 49th parallel.

The list features representation from 10 Members, and 27 who have worn the Maple Leaf in international competition.

The red-and-white run started from the very top, with Matthew Schaefer going No. 1 to the New York Islanders – the first of 19 first-round selections (the most since 2020). The Hamilton, Ontario, native already has a trophy case to be envious of – he has won gold at the Canada Winter Games (scoring the overtime winner in the gold medal game), World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, IIHF U18 World Championship and Hlinka Gretzky Cup, serving as captain at the first, second and last of those triumphs.

He also cracked the Canadian lineup for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording a goal and an assist in two games before a broken collarbone prematurely ended his tournament.

Michael Misa followed quickly behind Schaefer, going second overall to the San Jose Sharks; the Mississauga product owns gold from the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and silver from the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, earning both medals as an underager. Misa, who was granted exceptional status to play in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) in 2022-23, led all CHL scorers this season with 134 points (62-72—134) in 65 games with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.

In all, Canadians were four of the first five picks (for the first time since 2014), seven of the first 10 (for the second year in a row) and 15 of the first 20 (for the first time since 1994).

The list of first-rounders included a number of 2024-25 gold medallists: five from the 2025 U18 Men’s Worlds (Cootes, Kindel, Martin, Nesbitt, Smith) and nine from the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Cootes, Desnoyers, Kindel, Martin, O’Brien, Reid, Reschny, Schaefer, Smith).

The CHL was well represented among the Canadian contingent; 79 of the 85 players selected were products of CHL programs, from 42 different teams – led by four each from the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads and Kitchener Rangers. The Ontario Hockey League led the way with 35 picks, followed by the Western Hockey League with 27 and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League with 17.

CANADIAN PLAYERS DRAFTED – BY MEMBER

Ontario Hockey Federation (32) – Kashawn Aitcheson, Lirim Amidovski, David Bedkowski, Trenten Bennett, Jordan Charron, Gabe Chiarot, Ethan Czata, Francesco Dell’Elce, Kieran Dervin, Rylan Fellinger, Owen Griffin, Matthew Hlacar, Tyler Hopkins, Jack Ivankovic, Aidan Lane, Jimmy Lombardi, Andrew McNiel, Brady Martin, Porter Martone, Marco Mignosa, Michael Misa, Shamar Moses, Jack Nesbitt, Jake O’Brien, Charlie Pacquette, Evan Passmore, Noah Read, Cameron Reid, Luca Romano, Matthew Schaefer, Grant Spada, Malcolm Spence

Hockey Quebec (15) – Anthony Allain-Samaké, Lucas Beckman, Justin Carbonneau, Alexis Cournoyer, Gabriel D’Aigle, Caleb Desnoyers, Émile Guité, Alex Huang, Noah Laberge, Jérémy Loranger, Alexis Mathieu, Samuel Meloche, Mateo Nobert, Nathan Quinn, Bill Zonnon

Hockey Alberta (12) – Nathan Behm, Braeden Cootes, Ashton Cumby, Kale Dach, Aiden Foster, Max Heise, Justin Kipkie, Carter Klippenstein, Ryan Miller, Bryce Pickford, Jackson Smith, Luke Vlooswyk

BC Hockey (7) – Shea Busch, Ben Kindel, Tommy Lafrenière, Lynden Lakovic, Joshua Ravensbergen, Cameron Schmidt, Will Sharpe

Hockey Manitoba (7) – Carter Bear, Matthew Gard, Burke Hood, Peyton Kettles, Owen Martin, Hayden Papaneukis, Brady Turko

Hockey Eastern Ontario (5) – Quinn Beauchesne, Jacob Cloutier, Parker Holmes, Harry Nansi, Grayden Robertson-Palmer

Hockey Nova Scotia (2) – Cole Chandler, Brady Peddle

Hockey P.E.I. (2) – Will Murphy, Dawson Sharkey

Hockey Saskatchewan (2) – Roger McQueen, Cole Reschny

Hockey New Brunswick (1) – Will Reynolds

CANADIAN PLAYERS DRAFTED – BY INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

2025 National Men’s Team – Porter Martone

2025 National Junior Team – Jack Ivankovic, Porter Martone, Matthew Schaefer

2025 National Men’s Under-18 Team (gold medal) – Quinn Beauchesne, Lucas Beckman, Braeden Cootes, Matthew Gard, Burke Hood, Tyler Hopkins, Alex Huang, Jack Ivankovic, Ben Kindel, Brady Martin, Jack Nesbitt, Cole Reschny, Cameron Schmidt, Jackson Smith

2024 National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team (gold medal) – Quinn Beauchesne, Lucas Beckman, Braeden Cootes, Ethan Czata, Caleb Desnoyers, Émile Guité, Tyler Hopkins, Alex Huang, Jack Ivankovic, Peyton Kettles, Ben Kindel, Brady Martin, Jake O’Brien, Cameron Reid, Cole Reschny, Matthew Schaefer, Cameron Schmidt,Jackson Smith

2024 National Men’s Under-18 Team (gold medal) – Kashawn Aitcheson, Caleb Desnoyers, Jack Ivankovic, Porter Martone, Matthew Schaefer

2023 National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team (gold medal) – Gabriel D’Aigle, Porter Martone, Michael Misa, Roger McQueen, Malcolm Spence

2023 National Men’s Under-18 Team (bronze medal) – Gabriel D’Aigle

2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada Red) – Quinn Beauchesne, Braeden Cootes, Peyton Kettles, Brady Martin, Jake O’Brien, Cole Reschny, Luca Romano, Jackson Smith

2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada White-gold medal) – Cole Chandler, Ethan Czata, Caleb Desnoyers, Owen Griffin, Émile Guité, Tyler Hopkins, Alex Huang, Jack Ivankovic, Jack Nesbitt, Mateo Nobert, Cameron Reid, Matthew Schaefer, Cameron Schmidt, Will Sharpe

2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada Black) – Lynden Lakovic, Malcolm Spence

2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada Red-silver medal) – David Bedkowski, Gabriel D’Aigle, Porter Martone, Michael Misa

2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada White) – Justin Carbonneau, Roger McQueen, Bill Zonnon

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced that Stanley Cup champion Misha Donskov (London, ON) has joined the organization as vice-president of hockey operations and men’s national teams coach, effective immediately.

Reporting to Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, Donskov brings National Hockey League (NHL) experience as an executive and coach to the organization and will be responsible for implementing the vision and strategies for Hockey Canada’s men’s, women’s and para hockey teams, and strengthen the alignment between the organization’s hockey operations and business operations staffs.

Donskov will also serve as head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Team at the IIHF World Championship, as assistant coach with the Men’s Olympic Team and as associate coach with Canada’s National Junior Team.

“We are thrilled to name Misha to his role today as he will play a critical role to ensure Canada’s national teams are set up for sustained success when representing our country on the world stage,” said Katherine Henderson (Thunder Bay, ON), Hockey Canada’s president and chief executive officer. “Misha is a proven winner, collaborative leader and unwavering in his commitment to supporting our athletes, coaches and staff, and we know he will make Canadians proud throughout his work with Hockey Canada.

“We received a tremendous number of applications from candidates in Canada, across North America and around the world for this position and appreciate their interest in the role as part of the extensive recruitment process.”

Donskov recently completed his second season as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars after spending parts of four seasons as an assistant coach (2020-23) with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2023. Before joining the Golden Knights coaching staff, he was the team’s director of hockey operations for four seasons (2016-20). Internationally, Donskov has been part of a number of successful Canadian teams, including championships as an assistant coach at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He also won gold at two IIHF World Championships (2015, 2016) and one IIHF World Junior Championship (2015) as manager of hockey operations, analytics and video, and won the 2019 Spengler Cup as director of hockey operations and assistant coach as well as the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament as video coach.

Donskov spent five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the London Knights (2009-12) and Ottawa 67s (2012-14), highlighted by an OHL championship as London’s assistant general manager and assistant coach in 2012. In addition to his coaching and management career, Donskov has extensive experience in hockey development, including previous NHL roles with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Atlanta Thrashers.

Prior to pursuing a full-time career in hockey, Donskov spent six years with Cardinal Health, a Fortune 500 global, integrated healthcare solutions company. He held roles of increasing responsibility in finance, sales, and sales management. He holds a master's degree in kinesiology with a specialization in coaching education from the University of Western Ontario.

“It is a tremendous honour to be trusted to serve as Vice President, Hockey Operations and National Men’s Teams Coach for Hockey Canada,” said Donskov. “I would like to thank the Hockey Canada Board, Katherine Henderson and Scott Salmond for this incredibly unique opportunity. Hockey Canada has played a significant role in my hockey journey and development — both personal and professional. I am excited to be returning to Hockey Canada to help support our world leading teams, programs and people. In addition, I would like to thank Tom Gaglardi, Jim Nill and Pete DeBoer for affording me the privilege to coach in the National Hockey League and be a part of the Dallas Stars family and organization.”

This is the second critical hockey operations staff announcement ahead of the 2025-26 international hockey season after Hockey Canada announced the hiring of Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), the first full-time general manager of the Program of Excellence.

“Misha brings a coaching acumen and focus to Hockey Canada that our programs will benefit immensely from,” added Salmond. “With a full time general manager in Alan Millar and now the addition of Misha Donskov, we are in a great position as an organization moving forward.”

Additions to the Program of Excellence management group, as well as the coaching staffs, support staffs and rosters for the under-17, under-18 and under-20 programs will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced that Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON) will serve as the first full-time general manager of the Program of Excellence.

Millar returns to Hockey Canada after spending three years as director of player personnel with the POE from 2021-24, winning two IIHF World Junior Championship gold medals (2022, 2023) and two Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medals (2022, 2023). He also won gold at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship as director of player personnel, and at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup as general manager.

In his new role, Millar will serve as general manager of Canada's National Junior Team, and Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team at both the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and IIHF U18 Men's World Championship. He will also oversee the national under-17 program and ensure the long-term sustainability of the Program of Excellence.

“We are excited to have a dedicated, full-time general manager to oversee Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, and after an open and extensive search process, we are confident Alan is the right person to lead it,” said Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. “He has spent a large portion of his career working alongside Hockey Canada in various roles and has helped build several world championship-winning teams. His experience in the AHL and CHL, along with his familiarity of our staff and programs, will be extremely helpful as he begins this new role.”

Millar has spent the last two seasons (2023-25) as vice-president of hockey operations and general manager of the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Prior to his first stint with Hockey Canada, he served as general manager of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors for nine seasons (2012-21). He also had a two-year stint as director of hockey operations (2010-12) and served five seasons as general manager of the Sarnia Sting (2004-09) of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Millar also served as director of operations for Team Ontario at the 2004 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, helping the team to a gold medal. He spent the 2003-04 season with the OHL’s Toronto St. Michael’s Majors as director of player personnel and was general manager and alternate governor of the OHL’s Guelph Storm for six seasons (1997-2003), winning an OHL championship in 1998. Millar also served as director of operations and alternate governor with the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League (AHL) for four seasons (1993-97).

“I am truly honoured to return to Hockey Canada as the general manager of the Program of Excellence,” said Millar. “It is a privilege to represent Canada on the world stage, and I have been fortunate to have had a number of opportunities to do just that. I am excited to work with the leadership and staff to build on the recent successes at the U17 and U18 levels, and bring our National Junior Team back to the podium. I look forward to the challenge of evaluating the best players in the country and building teams that will compete for gold. I’d like to thank Scott Salmond, Katherine Henderson and the Hockey Canada leadership team for this special opportunity.”

Additions to the Program of Excellence management group, as well as the coaching staffs, support staffs and rosters for the under-17, under-18 and under-20 programs will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.