CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the three Canadian Hockey League (CHL) general managers that will comprise the Program of Excellence (POE) management group for the 2026-27 season, under the leadership of POE general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON).

Mike Johnston (Dartmouth, NS/Portland, WHL) returns for his second-consecutive stint with the POE, guiding the under-17 program through the 2026 U17 World Challenge in Oakville, Ontario, while Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL) returns for the third-straight year to support the under-18 program through the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, Alberta. Dave Brown (Niagara on the Lake, ON/Erie, OHL) returns to the POE management group, working with Canada’s National Junior Team for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta.

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

“We are very pleased to have Dave, Yanick, and Mike return to the POE Management Group,” said Millar. “All three individuals bring great leadership, CHL management, and international experience to our National Teams. Dave, Yanick, and Mike, will play a significant role in player evaluations, team build, and establishing the standard for culture and expectations across all our programs.”

Johnston returns to the POE management group after helping guide Canada Red and Canada White to gold and silver, respectively, at the 2025 U17 World Challenge. He also 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 14 seasons (2009-12, 2013-14, 2016-26). He recently stepped down as head coach after 12 seasons (2009-12, 2013-14, 2016-24), winning executive of the year and coach of the year honours in the U.S. Division in 2023-24. 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 third-straight season after helping guide Canada White and Canada Red to gold and silver, respectively, at the 2024 U17 World Challenge and leading Canada to a bronze medal at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He is entering his third season as general manager of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). 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 after helping lead Canada to a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in Finland and gold at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He also helped Canada White to gold at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Brown is currently in his 11th season (2015-26) as general manager of the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after serving four seasons (2011-15) as director of hockey operations. 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 (London, ON), 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.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced that the 34th edition of the U17 World Challenge will be hosted Nov. 1-7, 2026 in Oakville, Ontario, at the 1,500-seat Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

The 2026 U17 World Challenge represents a partnership between Hockey Canada, the Ontario Hockey Federation and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), as well as the Town of Oakville, Visit Oakville and the Oakville Rangers Hockey Club. Oakville will host the event for the first time after previously hosting the Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, in 2024, as well as Canada’s national under-17 development camp, National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp and National Junior Team selection camp.

“We are excited to announce that Oakville will host the U17 World Challenge in 2026, and we know the town is excited to welcome the world to the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex and put on a world-class event for participants and fans,” said D’Arcy Hutcheson, director of events with Hockey Canada. “Oakville has been a successful host of Hockey Canada events in the past and the community has embraced various national team camps, and we look forward to returning to Ontario and giving fans the opportunity to watch the top under-17 players compete for a gold medal.”

The 2026 edition of the tournament will mark the 10th time the U17 World Challenge has been played in Ontario. Sarnia most recently hosted in 2024, and it has also previously been hosted in Sault Ste. Marie (2016), Sarnia-Lambton (Nov. 2014), Windsor (2012), Timmins (2000, 2010), London (2008), Kitchener (1998) and Sudbury (1992).

“Oakville is proud to welcome the U17 World Challenge this year. This international tournament will showcase our vibrant community, top-tier sports facilities and our town’s strong support for amateur hockey, while also delivering meaningful economic and tourism benefits,” said Rob Burton, Mayor of the Town of Oakville. “We look forward to working with Hockey Canada, Visit Oakville and the Oakville Rangers Hockey Club to deliver an unforgettable experience for athletes, families and fans alike.”

The U17 World Challenge is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence and includes two Canadian teams and four international entries. The last four gold medal games at the U17 World Challenge have featured at least one Canadian team, with Canada White winning gold in 2023 and 2024, and Canada Red winning in 2025. The tournament has consistently featured future NHL draft picks, including former first-overall picks Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Alexis Lafrenière, Owen Power, Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer.

The official tournament schedule, pre-tournament schedule and ticket information will be announced at a later date. Fans can stay up to date on tournament information by signing up to become a Hockey Canada Insider. 

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

TRURO, Nova Scotia – Canada Red has won its first U17 World Challenge gold medal, after defeating Canada White 6-3 on Saturday night at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

Canada Red took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission with goals from Charlie Murata (Scarborough, ON/Flint, OHL), Loïk Gariepy (Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, QC/Victoriaville, LHJMQ) and Mirco Dufour (Rocky View, AB/Everett, WHL).

After Ryerson Edgar (Holland Landing, ON/Niagara, OHL) made it 4-1, Canada White clawed its way into the game with back-to-back markers from Kaden McGregor (Braeside, ON/Peterborough, OHL) and Maddox Schultz (Regina, SK/Regina, WHL).  

Despite a furious push by the defending champions, Canada Red sealed it with a pair of empty-net markers from Camryn Warren (Maple, ON/North Bay, OHL) and Benjamin Veitch (St. John’s, NL/Newfoundland, LHJMQ).

“What an amazing feeling to win this tournament so close to home,” said Veitch. “This group of guys has gelled so well over the last two weeks and I’m so grateful to be a part of this. What an amazing feeling… my first time playing for my country and to finish it in front of a sold-out barn, family and friends is something I’ve always dreamt of and it’s even better than I could have imagined.”

Leif Oaten (Calgary, AB/Lethbridge, WHL) backstopped his club to the gold medal with a 38-save performance, while Sam Berthiaume (Stellarton, NS/Truro, MHL) kicked aside 38 shots for Canada White.

“It’s hard to put into words the effort and detail these young men have put in,” said Canada Red head coach Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert, SK/Prince Albert, WHL). “The work started in the summer when we got together for our first training camp and led to an incredible two weeks here. From the staff to the coaches to the players, everyone put in an incredible amount of work and to finish this night celebrating at centre ice, there is no better feeling.”

A full game summary game be found HERE.

Following the gold medal game, Hockey Canada announced the 2025 U17 World Challenge all-star team:

• Goaltender – Leif Oaten (Canada Red)
• Defence – Brock Cripps (Canada Red)
• Defence – Diego Gutierrez (United States)
• Forward – Alexis Joseph (Canada Red)
• Forward – Maddox Schultz (Canada White)
• Forward – Brayden Willis (United States)

United States defeats Czechia 3-1 to win bronze; Finland finishes in fifth place

Earlier in the day, the United States got a pair of goals from Brayden Willis to claim its third bronze medal at the U17 World Challenge with a 3-1 win over Czechia.

The U.S. opened the scoring midway through the first period and never looked back, backstopped by Eli Winters, who made 30 saves to earn Player of the Game honours.

Braden Horton rounded out the scoring for the Americans.

In the fifth-place game, Finland beat Sweden 3-2 in overtime. Paavo Fugleberg tied the game on a six-on-three with less than 30 seconds left in regulation before Luukas Kokkonen netted the game-winning goal 41 seconds into overtime.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2025 U17 World Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

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.