CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced that Misha Donskov (London, ON) will serve as head coach at three marquee events through the 2026-27 season as part of his expanded role in hockey operations.
Donskov will serve as head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Team and Canada’s National Junior Team while building the coaching staffs for both teams, beginning with his international head coaching debut at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Zürich and Fribourg, Switzerland. Donskov will also lead the team at the 2027 edition of the event in Düsseldorf and Mannheim, Germany, and will take the reins as head coach at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, which returns to Canadian ice in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, in December 2026.
Hired as vice-president of hockey operations and men’s national team coach on June 27, 2025, Donskov will expand his role in this position while reporting to Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. He will implement the vision and technical strategies for Hockey Canada’s men’s, women’s and para hockey teams while strengthening the alignment between the organization’s hockey operations and business operations staffs.
“Misha is an integral member of our hockey operations staff, and his contributions to successful teams at Hockey Canada over the years, as well as his NHL and OHL coaching and front office experience make him the perfect fit to lead our National Men’s Team and National Junior Team as head coach starting next month,” Salmond said. “Misha is a world-class coach, and we are fortunate to have him building the coaching and support staffs that will put us in a position to win multiple gold medals at two of the marquee events on the international hockey calendar.”
Previously, Donskov was an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars for two seasons (2023-25), and spent more than three years (2020-23) as an assistant and four (2016-20) as director of hockey operations with the Vegas Golden Knights, winning the Stanley Cup in 2023. Internationally, he won a silver medal at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and gold at the 4 Nations Face-Off as an assistant coach, as well as IIHF World Championship gold medals as video coach (2015) and assistant coach (2016). Donskov has also won gold and bronze at the 2015 and 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, respectively, serving as video coach (2015) and associate coach (2026), as well as bronze at the 2014 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship as video coach. He also won the 2016 World Cup of Hockey as an assistant, the 2019 Spengler Cup as director of hockey operations and assistant coach, and the 2013 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka as video coach.
Donskov also 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.
“Representing Canada on the international stage is a huge honour, and I am grateful for the opportunity to lead Canada’s National Men’s Team and Canada’s National Junior Team as head coach at three marquee world championships,” Donskov said. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with my colleagues in hockey operations and throughout Hockey Canada, as well as coaches and staff throughout the National Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League, to build teams and programs that give us the best chance to win gold medals.”
Canada’s National Men’s Team coaching staff for the 2026 IIHF World Championship will be announced in the coming days, while the coaching staff for Canada’s National Junior Team will be announced at a later date.
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