CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has named the coaching staff that will lead Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Aug. 3-8 in Edmonton.

Ryan Oulahen (Newmarket, ON/North Bay, OHL), who served as an assistant coach at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton when Canada last won gold, will take the reins as head coach as Canada looks for its 26th summer U18 gold medal. Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert, SK/Prince Albert, WHL), Brad MacKenzie (Charlottetown, PE/Halifax, QMJHL) and Kyle Chipchura (Westlock, AB/Edmonton, WHL) will serve as assistant coaches, with goaltending coach Jeff Harvey (St. Albert, AB/Saskatoon, WHL) and video coach Matthew Smith (Tatamagouche, NS/Newfoundland, QMJHL).

The coaching staff was selected by Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL), assistant general manager of Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ryan, Ryan, Brad and Kyle to the staff for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup,” said Millar. “Each brings a pedigree of coaching experience, particularly in short-term international competition, which will be a tremendous asset as we prepare for the tournament. We’re excited to continue the process of building a team and working with a group of players who will proudly represent Canada and showcase their talent to hockey fans in Edmonton in August.”

Oulahen just completed his seventh season as head coach of the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and second season as assistant general manager. Prior to joining North Bay, he spent three seasons as head coach of the OHL’s Flint Firebirds and six seasons as an assistant coach with the Battalion (2010-16). Oulahen has previously served as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, winning a gold medal in 2024 and 2018. He also served as an assistant coach at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with Canada Red (2014) and Canada Black (2015), and as head coach of Canada White (2017).

McDonald completed his first full season as head coach of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, guiding the Raiders to their first 50-win season since 2018-19 and to the WHL championship series. Prior to being named head coach, he also served as assistant coach with the Raiders from 2020 until he was named interim head coach in March 2025. McDonald won a gold medals as head coach of Canada Red (2025) and as an assistant coach alongside MacKenzie with Canada White (2024) at the U17 World Challenge, and won a silver medal as head coach of 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.

MacKenzie was promoted to head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in July 2025 and guided them to the playoffs in his first season at the helm. He served one season as associate coach with the Mooseheads (2024-25) and three as an assistant coach (2022-24). Prior to joining the Mooseheads, he was head coach of the Grand Falls Rapids of the Maritime Hockey League (2019-21), earning MHL Coach of the Year honours in 2020-21. MacKenzie also won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada White at the 2024 U17 World Challenge.

Chipchura completed his second season as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Prior to joining the coach staff, he served as the team’s development coach in 2023-24. 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 in 2022-23 following one season as an assistant coach with the U15 Prep team in 2021-22. Chipchura was also an assistant coach with Canada White at the 2025 U17 World Challenge.

The support staff that will work with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup includes:

• Head athletic therapist Colton Reiley (Sydney, NS/Cape Breton, QMJHL)
• Athletic therapist Taylor Cochrane (Elk Point, AB/Kamloops, WHL)
• Team physician Dr. Danielle Kelton (London, ON/London, OHL)
• Head equipment manager Andrew MacNeill (Charlottetown, PE/Charlottetown, QMJHL)
• Equipment manager J.R. Grant (Windsor, ON/Windsor, OHL)
• Hockey operations head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB)
• Hockey operations manager Mitchell Furlotte (Bathurst, NB)
• Hockey operations coordinator Jake Grison (Lion's Head, ON)
• Media relations manager Spencer Sharkey (Hamilton, ON)

The roster for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team training camp will be announced at a later date.

Canada will play its opening game of the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Aug. 3 at 5 p.m. MT. It will also face Slovakia on Aug. 4 and Sweden on Aug. 5 to close out the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 8. Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will hold a training camp prior to the start of the tournament, set for July 27-30 at NAIT Arena in Edmonton, which will include practices and a game against Sweden on July 30. It will also take on Czechia on Aug. 1 as part of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup pre-tournament schedule.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

BRNO, Czechia – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team has won the bronze medal at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, shutting out Finland 3-0 in the bronze medal game Saturday at Winning Group Arena.

Cooper Williams (Calgary, AB/Saskatoon, WHL) opened the scoring with his first goal of the tournament 5:27 into the game, with Colin Fitzgerald (Peterborough, ON/Peterborough, OHL) and Daxon Rudolph (Lacombe, AB/Prince Albert, WHL) picking up assists. The goal would stand as the game-winner, helping Canada secure its second bronze medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Ethan Belchetz (Oakville, ON/Windsor, OHL) gave Canada a 2-0 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the middle frame, burying his team-leading fourth goal, and Rudolph rounded out the scoring with 2:14 left into an empty net. Landon DuPont (Calgary, AB/Everett, WHL) and captain Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, AB/Victoria, WHL) assisted on Belchetz’s goal, and Mathis Preston (Penticton, BC/Spokane, WHL) picked up a helper on Rudolph’s tally.

“It was tough to lose in the semifinals because we came here to try to win gold, but sometimes things do not work out the way you want them to. We were a little down after yesterday’s game, but we wanted to leave here with a medal and bring something home to our families,” Belchetz said. “We have so many great players on this team, and it was such an honour to be a part of this group and I could not be more grateful for the opportunities I had at this tournament.”

“The message from the coaching staff was to forget about yesterday’s loss and play our best today, and our group did that. Every guy in our room was ready to go from the moment the puck dropped and we were all competing hard, so I am very proud of our effort,” Verhoeff said. “I am super proud to be able to wear the [captain’s] ‘C’ and represent my country with this team, and today we ended the tournament on the right note.”

Gavin Betts (Toronto, ON/Kingston, OHL) was stellar in the Canadian goal, making 22 saves to register his second shutout of the tournament and earn Player of the Game honours. A full game summary can be found here.

“This is such a great group of players. I worked with a lot of them at the under-17 level, and it was an honour to have the opportunity to work with them all again,” said head coach Mathieu Turcotte (Kirkland, QC). “We had great leaders and great players overall, and although [bronze] is not the colour medal that we wanted to win, I am very proud of how we finished the tournament with a win considering the tough circumstances.”

Canada finished the preliminary round in first place in Group A after wins over Finland (5-3), Switzerland (9-1) and Czechia (5-0) before falling to the United States 4-3 in a shootout in the semifinals.

The medal marks the 30th that Canada has won at the annual summer under-18 tournament, capturing 25 gold medals, three silver and two bronze.

Hlinka Gretzky Cup to return to Edmonton in 2026

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup will return to Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, in August 2026, as announced by TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, during the bronze medal game today.

The 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup marks the fifth time the international under-18 showcase will be played in Canada, with Alberta previously hosting three times (Edmonton – 2024; Red Deer - 2022; Edmonton and Red Deer – 2018). Canada won gold at all three of those tournaments, defeating Czechia 2-1 in the final in 2024.

“We are thrilled to bring the Hlinka Gretzky Cup back to Edmonton next year, and to kick off the 2026-27 hockey season with the top under-18 players from eight countries competing for a gold medal,” said Dean McIntosh, senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact. “This is a prestigious tournament with a deep history that is an important part of the international hockey calendar, and we look forward to hosting a world-class event for teams, players and fans next August.”

Tickets for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup are set to go on sale this fall. For exclusive access to tickets, and to receive updates about the event, sign up to become a Hockey Canada Insider at HockeyCanada.ca/Insider.

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

OAKVILLE, Ontario – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 25 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team as it looks to capture a fourth-straight gold medal at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, set for Aug. 11-16 in Brno, Czechia and Trencin, Slovakia.

Three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 14 forwards were selected by Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), general manager of the Program of Excellence, with support from Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL), the U18 lead with the POE 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. 

“We are excited to unveil the 25 players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as we believe this is an elite group that brings international experience and a determination to continue our success at the tournament,” said Millar. “Our selection camp was highly competitive and provided an opportunity for our players to showcase themselves against the top talent in the country, and we believe we have assembled a roster that will compete for gold and wear the Maple Leaf with pride in Czechia and Slovakia.”

Among the 25 players are six who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship (Carels, Di Iorio, Edwards, Lin, Rudolph, Verhoeff) and 21 who suited up at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, including 14 who won gold with Canada White (Betts, Belchetz, Croskery, Edwards, Lawrence, Lemieux, Lin, Pantelas, Preston, Liam Ruck, Markus Ruck, Rudolph, Valentini, Verhoeff). The roster also includes four players who will make their international debut (Rousseau, Schaubel, Williams, Zhilkin). 

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. 

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast select tournament games, including all Team Canada games; please check local listings for more details. 

Canada has won 25 gold medals in 32 years of summer under-18 competition, along with three silver medals and one bronze.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along 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.

CALGARY, Alberta – Twenty-two players have been selected to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team as it looks to defend its gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Aug. 5-10 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards — representing eight Members—were selected by head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB)  and Dave Brown (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON/Erie, OHL), the U18 lead for the Program of Excellence management group, with input from Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations.

Head coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna, BC/Kelowna, WHL) and assistant coaches Gordie Dwyer (Dalhousie, NB/Acadie-Bathurst, LMJHQ) and Ryan Oulahen (Newmarket, ON/North Bay, OHL)also provided input.

Among the 22 players are five who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship (Desnoyers, Hamilton, Ivankovic, McKenna, Schaefer) and seventeen that suited up at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, including nine who won gold with Canada White (Czata, Desnoyers, Guite, Hopkins, Huang, Ivankovic, Reid, Schaefer, Schmidt) .

“This is a group of accomplished athletes that have earned this opportunity to represent their country and defend a gold medal,” Brown said. “The opportunity to play for Canada on home ice isn’t something that happens often, and we’re excited for this group and what lies ahead.”

Prior to the start of the tournament, Team Canada will take on Slovakia on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. MT/9 p.m. ET at Bill Hunter Arena, and Czechia on Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. MT/9 p.m. ET at the Downtown Community Arena.

Canada opens the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Aug. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. ET. It will also face Slovakia and Sweden in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 10.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast all games from Edmonton; please check local listings for more details.

Canada has won 24 gold medals in 32 years of summer under-18 competition, along with three silver medals and one bronze.

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

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has named 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 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as well as the coaches who will be behind the bench with Canada’s national under-17 teams at the 2024 U17 World Challenge.

After helping lead Canada to back-to-back gold medals as an assistant coach at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Kris Mallette (Kelowna, BC/Kelowna, WHL) returns to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team for the third-consecutive year, this time serving as head coach.

Mallette will be joined on the bench by assistant coaches Gordie Dwyer (Dalhousie, NB/Acadie-Bathurst, LMJHQ) and Ryan Oulahen (Newmarket, ON/North Bay, OHL), along with goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops, BC/Kamloops, WHL) and video coach Ethan O’Rourke (Bowmanville, ON/Kingston, OHL).

“We are excited to unveil the coaching and support staffs that will lead our National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team as we look to defend our gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup,” said Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), senior manager of hockey operations. “Kris, Gordie, Ryan, Dan and Ethan bring extensive experience both at the international and Canadian Hockey League levels, and they will be great leaders for this talented group of young men who will compete for Canada in Edmonton next month.”

Mallette has served as head coach of the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the past five seasons (2019-24) after six seasons (2013-19) as an assistant, winning a WHL championship and helping the Rockets reach the Memorial Cup final in 2015. Internationally, in addition to his two Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medals, he also won silver as head coach of Canada Red at the 2021 Capital City Challenge.

Dwyer has served as the head coach and general manager of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) since 2022, prior to which he was the head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs in 2021-22 and Shawinigan Cataractes in 2019-20. Dwyer won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship. He also served as Canada’s head coach at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games winning a bronze medal, along with a bronze medal as an assistant coach at the 2012 IIHF U18 World Championship.

Oulahen just completed his sixth season as head coach of the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Prior to that, he spent three seasons as head coach of the OHL’s Flint Firebirds and six seasons as an assistant coach with the Battalion (2010-16). Oulahen was also behind the bench at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2014 (assistant coach, Canada Red), 2015 (assistant coach, Canada Black) and 2016 (head coach, Canada White), and was an assistant at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning silver.

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

The roster for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp will be announced at a later date.

Canada will open the preliminary round at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Aug. 5 at 7:30 p.m. MT/9:30 p.m. ET. It will also take on Slovakia and Sweden on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, respectively, before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 10.

On the under-17 side, Travis Crickard (St. John’s, NL/Saint John, QMJHL) and Mathieu Turcotte (Kirkland, QC/Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL) will be behind the benches of Team Canada Red and Team Canada Black, respectively.

Joining Crickard behind the Canada Red bench are assistant coaches Matt Anholt (Prince Albert, SK/Lethbridge, WHL) and Wes Wolfe (Niagara Falls, ON/Erie, OHL).

Turcotte will have assistant coaches Brad MacKenzie (Charlottetown, PE/Halifax, QMJHL) and Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert, SK/Prince Albert, WHL) behind the Team Canada Black bench. 

“Under-17 is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, and we are excited to welcome some of the best coaches from the Canadian Hockey League to introduce the country’s top young players to our program,” said Roy. “Each of these coaches brings experience to international, short-term competition and we are eager to continue our preparations leading into November.”

Crickard recently finished his second season as head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs following one season as an assistant. He won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship and as video coach at the same tournament in 2021. Crickard was an assistant coach for Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, finishing fourth, and was video coach (2016) and assistant coach (2017) with Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, winning a silver medal in 2016.

Turcotte just wrapped up his first season as head coach of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. 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 gold 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), six seasons with the LHM18AAAQ’s Chevaliers de Lévis as assistant coach (2008-10) and GM/head coach (2015-19), and stints as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs (2010-12) and Chicoutimi Saguenéens (2012-14).

Anholt was named associate coach of the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes in June. He has spent six seasons with the hockey club holding roles as skills and development coach before being named an assistant coach in 2020. Ahead of the 2021-22 season, Anholt added assistant general manager to his title, working alongside his father, Lethbridge GM Peter Anholt. He was also an assistant coach with Canada Red at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

MacKenzie recently completed his third season as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads and was promoted to associate coach in June. Prior to joining the Mooseheads, he was head coach of the Grand River Rapids of the Maritime Hockey League (2019-21), earning MHL coach of the year honours in 2020-21.

McDonald recently completed his third full season as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. He won a silver medal as an assistant coach with Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games, and also spent four seasons with the Warman Wildcats AAA program at both the U15 and U18 level. McDonald played five seasons in the WHL with the Regina Pats and Prince Albert followed by a four-year U SPORTS career at Lakehead University and the University of Saskatchewan.

Wolfe recently completed his second season of his second stint as an assistant coach OHL’s Erie Otters. He spent the 2021-22 season as general manager and head coach of the Cobourg Cougars of the Ontario Junior Hockey League following five seasons (2016-21) as an assistant coach with Erie, helping the team win the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions in his first season.

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

The roster for Canada’s national under-17 development camp will be announced at a later date.

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

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 announced the schedule for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Aug. 3-8 at Rogers Place and the Downtown Community Arena in Edmonton.

A premier international under-18 tournament featuring the world’s top NHL draft eligible players, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is a partnership with Hockey Alberta, OEG Sports & Entertainment, the City of Edmonton, Explore Edmonton and the Government of Alberta.

“We are proud to have Edmonton host this prestigious best-on-best competition for the third time, giving fans a chance to celebrate some of the best young hockey players in the world,” said Dean McIntosh, senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact. “Albertans are passionate about hockey, and we are proud to have the support of our partners to ensure fans and teams have an incredible experience in the summer.”

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team has captured a record 25 gold medals and will be looking for its first gold since winning in Edmonton in 2024. Canada is joined by Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland in Group A, while Czechia, Finland, Germany and the United States, the 2025 champions, will form Group B.

The puck drops Aug. 3 at 1 p.m. MT when the United States faces Czechia, while Canada will play its opening game against Switzerland at 5 p.m. MT. Canada will also take on Slovakia on Aug. 4 and Sweden on Aug. 5 to close out the preliminary round. The semifinals are set for Aug. 7, with the medal games on Aug. 8 at noon and 5 p.m. MT, respectively.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast all preliminary-round games, semifinals and medal games from Rogers Place.

Ticket packages for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup go on sale to the public on Friday, May 8 at 10 a.m. MT and can be purchased at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.

Packages include an exclusive bonus connected to the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship: tickets to a Team Canada pre-tournament game in December and the relegation game at Rogers Place. Fans can take advantage of presale access by signing up for the Hockey Canada Insider before May 6. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.

The Coaches Site is moving its flagship coaching conference to the City of Champions, marking the event’s return to Canada for the first time since 2019. Hosted in partnership with the Hockey Canada Foundation and Hockey Alberta and set against the backdrop of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, TCS Live 2026 is poised to become the most impactful hockey coaching event ever held.

For more information on the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, please visit HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

Canada’s National Men's Under-18 Team is into the playoff round at the 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, taking on Sweden in the quarterfinals Wednesday at Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium.

Last Game

Canada ran its consecutive shutout streak to three on Monday, blanking Finland 7-0 in its preliminary-round finale. Gavin Betts was perfect on the 19 shots he faced, running his personal shutout streak to 133 minutes and 49 seconds (and the team’s run to 191:17), and Adam Valentini and Beckett Hamilton scored twice to pace the Canadian offence.

The Swedes closed out their prelim schedule with a 10-1 romp over Denmark on Monday. Elton Hermansson finished with two goals and four assists, Alexander Command and Marcus Nordmark also scored twice, and Sweden reached double digits despite not getting to 40 shots on goal—they finished with a 39-7 edge.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Swedes last clashed in the gold medal game a year ago in Texas, where Canada defended its gold medal with a convincing 7-0 win. Brady Martin potted a pair of goals for the Canadians, who spread around the scoring—six players recorded goals and 14 had at least a point. Jack Ivankovic made it back-to-back shutouts in the medal round, turning aside all 28 shots he faced to help the Canadians win consecutive gold medals at U18 Men’s Worlds for the first time ever.

What to Watch

Things didn’t look good for Betts when he was helped off the ice in considerable pain early in the third period of Canada’s tournament-opening loss to Slovakia last Wednesday. But the Toronto native has bounced back from what was revealed to be severe cramping; he made 12 saves in his return to the net in an 8-0 win over Norway on Saturday before his 19-save effort against the Finns. Betts has been a workhorse wearing the Maple Leaf over the last two seasons; he played four of five games at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, backstopping Canada White to gold, and was between the pipes for four of five games at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, helping Canada win bronze. He also didn’t take too many nights off in the Ontario Hockey League this season; Betts was 12th among OHL netminders in minutes played (2,415), and ranked among the league leaders in saves (1,080 – 11th), goals-against average (1.81 – 13th) and save percentage (.905 – 13th).

With Viggo Björck not in Slovakia due to a dispute with the federation, Hermansson is the highest-ranked Swedish skater for the 2026 NHL Draft, slotting in at No. 5 among internationals by Central Scouting. The Örnsköldsvik product opened the scoring just 32 seconds in against the Danes and exploded for a goal and three assists in a span of 7:23 to pull even with U.S. forward Wyatt Cullen for the tournament scoring lead through the preliminary round with eight points (2-6—8). Hermansson— who scored the overtime winner against the United States in the bronze medal game at the 2024 U17 World Challenge—got his first taste of professional hockey this season; he suited up for 38 games with MODO Hockey in the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish pro hockey, posting 21 points (11-10—21).

A Look Back

No country has been a more frequent foe for Canada at U18 Men’s Worlds than Sweden; this will be the 25th meeting between the longtime rivals dating back to 2003.

The Canadians have won 14 of the first 24 matchups, including three in a row. This will be the fourth meeting in a quarterfinal—Canada posted an 8-1 win in 2003 and a 5-3 victory in 2015 (thanks to three points from Mitchell Stephens), while Sweden earned a 7-3 win in 2017.

All-time record: Canada leads 14-10 (1-1 in OT)
Canada goals: 101
Sweden goals: 74