CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada will lean on Olympic and Canadian Hockey League (CHL) experience to guide Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship, April 23-May 1 in Landshut and Kaufbeuren, Germany.
Nolan Baumgartner (Calgary, Alta.) has been named head coach, while Kori Cheverie (New Glasgow, N.S.), Todd Miller (Elliot Lake, Ont.) and David Struch (Flin Flon, Man.) will serve as assistant coaches, joined by goaltending consultant Brad Kirkwood (Calgary, Alta./Calgary, WHL).
The coaching staff was selected by Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of hockey operations, and Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), director of player personnel, with input from Tom Renney (Cranbrook, B.C.), chief executive officer, and Scott Smith (Bathurst, N.B.), president and chief operating officer.
“We are excited to unveil the coaching staff that will lead Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team as it looks to defend last year’s gold medal,” said Salmond. “We are fortunate to have a diverse and experienced coaching staff that includes Nolan’s NHL and Olympic experience, Kori’s gold medal pedigree with Canada’s Women’s Olympic Team and National Women’s Under-18 Team, veteran CHL experience from both Todd and David, and Brad’s extensive background at the U SPORTS, WHL and Olympic levels.”
Baumgartner most recently served as an assistant coach with Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. He also spent parts of four seasons as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks (2017-21), and was an assistant coach in the American Hockey League for five seasons with the Chicago Wolves (2012-13) and Utica Comets (2013-17). As a player, Baumgartner had a 16-year professional career in the NHL and AHL, amassing 390 points in 878 career AHL games. He also won back-to-back Memorial Cups with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1994 and 1995, and won gold medals with Canada’s National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 1995 and 1996, serving as captain in his second year.
Cheverie is set to become the first woman to serve as a coach with one of Canada’s men’s national teams. She most recently served as an assistant coach with the men’s hockey team at Ryerson University for five seasons (2016-21) and won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s Women’s Olympic Team at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. She also won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2019 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, and was an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Team for the Rivalry Series in February 2020. Cheverie also served as head coach of Team Ontario Red at the 2019 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, winning a gold medal.
Miller was the head coach of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this season, and was previously an assistant coach with the OHL’s Barrie Colts for 10 seasons (2010-20) and the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings for one season (2020-21). As a player, he played two seasons with the Collingwood Blues of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League before spending three seasons in the OHL with the Sarnia Sting (1995-96), Owen Sound Platers (1996-97), North Bay Centennials (1997-98) and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (1997-98).
Struch spent the past nine seasons with the WHL’s Regina Pats, serving as assistant coach (2014-16), assistant coach and assistant general manager (2016-18), head coach and assistant GM (2018-21) and head coach (2021-22). He also served eight seasons with the Saskatoon Blades as an assistant coach (2006-12), associate coach (2012-13) and head coach (2013-14). Internationally, he has represented Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge twice, serving as an assistant coach and head coach with Team Canada Black in 2016 and 2017, respectively. He was also an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship. He played four seasons with the Blades (1988-92) before a 13-year pro career that included four NHL games with the Calgary Flames.
Kirkwood has served as goaltending consultant for Canada’s National Women’s Team since 2015, earning a gold medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, as well as silver medals at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and 2016 and 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championships. Kirkwood also won a gold medal with Canada’s National Women’s Development Team at the 2015 Nations Cup. He is the goaltending coach for the men’s and women’s hockey teams at the University of Calgary and for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.
The support staff that will work with Team Canada at the IIHF U18 World Championship includes:
Canada opens the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship against the United States on April 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT, and will also take on host Germany on April 24 and Czechia on April 26. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast select games throughout the tournament and will announce details at a later date.
Since 2002, Canada has won four gold medals at the IIHF U18 World Championship (2003, 2008, 2013, 2021), in addition to one silver (2005) and three bronze (2012, 2014, 2015).
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook and Twitter.