CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has solidified its coaching staff for the Women’s Olympic Team, one day after unveiling the 28 players selected to centralize in Calgary in preparation for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Feb. 4-20 in Beijing, China.
Head coach Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.) will be joined by assistants Kori Cheverie (New Glasgow, N.S./Ryerson University, OUA), Doug Derraugh (Arnprior, Ont./Cornell University, ECAC) and Jim Midgley (Townsend, Ont.), as well as goaltending coach Brad Kirkwood (Calgary, Alta./University of Calgary, CW).
“It is an honour and privilege to be entrusted with this leadership opportunity,” said Ryan. “Hockey Canada has put together a tremendous staff to share this journey with. We are very excited to get to work with such an amazing and committed group of elite athletes on a daily basis as we prepare for Beijing 2022.”
The coaching staff was selected by Gina Kingsbury (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.), director of women’s national teams, Tom Renney (Cranbrook, B.C.), chief executive officer, Scott Smith (Bathurst, N.B.), president and chief operating officer, in consultation with Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.) senior vice-president of national teams, and management consultant Cassie Campbell-Pascall (Brampton, Ont.).
“This four-year Olympic quad has challenged our coaching staff with adjustments to the changing landscape of our game,” said Kingsbury. “Troy has provided our program with consistency, and we feel he is well-suited to lead us through the 2021-22 season and to our ultimate goal of winning an Olympic gold medal. With limited time for competition, our coaching staff has bonded quickly, which is what we need in both short-term and long-term competition.”
Ryan is entering his third season as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team. As an assistant coach, he earned a silver medal at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, silver at the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship and bronze at the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Ryan also earned a silver medal as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. The Atlantic Canada female coach mentor with the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic since 2016, he served as head coach of Team Atlantic at the 2015 National Women’s Under-18 Championship and has also been behind the bench at the Canada Winter Games (men’s and women’s hockey), World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, World Junior A Challenge and Centennial Cup (formerly the RBC Cup).
Cheverie has served as an assistant coach with the men’s hockey team at Ryerson University since 2016. On the international stage, she 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.
Derraugh has been the head coach of the Cornell University women’s hockey team for the past 15 seasons, leading it to seven NCAA tournament appearances and four trips to the Frozen Four. Internationally, he won a gold medal as an assistant coach at the 2012 IIHF Women’s World Championship, and captured silver medals as head coach in 2015 and as an assistant a year later. Derraugh also won a gold medal as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2014 4 Nations Cup, along with silver as an assistant in 2011 and 2018.
Midgley most recently scouted for the Philadelphia Flyers and was an assistant coach with the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in 2019-20. He coached the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 2017-18 after serving as an assistant coach for six seasons (2011-17). Midgley was also an assistant coach with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL (2007-09) and with Acadia University (2002-07). He was the video coach for Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship.
Kirkwood has served as goaltending consultant for Canada’s National Women’s Team since 2015 and has earned silver medals at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and IIHF Women’s World Championship in 2016 and 2017. 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 Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League.
Hockey Canada also announced the support staff that will work with Canada’s National Women’s Team throughout the 2021-22 centralization season through to the 2022 Olympics:
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook and Twitter.