CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada will lean on 20 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) coaches to guide Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as well as Canada’s national under-17 program for the 2022-23 season.
On the under-18 side, Stéphane Julien (Shawinigan, Que./Sherbrooke, QMJHL) will take the reins as head coach, joined by assistant coaches Alan Letang (Renfrew, Ont./Sarnia, OHL) and Kris Mallette (Kelowna, B.C./Kelowna, WHL), as well as goaltending coach Kelly Guard (Prince Albert, Sask./Prince Albert, WHL) and video coach Raphaël-Pier Richer (Gatineau, Que./Gatineau, QMJHL).
“We are excited to announce the coaching and support staff that will lead our National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team through selection camp and at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup,” said Tyler Dietrich (West Vancouver, B.C.), senior manager of hockey operations with Hockey Canada. “We know this group will use its CHL experience to help build and a lead a team that will represent Canada with pride and give us the best chance to win gold on home ice in Red Deer in August.”
Julien has been the head coach and general manager of the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the past two seasons. He has been the head coach since 2016 and was an assistant from 2012-16. Julien was also an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2017 IIHF U18 World Championship and head coach of Team Canada Black at the 2021 Capital City Challenge.
Letang recently completed his first season as head coach of the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Prior to joining the Sting, he spent five seasons with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack as an assistant coach (2016-19) and head coach (2019-20). Letang also won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Mallette has served as head coach of the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for two seasons (2020-22) after serving six seasons (2014-20) as an assistant. He was named an assistant coach of Team Canada Black for the 2020 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which was cancelled due to COVID-19, and was the head coach of Team Canada Red at the 2021 Capital City Challenge.
For a full list of Staff for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please click here
Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will gather in Calgary for selection camp from July 20-23 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park ahead of the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, presented by RAM. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup will make its return to Canada, with Red Deer, Alta., hosting the top under-18 players in the world at the Peavey Mart Centrium, July 31-Aug. 6.
On the under-17 side, Mark O’Leary (Owen Sound, Ont./Moose Jaw, WHL), Bruce Richardson (Montréal, Que./Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL) and Greg Walters (Toronto, Ont./Owen Sound, OHL) will serve as head coaches of the three under-17 teams – Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red and Team Canada White – with coaching staffs being finalized in the coming months.
Joining the three head coaches will be assistant coaches Carl Mallette (Montréal, Que./Victoriaville, QMJHL), Devan Praught (Summerside, P.E.I./Swift Current, WHL), Jordan Smith (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont./Sault Ste. Marie, OHL), Ryan Smith (Headingley, Man./Spokane, WHL), Rick Steadman (Oil Springs, Ont./London, OHL), and Chad Wiseman (Burlington, Ont./Guelph, OHL). Goaltending coaches Steve Mongrain (Proulxville, Que./Shawinigan, QMJHL), Franky Palazzese (Mississauga, Ont./Sarnia, OHL) and Byron Spriggs (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg, WHL), and video coaches Nick Biamonte (Bolton, Ont./Guelph, OHL), and Andrew Boucher (South Porcupine, Ont./Ottawa, OHL) will round out the coaching staff.
“The under-17 program is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, and we are excited to welcome 15 coaches from across the CHL to help introduce the country’s top young players to our program,” said Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), director of player personnel with Hockey Canada. “All 15 coaches bring a unique skill set, combining international and junior hockey experience, and we look forward to the coaching staff helping deliver a world-class camp for all participants.”
O’Leary has held various coaching roles with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors since 2012, most recently serving as head coach for parts of the last three seasons (2019-22). He has represented Canada once as a coach, serving as an assistant with Team Canada Red at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Richardson has served as head coach of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for the past four seasons (2018-22) and was previously the head coach of the Victoriaville Tigres from 2014-16. He was also an assistant coach with Team Canada Black at the November 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Walters recently completed his first season as head coach of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack after serving as head coach of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals for three seasons (2018-21). Internationally, he won a silver medal as an assistant coach with Team Canada East at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge and was head coach of Team Canada East at the 2012 World Junior A Challenge.
Mallette has been the head coach of the Victoriaville Tigres for the past two seasons (2020-22) and was an assistant coach with the team for three seasons (2017-20) prior to becoming head coach. He also served as an assistant coach with Team Canada Red at the 2021 Capital City Challenge.
Praught was named head coach of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos on March 7 after serving as an assistant coach with the team during the 2021-22 season. He was also an assistant coach with Team Saskatchewan at the 2019 Canada Winter Games and is set to make his international debut behind the bench.
Jordan Smith has spent the past four seasons (2018-22) as an associate coach with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, and was an associate with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves during the 2017-18 season. He also served as an assistant coach with Team Canada Black at the 2021 Capital City Challenge.
Ryan Smith was named interim head coach of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs on Feb. 10 after serving as an associate coach for the past two seasons (2020-22). He was previously an assistant with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos (2015-18) and Medicine Hat Tigers (2018-20), and served as an assistant coach with Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in 2012 and 2013, winning silver and bronze, respectively.
Steadman recently completed his sixth season as an assistant coach with the OHL’s London Knights, serving in the position since 2014-15. He is set to make his international coaching debut.
Wiseman has served as an associate coach with the OHL’s Guelph Storm for the past three seasons (2019-22) and was an assistant coach with the team during the 2018-19 season. He was named an assistant coach with Team Canada White for the 2020 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which was cancelled due to COVID-19, and served as an assistant with Team Canada White at the 2021 Capital City Challenge.
For a list of staff for Canada’s National Under-17 Program, please click here
The coaching staff will oversee and lead 100 players at Canada’s national under-17 development camp, set for July 10-16 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. The staffs will also lead Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red and Team Canada White at the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Langley and Delta, B.C., Nov. 5-12.
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 via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
