Canada Announces World Juniors Coaching Staff
Hockey Canada has announced their bench bosses for the 2027 World Junior Championships. The Canadian side will be led by head coach Misha Donskov, earning a promotion after serving as associate head coach and vice president of hockey operations at the 2026 World Juniors. Donskov also served as head coach at the 2026 World Championship and an assistant coach at the 2026 Winter Olympics, while also carrying his VP title through those tournaments. Alongside Donskov will be assistant coaches Drew Bannister, Jim Hulton, Brad Lauer, and Ryan Getzlaf. The staff will be rounded out by Dan De Palma serving as the goalie coach.
Per usual, Canada’s coaching staff will bring a wealth of experience from across the hockey world. Donskov served as Director of Hockey Operations for the Vegas Golden Knights beginning in their inaugural 2016-17 season. He continued in that role until the 2019-20 season, when he was moved to an assistant coach role that he held through Vegas’ Stanley Cup-winning season in 2022-23. After lifting the Cup, Donskov moved to the Dallas Stars bench for two seasons, before taking on an exclusive role with Hockey Canada. His trophy cabinet is filled to the brim. Donskov has won a Gold Medal at the Men’s (2016) and Women’s (2011) World Championship. He also won Gold at the 2012 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the 2015 World Juniors, the 2017 World Cup, and the 2025 4-Nations Face-Off. He also has an OHL Championship (2012), Spengler Cup championship (2020), World Juniors Bronze medal (2026), and Olympic Silver medal (2026) to his name.
Bannister will reappear across the hockey world after only coaching at the Spengler Cup and World U18 Championship in the 2025-26 season. The former St. Louis Blues head coach has taken over the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds for the 2026-27 season. He last coached for Soo from 2015 to 2018, a run marked by two quarterfinal losses and one loss in the OHL Championship. This will be Bannister’s first time coaching at the World Juniors, though he has supported the World U17 Hockey Challenge, Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and World U18 tournament previously. Bannister played with Team Canada at the 1994 World Junior Championship, where he chipped in four points and 10 penalty minutes in seven games en route to a Gold Medal. That championship predated a playing career that spanned 164 NHL games, 149 IHL games, and 204 AHL games.
Hulton represents the journeyman on Canada’s bench, having coached in the OHL, NHL, USHL, and QMJHL. He most recently manned the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs bench after 11 seasons overseeing the Charlottetown Islanders. Hulton has won league recognition as a general manager and head coach, taking home the USHL ‘GM of the Year’ award in 2014-15, both ‘GM of the Year’ and ‘Coach of the Year’ in the QMJHL’s 2020-21 season, and QMJHL and CHL ‘Coach of the Year’ honors in 2021-22. He has also won Silver and Gold at the World Juniors, in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
Perhaps the heaviest hitter on the bench – literally and figuratively – will be former Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf. The 17-year NHL veteran has climbed the ranks of Canada’s international presence over the last two seasons. He was a senior advisor at the 2025 World Championship and 2026 Olympic Games – and now takes another step forward overseeing Canada’s next crop of top prospects. Getzlaf is also well-decorated, having won Gold at nearly every level of international competition. That includes the World U18 Championship, World Junior Championship, World Cup, and twice at the Olympic Games. Those accolades were interwoven with an NHL career marked by 1,019 points in 1,157 games – and a Stanley Cup win in 2007.
Lauer marks another veteran of the coaching world. He served as assistant coach to the Anaheim Ducks from 2012 to 2015, then the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2015 to 2018. Lauer then stepped back to a head coach role with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. He held that role until 2022, then returned to the NHL for a pair of seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, before stepping back into a head coach role with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs in the last two seasons. Lauer has a thin trophy cabinet despite 25 years of experience – currently filled by a 2022 WHL championship and 2026 World Junior Bronze medal.
The coaching staff closes with longtime goaltending coach De Palma, who has served on WHL benches since the 2006-07 season. He has taken the mantle with the Prince George Cougars and Kamloops Blazers, overseeing parts or all of the junior careers of Taylor Gauthier, Connor Ingram, Dylan Garand, Dylan Ferguson, and Kurtis Mucha. De Palma has served as the goalie coach for Canada’s U18 team since 2023, and also joined the national team at the 2025 and 2026 World Juniors.
Team Canada will be an early favorite under the guide of decades of NHL experience and two former Stanley Cup champions. They should pull together an incredibly strong roster – headlined by Boston University duo Caleb Malhotra and Tynan Lawrence and potentially bolstered by reigning first-overall pick Gavin McKenna. Canada will also bring 2027 first-overall favorite Landon DuPont and may even roster 2028 star prospects Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue. The litany of top-end talent will champion a roster that could feature NHL prospects at every position.
Photo courtesy of Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports.
Evening Notes: Flames, Getzlaf, Glass
Calgary Flames players have reportedly been told that the team is unlikely to add any other pieces between now and the beginning of the regular season (as per Elliotte Friedman of the 32 Thoughts podcast). Friedman added that the Flames’ management wants to get a look at their group and see how they start the season, which makes sense given the turnover that has occurred in Calgary.
The Flames barely resemble the team that started the 2023-24 season, as most of the veteran players have been dealt to other teams in the past 12 months, including Jacob Markstrom and Andrew Mangiapane, who were both traded to Eastern Conference teams this summer. Calgary has largely tried to avoid calling their roster construction a rebuild, and in their defense, they did add a few veterans this summer on short-term deals. However, the team is certainly in sell mode, and they will likely look to move out more names during the regular season as they get closer to the NHL trade deadline.
In other evening notes:
- Former Anaheim Ducks star Ryan Getzlaf has left the organization to join the NHL’s Department of Player Safety (as per NHL announcement). The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be reunited with his former Ducks teammate George Parros and will work in some capacity for the NHL. It is unclear what exactly Getzlaf will do, but as Parros noted today in a press release, Getzlaf’s experience on the ice should have a lot of value for the department. The former Stanley Cup champion retired after the 2021-22 season and re-joined Anaheim just over a year later in June 2023, serving as the player development coordinator for the team.
- Newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguins forward Cody Glass entered this summer to work on his speed during his offseason training (as per Nick Kieser of the Nashville Predators radio network). Glass knew that he wasn’t good enough last season for Nashville and was feeling the pressure heading into the summer as he will be a restricted free agent on July 1st, 2025. If Glass can improve his speed next season, it could be a good fit with the Penguins, as Pittsburgh hasn’t had much speed in their bottom six since they won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan loves to use speed and deploy an aggressive forecheck, and if Glass can work on that part of his game, he could find himself in the top nine next year.
Don Sweeney, Jim Nill To Manage Team Canada At 4 Nations
Team Canada has announced that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will serve as the team’s general manager for the upcoming 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill has been named the associate general manager (Twitter link). They were chosen by Doug Armstrong, the management group lead for Canada’s National Men’s Team, with support from Ryan Getzlaf, Scott Salmond, Katherine Henderson, and Pat McLaughlin.
This will be Sweeney’s first time managing an international team – and his first time managing a team not called the Bruins. He’s been confined to the Boston organization since his managerial career began in 2006-07, serving as Boston’s GM for the last nine seasons. His only international experience to this point was 11 games at the 1997 IIHF World Championship, where Sweeney potted four points as Canada paved their way to a Gold Medal. He’s since added the 2011 Stanley Cup and the 2019 General Manager of the Year award to his trophy cabinet, on top of leading some of the most impressive regular season performances the NHL has ever seen.
Sweeney will be flanked by Nill, who has plenty of international experience under his belt. Nill served as Canada’s GM at the 2004 and 2015 World Championships, winning a Gold Medal both times. He also garnered plenty of experience as a player – joining Canada at the 1980 Winter Olympics, the site of America’s prolific Miracle on Ice. That experience could light a fire under Nill, who is bound to face tough competition from the United States at 4 Nations.
The duo of Sweeney and Nill not only connects two of the top GMs in the NHL, it marks the first big step from Armstrong and his new management group for the Canadian National Men’s Team. They will look to takeaway all of the learning lessons that they can, with the 2026 Winter Olympics rapidly approaching.
Anaheim Ducks Hire Ryan Getzlaf
It’s been the week of retired players receiving front office roles, with names like Pekka Rinne and Alexander Steen joining their former clubs. Late last night, Ryan Getzlaf was added to the group, accepting a role as player development coordinator with the Anaheim Ducks.
Getzlaf will work under director of player development Jim Johnson to “prepare and educate” the team’s prospects. General manager Pat Verbeek released the following:
We are thrilled to have a player of Ryan’s stature stay with the club into his post-playing career. His experience and knowledge from his NHL and international career will be invaluable for our young prospects. He can help prospects reach their full potential on and off the ice based on his 17 years as an NHL player and valuable insight of the necessary steps from junior or college hockey to the NHL.
The 38-year-old Getzlaf needs no introduction. Selected 19th overall in 2003, he quickly became a key part of the Ducks’ organization, winning a Stanley Cup in his sophomore year. The dynamic duo of Getzlaf and Corey Perry would lead the Ducks to annual regular season success, and several long playoff runs over the years.
In 1,157 regular season games, all with Anaheim, Getzlaf scored 282 goals and 1,019 points, reaching a career-high of 91 in 2008-09. He served as captain for more than 12 years, the longest stretch in franchise history.
Now, after retiring in 2022, he’ll transition to the other side of hockey and start a front office career. While his specific duties are not clear, bringing his leadership and experience back into the room should only serve the Ducks positively.
2022 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced
The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.
Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:
Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf
Arizona Coyotes: Andrew Ladd
Boston Bruins: Nick Foligno
Buffalo Sabres: Jeff Skinner
Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund
Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy
Colorado Avalanche: Nazem Kadri
Columbus Blue Jackets: Jack Roslovic
Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson
Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic
Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse
Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles Kings: Cal Petersen
Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba
Montreal Canadiens: Jake Allen
Nashville Predators: Luke Kunin
New Jersey Devils: P.K. Subban
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
New York Rangers: Chris Kreider
Ottawa Senators: Nick Holden
Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust
San Jose Sharks: Matt Nieto
Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz
St. Louis Blues: Ryan O’Reilly
Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman
Toronto Maple Leafs: Wayne Simmonds
Vancouver Canucks: Bo Horvat
Vegas Golden Knights: Max Pacioretty
Washington Capitals: Garnet Hathaway
Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey
Nominees Announced For 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2022.
Past winners of the award include Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014), and Josh Harding (2013).
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf
Arizona Coyotes – Andrew Ladd
Boston Bruins – Jake DeBrusk
Buffalo Sabres – Kyle Okposo
Calgary Flames – Chris Tanev
Carolina Hurricanes – Antti Raanta
Chicago Blackhawks – Dylan Strome
Colorado Avalanche – Jack Johnson
Columbus Blue Jackets – Justin Danforth
Dallas Stars – Tyler Seguin
Edmonton Oilers – Kris Russell
Florida Panthers – Anthony Duclair
Los Angeles Kings – Blake Lizotte
Minnesota Wild – Jared Spurgeon
Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price
Nashville Predators – Mark Borowiecki
New Jersey Devils – Nico Hischier
New York Islanders – Zdeno Chara
New York Rangers – Chris Kreider
Ottawa Senators – Anton Forsberg
Philadelphia Flyers – Kevin Hayes
Pittsburgh Penguins – Brian Boyle
St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko
Seattle Kraken – Jaden Schwartz
Tampa Bay Lightning – Alex Killorn
Toronto Maple Leafs – Ondrej Kase
Vancouver Canucks – Luke Schenn
Vegas Golden Knights – Jack Eichel
Winnipeg Jets – Josh Morrissey
Washington Capitals – Nicklas Backstrom
Ryan Getzlaf To Retire After 2021-22 Season
After a long, successful career, Ryan Getzlaf will hang up his skates at the end of this season. The Anaheim Ducks captain announced today that he will retire following the 2021-22 campaign, having only ever played for one franchise. In a statement, Getzlaf explained:
It’s been an honor to play in the NHL and spend my entire professional career with one organization. None of this would have been possible without my family, who offered unwavering love and support each step of the way. Thank you to our owners, Henry and Susan Samueli, for leading an organization committed to success on the ice, but more importantly, to making a positive impact in our community and to those in need.
Getzlaf, 36, played 17 seasons with the Ducks, debuting in 2005 after the lockout and basically never leaving the lineup. Named captain in 2010 after the departure of Scott Niedermayer, he has been the face of the franchise for more than a decade. Now, as the team transitions to a new core, he’ll step away from the game and allow younger players like Trevor Zegras to take the spotlight in Anaheim.
It’s been an incredible career for the 19th overall pick in 2003. Getzlaf has played in 1,150 games, registered 1,013 points, and raised the Stanley Cup in 2007. He sits as the team’s all-time leading scorer, with 200 more assists than Teemu Selanne who sits in second place. In fact, Getzlaf’s 731 career assists are actually good for 51st on the all-time NHL list–he could climb into the top-50 by season’s end.
There was also plenty of international success for the big center. Twice Getzlaf took home Olympic gold medals as part of Team Canada, while also winning World Cup, World Junior, and U18 golds along the way. While he never secured a World Championship gold to enter the “Triple Gold Club,” he did serve as captain of Canada at the event, in which he participated twice. Part of the famous 2003 draft class that will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the best ever, he sits just 21 points behind Eric Staal for the top in the entire group.
Even this year, at the end of his journey, Getzlaf has shown some of his patented playmaking ability, racking up 28 assists in 49 games. While the days of his prime are long behind him, he still has been rather effective for the Ducks in his final year.
Known outside the rink for his community efforts, Getzlaf was also praised by Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli for his work off the ice:
We are so proud of everything Ryan has accomplished in an amazing 17 years playing for the Ducks. While we will all remember his leadership qualities on the ice, it is his community-first approach that has cemented his legacy in Orange County. In addition to spearheading the Ducks Learn to Play Program and numerous other organizational charitable initiatives, he launched his own such event with the Annual Getzlaf Shootout to benefit CureDuchenne, raising over $4.27 million to date.
Getzlaf never did win any major individual awards, though he finished second in Hart Trophy voting in 2014. Like his playstyle that always favored setting up a teammate over taking the shot himself, his career will be remembered more for team success–in the NHL and internationally–than any personal accolades.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
West Notes: Getzlaf, Dubois, Coronato, Wild
Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf plans to discuss his future with the team soon, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. At this point, no decision has been made as to whether or not the 36-year-old intends to return for an 18th NHL season with GM Pat Verbeek recently indicating that Getzlaf will “remain a Duck for whenever he decides not to play anymore”. After scoring just five goals last season, Getzlaf only has three this year but he sits second to only Trevor Zegras on the team in assists. He has a base salary of $3MM this season with another $1.5MM in incentives and his next contract – should he choose to sign one – should check in a bit lower in terms of total cost.
More from out West:
- Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois will wait until the offseason to begin negotiations on his next contract, notes NHL.com’s Tim Campbell. The 23-year-old has had a nice bounce-back year in his first full season in Winnipeg, notching 50 points in 65 games, giving him a shot at surpassing his career high of 61 set in his sophomore year. Dubois is owed a $6MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights and is two years away from UFA eligibility which makes it likely that Winnipeg will seek a long-term deal this summer.
- Although Flames prospect Matthew Coronato had a strong freshman year with Harvard, Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson mentions that the 19-year-old is expected to return for his sophomore campaign. The winger is eligible to play in the AHL if Calgary wanted while he would also still have eligibility for major junior but after leading the Crimson in scoring this season with 36 points in 34 games, staying at the college level certainly isn’t a bad idea for the 13th pick in 2021.
- Wild prospect center Nikita Nesterenko and defenseman Marshall Warren are likely to remain in college next season, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Nesterenko had 24 points in 37 games in his sophomore year at Boston College while Warren had 21 points in 37 contests in his junior year with the Eagles. Meanwhile, Russo adds that Minnesota will likely try to sign forward Sam Hentges to an entry-level deal beginning next season and an ATO pact for this year for him to play with AHL Iowa. Hentges had 22 points in 20 games in his final season at St. Cloud State while scoring once in two games at the Olympics last month.
Pacific Notes: Boeser, Kings, Ducks
Prior to the trade deadline, the Canucks hadn’t made any progress on a contract extension with winger Brock Boeser, reports Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. It has been a quiet year by the 25-year-old’s standards as he has 19 goals and 19 assists in 60 games, numbers that aren’t bad but aren’t befitting of the $7.5MM salary he’s receiving this season which stands as his qualifying offer in July to retain his rights. It’s that situation that had Boeser in trade speculation heading into the deadline and will continue to have him in that until a new deal can be reached. Vancouver can take him to arbitration and offer 90% of the qualifying offer but that’s as low as they can go and it’s something they can only do once with Boeser.
More from the Pacific:
- Kings defenseman Tobias Bjornfot is nearing a return from the undisclosed injury that has kept him out for the last couple of weeks, relays Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider. The 20-year-old has held down a regular spot on the third pairing for Los Angeles this season, averaging over 16 minutes a night in his sophomore year. Meanwhile, winger Brendan Lemieux was a full participant in practice for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury three weeks ago. He leads the Kings in penalty minutes (86) and sits second in hits (108) in his 44 contests.
- Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf is expected to be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against San Jose, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The veteran has missed the last three weeks with a lower-body injury but still sits tied for fourth in team scoring. Winger Troy Terry should be back for that game, however, after missing Wednesday’s contest due to illness.
Ryan Getzlaf Placed In COVID Protocol, Maxime Comtois Activated
The Anaheim Ducks placed captain Ryan Getzlaf in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today, per a team tweet. They also activated forward Maxime Comtois from the list and swapped taxi squad bodies, recalling Greg Pateryn and sending Jacob Larsson down.
Getzlaf’s having somewhat of a resurgence for Anaheim this year, already getting more points than he had last year in 48 games. His 20 assists through 29 games are most on the team. He’s had great chemistry with Troy Terry, as evidenced by the latter’s 18 goals on the year.
With Getzlaf’s absence, Comtois likely returns to the lineup in a top-six role. That’s a good sign, showing that the team trusts him to improve on his singular assist through 14 games.
The team already had Trevor Zegras on COVID protocol, so it’s a lot of offensive firepower taken out of the lineup for Anaheim at the moment.