Bulldogs Bench Boss Jay Mckee Named Assistant Coach for 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge
OHL Brantford Bulldogs

Bulldogs Bench Boss Jay Mckee Named Assistant Coach for 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge

Published on October 16, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brantford Bulldogs News Release


Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL), Jay McKee (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL), and Sylvain Favreau (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL) will guide Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta. Tickets are on sale now at chl.ca/prospectschallenge.

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce the coaching and support staff for Team CHL ahead of the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, which will take place November 25 at Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome and November 26 at Lethbridge's VisitLethbridge.com Arena.

Leading the bench will be Willie Desjardins, General Manager and Head Coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), who will serve as Head Coach of Team CHL. Joining him behind the bench will be Jay McKee, Head Coach of the Brantford Bulldogs (OHL), and Sylvain Favreau, Head Coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL), who will serve as Assistant Coaches. Together, they represent each of the CHL Member Leagues - the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) - bringing leadership and experience from across the CHL.

"We're thrilled to have three exceptional coaches representing the CHL at this year's CHL USA Prospects Challenge," said Dan MacKenzie, President of the CHL. "Willie, Jay, and Sylvain have each proven themselves as leaders who develop players both on and off the ice. Their combined experience and success across the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL will bring tremendous knowledge and perspective to our players as they showcase their skills on an elite stage."

"It's an honour to be chosen as the Head Coach of Team CHL for the CHL USA Prospects Challenge," shared Willie Desjardins, now in his 16th season behind the bench in the WHL. "There are many great coaches in the Canadian Hockey League to choose from. I'm excited and looking forward to the opportunity to work with a great group of players and staff."

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to join the CHL in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge next month," added Jay McKee, Assistant Coach of Team CHL. "I am honoured to work with the young NHL prospects, while also having the opportunity to learn from Willie Desjardins and Sylvain Favreau, two coaches I have a lot of respect for. We're all looking very much forward to the event."

"It's a tremendous privilege to represent the QMJHL and the Voltigeurs at an event of this magnitude," said Sylvain Favreau, Assistant Coach of Team CHL. "The CHL USA Prospects Challenge is an incredible showcase for the young talent within the CHL. As coaches, our role is to provide the best possible environment for them to push themselves, learn, and demonstrate their full potential in front of scouts and fans alike. In addition, working alongside coaches of Willie and Jay's calibre is a unique opportunity for collaboration and growth, and I'm eager to help give our players a meaningful experience both on and off the ice."

One of only 12 coaches in Western Hockey League history to surpass the 500-win milestone, Willie Desjardins has established himself as one of junior hockey's most respected and accomplished bench bosses. A native of Climax, Saskatchewan, he began his WHL coaching career as interim head coach of the Saskatoon Blades in 1997-98 before taking the reins in Medicine Hat in 2002-03, where over eight seasons he led the Tigers to four consecutive Central Division titles (2003-07), two WHL Championships (2004, 2007), and earned dual honours in 2006 as WHL Coach of the Year and CHL Coach of the Year. Now in his 16th WHL season, Desjardins has steered Medicine Hat to three league championships, most recently the 2025 Ed Chynoweth Cup - a triumph that made him one of only three CHL head coaches to capture three or more league titles (WHL, OHL, or QMJHL) in the 21st century, and just the 13th in CHL history to achieve the feat. Across his WHL tenure, Desjardins' teams have recorded eight 40-win seasons, underscoring his consistency and competitive standard. His success has also extended to the professional and international levels, serving as an assistant coach with the NHL's Dallas Stars, head coach of the AHL's Texas Stars - where he earned AHL Coach of the Year honours in 2013 and won the Calder Cup in 2014 - and later leading the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings as an NHL head coach, while guiding Team Canada to Olympic bronze (2018), World Junior gold (2009), and Spengler Cup gold (2017). As a player, Desjardins skated with the Lethbridge Broncos of the WHL from 1974-76, making this year's CHL USA Prospects Challenge in Lethbridge a homecoming of sorts for the longtime coach.

Jay McKee, meanwhile, brings a wealth of experience and leadership from both his playing and coaching careers. A former first-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 1995, he appeared in over 800 NHL games with Buffalo, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh following four seasons in the OHL, where he split his junior career between the Sudbury Wolves and Niagara Falls Thunder. Since being named head coach of the Bulldogs in 2021, the Kingston, Ont., native has led the franchise to its best record in history (51-12-3-2) and a 2022 OHL Championship, amassing more than 160 wins over his first four seasons behind the bench. His coaching path included stints as an assistant coach with the AHL's Rochester Americans and OHL's Erie Otters before a four-plus-year run as head coach of the Kitchener Rangers eventually led him to the Bulldogs organization, where he is now entering his fifth season behind the bench in 2025-26. Known for his strong communication skills and ability to connect with players, McKee has earned recognition as an OHL All-Star Coach.

Rounding out the staff is Sylvain Favreau, who is currently in his third season with the Drummondville Voltigeurs and his ninth season behind a QMJHL bench. The Orléans, Ont., native led the Drummondville Voltigeurs to the 2024 QMJHL Championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup in his first season with the club, following six seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads-four as an assistant coach (2017-21) and two as head coach (2021-23). A model of consistency, he has guided his teams to 40-plus wins in each of his last three QMJHL seasons, establishing himself among the league's premier bench bosses. Internationally, Favreau served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, captured gold as an assistant coach with Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and previously worked with Canada Black (2018) and Canada White (2019) at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

In addition to the coaching staff, Team CHL's support staff for the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge will include:

Mike Johnston (Portland Winterhawks / WHL) - Third Assistant Coach

Yanick Lemay (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL) - General Manager

Jayce Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL) - Video Coach

Mikki Lanuk (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL) - Head Athletic Therapist - both games

Adam Leckie (Calgary Hitmen / WHL) - Athletic Therapist - Calgary game only

Robin McDonald (Calgary Hitmen / WHL) - Equipment Manager - Calgary game only

Marty Palechuk (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL) - Athletic Therapist - Lethbridge game only

Rhett White (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL) - Equipment Manager - Lethbridge game only

About the CHL USA Prospects Challenge

First introduced in 2024, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge is a best-on-best, two-game series spotlighting the top NHL Draft-eligible players from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL facing off against the U.S. National Under-18 Team. The inaugural edition, held last November in London and Oshawa, proved a major success - 16 of 22 players on Team CHL were selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft.

The 2025 edition, hosted by the Calgary Hitmen and the Lethbridge Hurricanes, will once again feature elite NHL prospects expected to headline the 2026 NHL Draft, including the first three players named to Team CHL's roster - defenceman Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants / WHL), forward Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara IceDogs / OHL), and defenceman Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL) - who have been identified by NHL Central Scouting.

The 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge will air live in Canada on TSN and RDS on November 25 (Calgary) and November 26 (Lethbridge). Puck drop is 6:00 p.m. MT / 8:00 p.m. ET for both games. Tickets are on sale now for both games at chl.ca/prospectschallenge.

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