Chiefs' HC Lauer Named to Canada's 2026 IIHF World Juniors Coaching Staff
WHL Spokane Chiefs

Chiefs' HC Lauer Named to Canada's 2026 IIHF World Juniors Coaching Staff

July 26, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


Spokane Chiefs head coach Brad Lauer will join Team Canada's coaching staff, led by London Knights head coach Dale Hunter, for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota this December.

Behind the bench, Hunter - who was announced as head coach earlier this month - will be joined by will be joined by associate coach Misha Donskov (London, ON), assistant coaches Brad Lauer (Spokane / WHL) and Gardiner MacDougall (Moncton / QMJHL), goaltending coach Dan De Palma (Kamloops / WHL) and video coach Ethan O'Rourke (Kingston / OHL), with additional support from James Emery, Hockey Canada's director of performance analysis.

The coaches and support staff were selected by newly appointed Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar and Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, with input from director of hockey operations Benoit Roy and Mark Hunter (London, OHL) U20 lead with the Program of Excellence management group.

"We are thrilled to officially welcome Misha, Brad, Gardiner, Dan and Ethan to the coaching staff for the World Juniors," said Millar. "Each coach brings a winning pedigree at the National Hockey League, Canadian Hockey League and IIHF levels. We believe this is an exceptionally well-rounded staff that will provide our players with an opportunity to be successful in Minnesota."

Over the 2024-25 season, London Knights head coach Dale Hunter added to his impressive coaching résumé with two historic milestones. He became just the second head coach in both OHL and CHL history - joining Brian Kilrea - to record 1,000 regular-season wins. Capping off the year, Hunter led the London Knights to a third Memorial Cup championship under his guidance, tying Don Hay for the most titles by a head coach in CHL history. Remarkably, all three championships have come with the Knights, making Hunter the only coach to achieve that feat with a single CHL franchise.

In addition to capturing the Memorial Cup together in June, Dale and London Knights Vice President and General Manager Mark Hunter were instrumental in leading the team to its sixth Ontario Hockey League (OHL) championship in franchise history. The 2025 title marked the second time the Knights have won back-to-back OHL championships, adding to their previous victories in 2024, 2016, 2013, 2012, and 2005. London dominated the 2025 OHL Playoffs with a remarkable 16-1 record, becoming just the third team in OHL history to win the championship with one or fewer losses - joining the 1998 Guelph Storm (12-1) and the 1988 Windsor Spitfires (12-0) in that elite category.

Dale Hunter began his coaching career with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2001 and has held that role for the last 24 seasons, save for 60 games as head coach of the Washington Capitals in 2011-12. As the team's bench boss, the Knights have won five OHL championships (2005, 2013, 2016, 2024, 2025) and three Memorial Cup championships (2005, 2016, 2025). Hunter has also been named OHL Coach of the Year three times (2003-04, 2004-05, 2009-10) and earned the CHL's Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award in 2003-04. In addition to his 2020 World Juniors gold, he coached Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team to a gold medal at the 2014 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Hunter played 1,409 NHL games with the Capitals, Quebec Nordiques, and Colorado Avalanche from 1980-99, recording 1,020 points (323-697-1020). He ranks second in NHL history with 3,565 penalty minutes and is the only player to record over 1,000 points and 3,000 penalty minutes.

Lauer recently completed his first season as head coach of the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL), leading the team to the WHL Championship Series for the first time since 2008. He also served as head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings for four seasons (2018-22), winning the WHL championship (2022) and the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as WHL coach of the year (2019-20), and was an assistant with the Kootenay Ice for five seasons (2002-07). Lauer was also an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets (2022-24), Tampa Bay Lightning (2015-18), Anaheim Ducks (2012-15) and Ottawa Senators (2009-11), as well an assistant with the Syracuse Crunch (2011-12) and Milwaukee Admirals (2007-09) of the American Hockey League.

MacDougall recently completed his first season as head coach of the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), leading the team to a 53-win season and the Gilles-Courteau Trophy as QMJHL champions. Previously, he led the University of New Brunswick men's hockey team to a perfect 43-0 season in 2023-24 as the Reds defended their University Cup title. The perfect season included win No. 600 for MacDougall, who was also named U SPORTS coach of the year for the third time (2009-10, 2014-15, 2023-24). He spent 24 seasons behind the Reds' bench, leading the team to nine national championships (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2024). Under his leadership, the Reds won 11 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) titles and made 16 national championship appearances. Internationally, he led Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team to a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship. In 2023, he was named head coach for the FISU University Games, leading Team Canada to a gold medal, one season after briefly taking the reins as head coach of the QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs and leading the host team to a Memorial Cup championship.

De Palma is entering his 19th season as the goaltending coach for the WHL's Kamloops Blazers. He began his coaching career with the WHL's Prince George Cougars in 2006 and spent three seasons in northern British Columbia before joining the Blazers. De Palma has won two IIHF U18 World Championship gold medals (2024, 2025) as a goaltending coach, as well as a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He also served as the goaltending coach at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, as well as for Team Canada Black at the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

O'Rourke is entering his fifth season with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He spent his first two years in Kingston as video coach before he was promoted to assistant general manager midway through the 2022-23 season. He has represented Canada twice as a video coach, once with Team Canada Red at the 2024 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning a gold medal. He began his career with the OHL's Oshawa Generals in 2019 as a regional scout.

The support staff that will work with Canada's National Junior Team at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship includes:

Equipment managers Chris Cook (Brantford, OHL) and Chris Maton London, OHL) Athletic therapists Kyle Sutton and Terence Robertson (Red Deer, AB/Red Deer, WHL) Team physician Dr. Michael Conrad /Victoria, WHL) Mental performance consultant Luke Madill Performance analysis director James Emery Hockey operations coordinator Jared Power Media relations coordinator Branden Crowe

Canada's National Junior Team will begin preparations for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at the World Junior Summer Showcase,

July 27-Aug. 2 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they will be joined by Finland, Sweden and the United States.

Canada have been drawn into Group B for this year's 2026 World Juniors where they will face Czechia, Denmark, Finland and Latvia in the round-robin.

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