Coaching Staff from CHL to Lead Canada at 2025 World Juniors

July 5, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release

TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is pleased to congratulate several CHL coaches and hockey operations staff members who were appointed to Canada's National Junior Team, as Team Canada aims to reclaim gold on home ice at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa, Ontario.

Dave Cameron (Ottawa 67's / OHL) returns to take the reins as head coach after leading Canada to a gold medal at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship. He will be joined by assistant coaches Sylvain Favreau (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL), Mike Johnston (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), and Chris Lazary (Saginaw Spirit / OHL), as well as goaltending consultant Justin Pogge and video coach James Emery.

In his three seasons as the head coach of the Ottawa 67's, Dave Cameron has led the 67's to three consecutive postseason appearances and he was recognized as both the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and CHL Coach of the Year in 2023. Additionally, Favreau, Johnston, and Lazary are coming off impressive 2023-24 campaigns as head coaches for their respective clubs in the CHL.

Both Favreau and Lazary competed against one another at the 2024 Memorial Cup, and they each led their club to a championship title in 2024. Specifically, Favreau's Voltigeurs won the Gilles-Courteau Trophy in May as the champions of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), while Lazary's Spirit earned their first-ever Memorial Cup title this past June. Meanwhile, having coached the Winterhawks to their thirteenth 40-win campaign since 2009 along with an appearance in the 2024 Western Hockey League (WHL) Championship Series, Johnston was named the WHL's U.S. Division Coach & Executive of the Year this past season.

In addition to these coaches, Peter Anholt (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL) will return as the U20 lead for the Program of Excellence management group, serving alongside three-time Stanley Cup champion, Olympic gold medallist, and WHL alumnus Brent Seabrook, who returns to the National Junior Team for the second-straight year. Anholt and Seabrook helped select the staff alongside Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Benoit Roy, senior manager of hockey operations.

"Dave has won two gold medals at the World Juniors and has proven to be an excellent leader of Canada's National Junior Team, and we are excited to have him return to coach our team as we look to reclaim gold in the nation's capital this year. We are also fortunate to round out our coaching staff with Sylvain, Mike, Chris, Justin, and James, as all seven will benefit our team with their extensive CHL and international experience," Salmond said. "We are also fortunate to work with Peter and Brent again, as they have helped assemble a world-class staff and will be key factors in building a highly skilled team that fans in Ottawa and across the country will be proud to cheer for this holiday season."

Cameron has served as head coach of the Ottawa 67's of the OHL for the past three seasons (2021-24), leading the team to three straight playoff appearances and winning OHL and CHL Coach of the Year awards in 2022-23. He previously spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames (2016-18) and five seasons with the Ottawa Senators (2011-16) as head coach and assistant and was the head coach and GM of the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (1997-99) and Toronto St. Michael's Majors (2000-04, 2009-10). Cameron was also an assistant with the St. John's Maple Leafs (1999-2000) and head coach of the Binghamton Senators (2004-07) of the American Hockey League (AHL). Internationally, he has won four medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship, including silver and gold as head coach in 2011 and 2022, respectively, and gold and silver as an assistant in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Cameron also won gold medals as an assistant coach at the 2016 IIHF World Championship and as head coach at the 2004 Junior World Cup.

Favreau recently completed his first season as head coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL after six seasons as head coach (2021-23) and assistant coach (2017-21) with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. This season, he led the Voltigeurs to a QMJHL championship and a spot at the Memorial Cup after finishing the regular season atop the Western Conference. Favreau won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and was an assistant with Canada Black and head coach of Canada White at the 2018 and 2019 U17 World Challenge, respectively.

Johnston has been senior vice-president, general manager, and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL for 13 seasons (2009-14, 2016-24), winning the U.S. Division Executive of the Year and Coach of the Year awards this season. He also became the 11th head coach in WHL history to win 500 games and has led the Winterhawks to seven consecutive 40-win seasons. Johnston has also served as an assistant (1999-2003) and associate coach (2003-04) with the Vancouver Canucks, an associate with the Los Angeles Kings (2005-08) and head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins (2014-16). He also coached Canada's National Men's Team from 1994-99, winning two gold medals (1997, 2007), two silver (1996, 2008) and one bronze (1995) at the IIHF World Championship. Johnston also won gold at three IIHF World Junior Championships (1994, 1995, 1996) as an assistant coach, was an assistant at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games and head coach at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championship, and won the Spengler Cup in 1993.

Lazary has served as head coach of the OHL's Saginaw Spirit for the past five seasons (2018-24) after parts of three seasons (2016-18) as an associate coach with Saginaw and two seasons (2014-16) as an assistant with the OHL's Sarnia Sting. He led the Spirit to a Memorial Cup championship as the host team this season, as well as back-to-back West Division titles (2018-19, 2019-20). Lazary was also named head coach of Canada Red for the 2020 U17 World Challenge, which was canceled due to COVID-19.

The support staff that will work with Canada's National Junior Team at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship includes others from the CHL, including:

Athletic therapist Andy Brown (Owen Sound Attack / OHL)

Team physician Dr. R.J. MacKenzie (Cape Breton Eagles / QMJHL)

Equipment managers Chris Cook (Brantford Bulldogs / OHL) and Clayton Johns (Portland Winterhawks / WHL)

Strength and conditioning coach Sean Young (Ottawa 67's / OHL)

"The coaching and support staffs that will lead Canada's National Junior Team is second to none, and we know this group will do everything it can to help our team be successful in Ottawa in December and January," Anholt said. "I know all members of our staffs are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a special event in Canada, and we look forward to building a roster that wears the Maple Leaf with pride on and off the ice as Canadians across the country cheer us on."

Canada's National Junior Team will gather at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario, for a four-day training camp, July 28-31, which includes practices, a Red-White game on July 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, and a game against Sweden on July 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT. Tickets for the games in Windsor can be purchased at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets starting July 5, and are available for $30 plus fees per game or $45 plus fees for a two-game package.

The team will also travel to Plymouth, Michigan, to participate in the World Junior Summer Showcase, Aug. 1-3; it will take on Finland on Aug. 2 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT and the United States on Aug. 3 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada's National Junior Team, and the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

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