Johnston, Lemay, & Brown Join Hockey Canada's POE for 2025-26
July 11, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release
TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is pleased to congratulate Mike Johnston of the Portland Winterhawks (WHL), Yanick Lemay of the Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL), and Dave Brown of the Erie Otters (OHL) who, alongside Mark Hunter of the London Knights (OHL), will comprise Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence (POE) management group for the 2025-26 season.
Mike Johnston (Portland Winterhawks, WHL / Dartmouth, NS) makes his POE management group debut, guiding the under-17 program through the 2025 U17 World Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia, while Yanick Lemay (Drummondville Voltigeurs, QMJHL / Drummondville, QC) returns for his second consecutive year to lead the under-18 program. Dave Brown (Erie Otters, OHL / Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON) will also join the POE management group in an advisory role, providing overall support to all three programs through the 2025-26 season. Johnston, Lemay, and Brown join Mark Hunter (London Knights, OHL / Petrolia, ON), who was recently announced as the management group lead for Canada's National Junior Team.
The management group was selected by Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, ON), Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations.
"Mike, Yanick, Mark, and Dave will provide a wealth of knowledge throughout our Program of Excellence from their vast Canadian Hockey League and international experience," said Millar. "We are tremendously grateful for their commitment to Hockey Canada's under-17, under-18, and under-20 programs and are looking forward to their contributions to Canada's success in international play this season."
Johnston served as an assistant coach for Canada's National Junior Team at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship and has been senior vice-president and general manager of the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for 13 seasons (2009-12, 2013-14, 2016-25). He recently stepped down as head coach after 12 seasons (2009-12, 2013-14, 2016-24), winning U.S. Division Executive of the Year and Coach of the Year awards in 2023-24. Johnston is one of just 11 head coaches in WHL history to win 500 games, and he led the Winterhawks to seven consecutive 40-win seasons and one WHL championship title in 2012-13. He has also served as an assistant (1999-2003) and associate coach (2003-04) with the Vancouver Canucks, an associate coach with the Los Angeles Kings (2005-08), and head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins (2014-16). Johnston 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. He 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.
Lemay returns to the POE management group for the second-straight season, leading the under-18 program, after helping guide Canada White and Canada Red to gold and silver, respectively, at the 2024 U17 World Challenge. He is entering his third season as general manager of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Last season, Lemay guided the Voltigeurs to an 86-point campaign and a first-place finish in the QMJHL's Central Division. Additionally, in 2023-24, Lemay went on to help lead Drummondville to its second-ever QMJHL championship title- and first in 15 years- earning a berth in the 2024 Memorial Cup. Prior to joining Drummondville, he served as an amateur scout with the Winnipeg Jets for 12 seasons (2011-23), was head scout of the QMJHL's Junior de Montréal for three seasons (2008-11) and spent 10 seasons with the QMJHL's Cape Breton Screaming Eagles as a scout (1998-2002) and head scout (2002-08).
Brown returns to the POE management group for a third-straight season after helping lead Canada to gold medals at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship, and assisting Canada White to gold at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. He is currently in his eleventh season (2015-25) as general manager of the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after serving four seasons (2011-15) as director of hockey operations with the team. He helped lead Erie to an OHL championship in 2017 and contributed to a CHL record of four consecutive 50-win seasons (2011-15). Prior to joining the Otters, Brown spent seven seasons with the Mississauga/Niagara IceDogs, serving as assistant general manager (2003-05) and general manager (2005-10).
The management group will work alongside Salmond, Millar, Roy, and POE head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), as well as the organization's hockey operations staff. Day-to-day operations for the POE management group include assisting in coach and player selections, supporting the coaching staffs, and providing input during camps and tournaments throughout the season.
The Program of Excellence is overseen by Katherine Henderson (Thunder Bay, ON), Hockey Canada's president and chief executive officer; Misha Donskov (Montréal, QC), vice-president of hockey operations and men's national teams coach; Salmond; Millar; Roy; Dan MacKenzie (Guelph, ON), CHL president; Bryan Crawford (Hamilton, ON), OHL commissioner; Mario Cecchini (Saint-Lambert, QC), QMJHL commissioner; and Dan Near (Markham, ON), WHL commissioner.
For more information on Hockey Canada and the Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
Western Hockey League Stories from July 11, 2025
- Hurricanes Sign Import Picks Malinek and Skadauskas - Lethbridge Hurricanes
- Johnston, Lemay, & Brown Join Hockey Canada's POE for 2025-26 - WHL
- Giants Sign Czech Defenceman Skok to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement - Vancouver Giants
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