Hockey Canada selects Misha Donskov, Tim Hunter, Kris Knoblauch to join Ducharme behind the bench; releases new ticket packages for 2017 World Juniors
MONTREAL, Que. – Fans of Canada’s National Junior Team will see a familiar face behind the bench when the IIHF World Junior Championship returns to Montreal and Toronto in December. Dominique Ducharme (Joliette, Que./Drummondville, QMJHL) will reprise his coaching role for a second consecutive season – this time as the team’s head coach.
Ducharme, who recently accepted the role of general manager and head coach of the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs following five seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads, was on-hand for the announcement at a news conference at Montreal’s Bell Centre Monday.
The announcement was made by Scott Salmond, vice-president of hockey operations and national teams, and Joël Bouchard and Tim Speltz of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence management group. Bouchard and Speltz worked with Hockey Canada’s hockey operations staff, as well as the Canadian Hockey League, to make the coaching selections which included the appointments of Tim Hunter (Calgary/Moose Jaw, WHL), Kris Knoblauch (Regina/Erie, OHL), and Misha Donskov (London, Ont./Hockey Canada) as assistant coaches.
“Every year, we undergo an extensive process to select our national team coaches from amongst a very deep and talented pool of candidates from across the CHL – and this year was no exception,” said Salmond. “Dom, Tim, and Kris bring a great cross-section of experience to this team, and an understanding of what it takes to be successful at tournaments where you don’t have the luxury of time on your side. Their individual records speak for themselves, but we’re most excited about the prospect of what these three great hockey minds can produce working as a coaching unit.”
Ducharme is no stranger to standing behind the Team Canada bench, having been part of the 2015-16 National Junior Team coaching staff and winning gold with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2013 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament. During his tenure with the Mooseheads, he led the team to its first-ever Memorial Cup championship in 2013. His coaching experience also includes three seasons as assistant coach with the Montreal Junior, and Ducharme also played an assistant coaching role with Team Quebec at the 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, finishing fourth. Ducharme played professionally from 1995 to 2002 in the ECHL, AHL, and in Europe.
Hunter won a bronze medal with Canada’s National Under-18 Team at the 2015 IIHF U18 World Championship, and is fresh off his second season as head coach of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. Prior to joining the Warriors, Hunter coached more than 1,000 games over 14 seasons in the NHL as an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and San Jose Sharks. As a player he appeared in 815 NHL games over 16 seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, the Sharks, and he won the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989.
Knoblauch has coached in the CHL since the 2006-07 season, spending his first six seasons in the WHL – first as an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Raiders, then in the same role with the Kootenay Ice until taking over as head coach in 2010. As head coach, Knoblauch led the Ice to their third WHL championship in 2011 and the team’s first Memorial Cup appearance since 2002. In 2012-13, Knoblauch was hired by the OHL’s Erie Otters as the team’s head coach. This season, he was awarded the Matt Leyden Trophy as the OHL’s Coach of the Year. Knoblauch was head coach of Team Canada Red at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. His playing career includes winning a CIS national championship with the University of Alberta Golden Bears in 2000.
Donskov joined Hockey Canada in 2014 as manager of video and analytics. He has won a gold medal with Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship in Russia, the 2015 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic, and with Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal. Donskov was associate coach with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s from 2012-14, and spent three seasons with the London Knights, service as assistant general manager and assistant coach, winning an OHL championship in 2012. Donskov also spent eight years working with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and Atlanta Thrashers within hockey development programming, community development, fan development, marketing, and hockey operations.
“Being part of Team Canada at any capacity is an experience like no other. The role of head coach of the National Junior Team isn’t one I take lightly,” said Ducharme. “I’m looking forward to working with Misha, Tim and Kris, and demonstrating our Canadian talent in front of a hometown crowd this December.”
Hockey Canada releases new ticket packages for 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship
Monday’s news conference was kicked off with a look at the preparations underway for Canada to host the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship on home ice this December. Tom Renney, president and CEO of Hockey Canada, noted the nation-wide impact on the growth of the game that stemmed from hosting the event in 2015.
“Canadians expect us to deliver gold on the ice, and there’s no question that’s what we seek to deliver each and every time we put together a Team Canada roster,” said Renney. “When we have the opportunity to host a World Junior Championship, Hockey Canada’s measures of success expand to delivering a gold-medal experience for fans attending the event, and just as importantly, to delivering on an event legacy that positively impacts the growth of the game at all levels from coast-to-coast-to-coast.”
Renney noted that when Montreal and Toronto last hosted the World Juniors in 2015, the event’s legacy fed directly into allowing more than 30,000 players to be introduced to the game through the Initiation Program or a learn-to-play program; over 5,000 coaches were recruited, trained, and certified; and more than 2,500 players had access to skill-development programs.
“We build our events so that we can reinvest the proceeds into the growth of the game at all levels,” said Renney. “Whether it’s a national championship or a IIHF championship, we work closely with the host committees to create lasting legacies that positively impact hockey at the local level, and nationwide.”
Montreal and Toronto will welcome the world once again in six short months, and Hockey Canada has released full-event ticket packages, as well as mini-packs for both cities that allow hockey fans to tailor their experience and cheer on the up-and-coming hockey talent from hockey powerhouse countries around the world.
Beginning Tuesday, June 7, two new ticket packages at all price points from the Platinum to the Purple sections are available for games at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Starting at $54 per game, the packages feature at least two Canada preliminary-round games, and give fans a chance to see all five teams in Group B – Canada, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, and the United States.
Montreal launched a series of mini-packs in May, including a “medal pack” featuring two quarterfinal games, two semifinals, and the bronze- and gold-medal games.
Tickets are available at both venues, including for marquee games such as the gold-medal game in Montreal and the New Year’s Eve Canada-U.S. match-up in Toronto.
For more information on Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, and Twitter.
OHL Writers 