Latest news with #DaleHunter
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ten OHL Players Named To USA's Hlinka Gretzky Cup Selection Camp
USA announced the 38 players who have been invited to their 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup selection camp. The camp is being held in Plymouth, Michigan at the USA Hockey Arena from July 28-Aug. 3. Amongst the 38 players named, ten of them either played in the OHL last season, or have signed with an OHL organization ahead of the 2025-26 season. The Oshawa Generals lead the way with three representatives, while Saginaw and Ottawa each have two. Dale Hunter Named Canada World Juniors Head Coach After two consecutive disappointing fifth-place finishes at the World Junior Championships, where they lost to Czechia in the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025, Hockey Canada needs to regain its dominance at the junior stage. Below is a rundown of the ten players: F, Caden Harvey - 6'0', 180lbs - Windsor Spitfires F, Brooks Rogowski - 6'6', 228lbs - Oshawa Generals F, Joseph Salandra - 5'10', 190lbs - Barrie Colts F, Trevor Theuer - 5'11', 190lbs - Saginaw Spirit F, Jaxon Williams - 5'10', 165lbs - Ottawa 67's LHD, Colin Feeley - 6'7', 190lbs - Oshawa Generals RHD, Levi Harper - 5'11', 175lbs - Saginaw Spirit RHD, George Komadoski - 6'3', 200lbs - Flint Firebirds LHD, Leo Laschon - 6'2', 200lbs - Oshawa Generals G, Ryder Fetterolf - 6'1', 175lbs - Ottawa 67's Niagara IceDogs Sign Exciting & Talented Top-10 Pick Ryerson Edgar The Niagara IceDogs are loaded with high-end talent at the forward position, and they just announced another significant commitment to their lineup for the 2025-26 season. Forwards Caden Harvey, Brooks Rogowski, and Joseph Salandra are strong candidates to make Team USA's roster up front, while on the backend, the towering 6-foot-7 Colin Feeley and offensively-minded defenseman Levi Harper could form a solid pairing on the blueline. The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup takes place from Aug. 11-16 in Brno, Czechia, and Trencin, Slovakia. Canada has dominated the tournament, winning gold the past three years. USA usually struggles, as they don't send their best players from the United States National Team Development Program. However, they have made it to the bronze medal game in back-to-back years, winning it in 2023. Last year, only one OHL player made USA's roster — Travis Hayes. (Top photo credit: Tucker Nadon/OHL Images) Make sure you bookmark THN's OHL site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. Latest OHL News: OHL Releases 2025 Pre-season Schedule; Kitchener Rangers Host Labor Day Weekend Showcase We are officially less than 60 days, 53 to be exact until OHL action resumes. Enjoy the summer vacations, cottage, and camping trips, hockey season will soon be back before you know it. Niagara IceDogs Sign 2025 CHL Import Draft Selections Vladislav Yermolenko & Ben Reisnecker The middle of July is undoubtedly the prime time for OHL teams to secure their import players through the CHL Import Draft. We've witnessed a significant surge in import signings over the past week, and the Niagara IceDogs have put pen to paper with two of their 2025 import draft picks. Ottawa 67's Sign Both 2025 CHL Import Draft Picks Ondrej Ruml & Jasper Kuhta OHL teams have been taking advantage of the new rule change, which allows them to carry three import players on their rosters instead of two. Oshawa and Saginaw have each acquired a Russian goalie for next season, selected from the 2025 CHL Import Draft.
Global News
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Mark and Dale Hunter will lead Team Canada at 2026 world junior hockey championship
In 2020, Mark and Dale Hunter led Canada to gold in Czechia at the world junior hockey championship. This coming December, they will attempt to repeat the feat in Minnesota. On Tuesday, Hockey Canada announced that Mark Hunter will be back as Canada's general manager and Dale Hunter will return as head coach for the next world junior tournament. Canada is coming off consecutive quarter-final losses in 2025 and 2024 in Ottawa and Gothenburg, Sweden, respectively. Dale admits that an opportunity like this feels special every time you are asked. 'As a player or as a coach, every time you get a chance to represent Team Canada is awesome. It's a challenge and it's fun and it's going to be a battle because all of the teams are good and we will have to be ready.' Story continues below advertisement Team Canada's first order of business will be the World Junior Summer Showcase, which will bring together Canada, Sweden, Finland and the host Americans, who have won world junior gold two years in a row. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Team Canada and Team USA will have two squads at the event, making for six teams in total. It will run from July 25 to Aug. 2 at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Knights defenceman Henry Brzustewicz will be a part of Team USA at the showcase. That week can help to establish a foundation for the team that will take to the ice when the big event begins in Minnesota on Dec. 26. 'It's a puzzle,' Dale Hunter says. 'You need to have the right combination of players and styles of games. We like a good, skilled team so we will aim to develop that and remember some of your best players are always playing in the National Hockey League and won't be able to help you so you have to plan for that.' In 2020, Canada's toughest opponent was Russia. A 6-1 loss to Russia in the round-robin led to a fair bit of pressure heading into a tournament rematch with the gold medal on the line. When Russia scored to make it 3-1 at the 8:46 mark of the third period, a repeat looked likely, but goals by former London Knight and current Washington Capital Connor McMichael and by Barrett Hayton, who now plays for the Utah Mammoth, knotted things up 3-3. Story continues below advertisement That's when Dale Hunter's gut instinct took over behind the bench. 'I was kind of scrambling around for lines right then and trying to see who was going the best and just by knowing Akil (Thomas) and all of the big goals he had scored against (the Knights) … he has a knack for the net and I played a hunch and put him out there and he ended up getting a breakaway and scoring the winning goal.' Canada will be in Group B in 2026 and will face Finland, Czechia, Latvia and Denmark in round-robin games. Group A will comprise two-time defending champion Team USA, Sweden, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany. Games will be played at the Xcel Energy Center, which is the home of the Minnesota Wild, and also on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Canada leads all other countries with 20 gold medals dating back to 1977.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
London Knights' owner named Team Canada's head coach at 2026 World Juniors championship
Dale Hunter is owner and head coach of the London Knights and last month, led the team to its third Memorial Cup victory. (Isha Bhargava/CBC - image credit) The long-time owner of the London Knights has been named head coach of Canada's national junior hockey team for an international championship next year, Hockey Canada announced on Thursday. Dale Hunter will lead the Canadian team to the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, and his brother Mark Hunter will serve as a member of the team's management group, when it's held in Switzerland in May 2026 Advertisement "Dale's resume speaks for itself: three Memorial Cups, three OHL Coach of the Year awards and two international gold medals," Alan Millar, general manager of the team's program of excellence, said in a news release. "His passion for this program runs deep, and we feel he is the best candidate to lead us to a gold medal in Minnesota." This is the second time the London Knights' bench boss has been roped as the national team's head coach. He previously served in the role for the 2020 world junior hockey championship in the Czech Republic, where the team won a gold medal. Hunter has won multiple national and provincial coaching honours, and most recently, led the London Knights to their third Memorial Cup victory last month, after beating the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1. Advertisement Hunter has coached the Knights in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for 24 straight seasons since 2001 and has served in various roles for the franchise. Dale Hunter will be head coach of Team Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championships, this is his second time serving in this role after leading the national team to a gold medal win in 2020. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press) In his role on the management group, Mark will assist the team's executives with all hockey operations-related matters, including supporting player evaluations and the selection process. "Mark led Canada to a World Juniors gold medal in 2020 and has built one of the premier franchises in the Canadian Hockey League, with unparalleled on-ice success and player advancement," said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. Advertisement "Alan and Mark provide a stable backbone for our National Junior Team and I'm confident they will build a staff and roster that Canadians can be proud of come December." Team Canada's juniors will start preparing for the 2026 championship at the World Junior summer showcase in Minnesota from July 27 to Aug. 2. They will join Finland, Sweden and the United States.
CBC
10-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
London Knights' owner named Team Canada's head coach at 2026 World Juniors championship
The long-time owner of the London Knights has been named head coach of Canada's national junior hockey team for an international championship next year, Hockey Canada announced on Thursday. Dale Hunter will lead the Canadian team to the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, and his brother Mark Hunter will serve as a member of the team's management group, when it's held in Switzerland in May 2026 "Dale's resume speaks for itself: three Memorial Cups, three OHL Coach of the Year awards and two international gold medals," Alan Millar, general manager of the team's program of excellence, said in a news release. "His passion for this program runs deep, and we feel he is the best candidate to lead us to a gold medal in Minnesota." This is the second time the London Knights' bench boss has been roped as the national team's head coach. He previously served in the role for the 2020 world junior hockey championship in the Czech Republic, where the team won a gold medal. Hunter has won multiple national and provincial coaching honours, and most recently, led the London Knights to their third Memorial Cup victory last month, after beating the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1. Hunter has coached the Knights in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for 24 straight seasons since 2001 and has served in various roles for the franchise. In his role on the management group, Mark will assist the team's executives with all hockey operations-related matters, including supporting player evaluations and the selection process. "Mark led Canada to a World Juniors gold medal in 2020 and has built one of the premier franchises in the Canadian Hockey League, with unparalleled on-ice success and player advancement," said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. "Alan and Mark provide a stable backbone for our National Junior Team and I'm confident they will build a staff and roster that Canadians can be proud of come December." Team Canada's juniors will start preparing for the 2026 championship at the World Junior summer showcase in Minnesota from July 27 to Aug. 2. They will join Finland, Sweden and the United States.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dale Hunter Named Canada World Juniors Head Coach
After two consecutive disappointing fifth-place finishes at the World Junior Championships, where they lost to Czechia in the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025, Hockey Canada needs to regain its dominance at the junior stage. Before commencing their summer showcase camp later this month, the first step was to appoint a head coach for the 2026 tournament. Who better to lead the team back to the top than one of major junior hockey's most decorated coaches? Advertisement London Knights Head Coach and President Dale Hunter has been named Canada's Head Coach for the 2026 World Junior Championship. His brother, London Knights GM Mark Hunter, will also be a part of the management group. The Knights were the best team in major junior hockey in Canada, with many thanks from their coach. Hunter ensures his players play a detailed, structured style of gameplay, one that is characterized by a high level of physicality and assertiveness. London has won back-to-back OHL Championships. After losing in the finals of the 2024 Memorial Cup tournament, the team got their redemption, and beat Gavin McKenna's Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1 in the finals to take home the 2025 Memorial Cup. Advertisement Another successful OHL campaign is in the books for Dale Hunter, who now has five OHL Championships and three Memorial Cup rings as a head coach. Additionally, he became the most winningest coach in Memorial Cup history this past spring. Dale Hunter Becomes Winningest Coach In Memorial Cup History Dale Hunter Becomes Winningest Coach In Memorial Cup History Dale Hunter is one of the most accomplished coaches in the CHL. In terms of former and current CHL coaches, you'd be hard pressed to find a record that can stand toe to toe with Hunter's. Hunter has experience behind the bench as the head honcho for Canada at the World Juniors. He coached the team to a gold medal victory in 2020. Canada roared back in the third period, scoring three unanswered goals to beat Russia 4-3. Akil Thomas was the hero with less than five minutes to play in regulation with a beautiful backhand finish. Canada needed to find the best coach possible to lead their country into battle on enemy soil. The 2026 tournament will be played in Minnesota, and you know the American fans will be cheering for Canada's downfall all tournament long. New York Rangers Prospect Signs With Sudbury Wolves New York Rangers Prospect Signs With Sudbury Wolves Exciting news for the Advertisement OHL's Sudbury Wolves. The team is bringing some Russian talent to their defense lineup for the upcoming season, and this player comes with impressive NHL lineage. London Knights Sam O'Reilly Involved In NHL Trade Between Edmonton & Tampa Bay London Knights Sam O'Reilly Involved In NHL Trade Between Edmonton & Tampa Bay The OHL currently has a trade freeze in place so their players don't have to worry about getting dealt to a new team while they enjoy their summer and off-season training.
