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Coaching staffs selected for National Junior Team and National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team

Dale Hunter named junior head coach; Dan Lambert to lead under-18 team

NR.036.19
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May 14, 2019
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CALGARY, Alta. – Six coaches have been selected to lead Canada’s National Junior Team and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, respectively.

Dale Hunter (London, Ont./London, OHL) will serve as the head coach for Canada’s National Junior Team, with André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Ottawa, OHL) and Mitch Love (Quesnel, B.C./Saskatoon, WHL) serving as assistants.

On the under-18 side, Dan Lambert (Saint Boniface, Man./Spokane, WHL) will lead Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, with Mario Duhamel (Saint-Bruno, Que./Ottawa, OHL) and Dennis Williams (Stratford, Ont./Everett, WHL) as assistant coaches.

“We are excited about the two coaching staffs that have been assembled for Canada’s National Junior Team and Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, both of which include a combination of Canadian Hockey League, National Hockey League and international coaching experience,” said Shawn Bullock, director of men’s national teams for Hockey Canada. “We know all six coaches will represent our country with a tremendous amount of pride as they look to bring home gold medals at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.”

Hunter has spent 18 seasons as the owner, president and head coach of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), leading the team to five Memorial Cup appearances, winning the title twice (2005, 2016). He has been named OHL coach of the year three times (2004, 2005, 2010), adding CHL coach of the year honours in 2004. Hunter spent part of the 2011-12 season as head coach of the NHL’s Washington Capitals but returned to the Knights’ bench for the 2012-13 season. He has represented Canada once, winning a gold medal as head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Hunter is also a veteran of 19 NHL seasons with Quebec and Washington, and had his No. 32 retired by the Capitals.

Tourigny has served two seasons as head coach and vice-president of hockey operations with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He previously spent 11 seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (2002-13) and one season with the Halifax Mooseheads (2016-17) of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Tourigny also spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche (2013-15) and Ottawa Senators (2015-16) in the National Hockey League. He led Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team to a gold medal at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and served as an assistant coach at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Tourigny also won back-to-back silver medals as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2010 and 2011.

Love was named head coach with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in May 2017 after eight seasons (2009-17) as an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips. Last summer, he won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Love also won gold as an assistant with Team Canada White at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and was an assistant with Team Canada Red in 2016. As a player, he played five seasons in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors (2000-01), Swift Current Broncos (2001-03) and Silvertips (2003-05).

Lambert has been the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL for the past two seasons. Prior to that, he spent one season (2016-17) as head coach with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) and one season (2015-16) as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Lambert began his coaching career with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, serving five seasons as an assistant (2009-14) and one season as head coach (2014-15). He has represented Canada twice – once as head coach of Team Canada Red at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and once as a player with Canada’s National Junior Team at the 1989 IIHF World Junior Championship. He also won the 1989 Memorial Cup with the Swift Current Broncos and was named Memorial Cup MVP.

Duhamel just finished his second season with the Ottawa 67’s, serving as associate coach (2018-19) and assistant coach (2017-18). Prior to joining Ottawa, he was an assistant coach with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (2005-09), head coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs (2009-13) and head coach of the Gatineau Olympiques (2016-17) of the QMJHL. Duhamel also spent two seasons as a video coach with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche (2013-15) and served as assistant general manager of Rouyn-Noranda (2015-16). He won gold an assistant coach with Team Canada at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, served as an assistant with Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship and was an assistant coach with Quebec at the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Williams just completed his second season as head coach of the Everett Silvertips, leading the team to its third-consecutive U.S. Division title. He has led the Silvertips to back-to-back 47-win seasons, the second-most in team history. Williams most recently represented Canada at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, serving as head coach of Team Canada Black.

For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Junior Team or Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Twitter.com/HC_Men.

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

[email protected] 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

[email protected]

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

[email protected]

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