CALGARY, Alta. – With the Channel One Cup set to get underway on Wednesday, Hockey Canada has announced the 26 players selected to wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Men’s Team in Moscow, Russia.

Three goaltenders, nine defencemen and 14 forwards were selected by general manager Shane Doan (Halkirk, Alta./Arizona, NHL), assistant general manager Blair Mackasey (Montreal, Que.) and Tyler Dietrich (West Vancouver, B.C.), senior manager of hockey operations with Hockey Canada. Head coach Claude Julien (Orleans, Ont.) and Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of hockey operations, also provided input.

The roster features two players who represented Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship (Pogge, 2006; Gormley, 2012), one who played at the IIHF World Championship (Demers, 2017) and three players who won a bronze medal at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games (Genoway, O’Dell, Robinson).

“We are excited to unveil the 26 players that have been named to Canada’s National Men’s Team for the 2021 Channel One Cup as part of the ongoing preparations for Beijing,” said Doan. “This roster combines professional and international experience with young talent and veteran leadership, and we look forward to many of these players wearing the Team Canada jersey for the first time and competing in this prestigious tournament in Moscow.”

With the departure of assistant coaches Bruce Boudreau and Scott Walker, who were hired by the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 6, Doan and Dietrich will join Julien behind the bench as assistant coaches.

Doan appeared in over 1,500 NHL games and suited up for Canada in the 2006 Olympics and multiple world championships. He has extensive experience in the front office, both professionally and internationally, working with coaching staffs in the Western Hockey League and National Hockey League, and at the international level. Dietrich spent five seasons coaching in Hungary and was an assistant with Hungary’s national men’s under-20 team. He has also helped Hockey Canada’s national men’s teams win medals at the Olympic Winter Games, IIHF World Championship, IIHF World Junior Championship and other international tournaments as an assistant coach, video coach and senior manager of hockey operations.

The support staff that will work with Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2021 Channel One Cup includes:

• Video coach Matt Malloy (Halifax, N.S./Saint Mary’s University, AUS)
• Equipment managers A.J. Murley (St. John’s, N.L.) and Blair Smook (Airdrie, Alta.)
• Athletic therapists Brian Cheeseman (Mount Pearl, N.L.) and Doug Stacey (London, Ont./Western University, OUA)
• Team physician Dr. David Manning (Calgary, Alta./Calgary, NHL)
• Manager of hockey operations Chelsea Stewart (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)
• Coordinator of hockey operations Jacob Dubé (Cochrane, Alta.)

Canada’s National Men’s Team will open the 2021 Channel One Cup against the host Russians on Dec. 15 at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT. The schedule also includes a match-up against Sweden on Dec. 17 at 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m. PT before Canada rounds out its tournament against Finland on Dec. 18 at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT.

Assistant coaches announced for 2021 Spengler Cup

Hockey Canada has also announced that Nolan Baumgartner (Calgary, Alta.), Jeremy Colliton (Blackie, Alta.) and Ben Cooper (Vancouver, B.C./EC Salzburg, ICEHL) have been named assistant coaches for the 2021 Spengler Cup, replacing Boudreau and Walker.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nolan, Jeremy and Ben to our coaching staff for the 2021 Spengler Cup. These three men will complement our staff with a wealth of knowledge,” said Salmond. “Our coaching staff brings a solid mix of coaching and playing experience, both at the international and professional levels, and we look forward to all three helping lead our team in Switzerland.”

Baumgartner most recently served over four seasons as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks (2017-21). Prior to joining the Canucks, he spent five seasons as an assistant coach in the American Hockey League with the Chicago Wolves (2012-13) and Utica Comets (2013-17). As a player, Baumgartner had a 16-year professional career in the NHL and AHL, amassing 390 points in 878 career AHL games. He also won back-to-back Memorial Cups with the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers (1994, 1995), and won gold medals with Canada’s National Junior Team at the 1995 and 1996 IIHF World Junior Championships.

Colliton was the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks for parts of four seasons (2018-21) after being promoted from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. He also served as head coach of Mora IK of HockeyAllsvenskan (2013-17) and was an assistant coach with the Calgary Mustangs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) for one season (2012-13). Internationally, he won a gold medal for Canada at the 2003 IIHF World U18 Championship and 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship, as well as a silver medal at the 2004 IIHF World Junior Championship. He also played six professional seasons with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers and NHL’s New York Islanders (2005-12).

Cooper is currently an assistant coach with EC Salzburg of the ICEHL and was the head coach of Herning Blue Fox in Denmark for two seasons (2019-21). Prior to his move to Europe, he was an assistant and video coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers (2017-19), as well as a video coach with the Vancouver Canucks (2014-17) and AHL’s Toronto Marlies (2005-08). He also served as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Victoria Royals for two seasons (2011-13). Internationally, he was the video coach for Canada at the 2009 IIHF World Championship, three IIHF World Junior Championships (2009, 2010, 2011), the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championship, 2009 Deutschland Cup and 2010 Olympic Winter Games. He has collected three medals at the World Juniors (one gold, two silver), a silver at men’s worlds and an Olympic gold medal.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #OurGameIsBack.