Hockey Canada announced yesterday that they have appointed Tim Hunter as head coach of the World Junior team for the upcoming tournament held in Vancouver and Victoria in December/January. Hunter served as the team’s assistant coach for the past two tournaments. Marc-Andre Dumont of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Jim Hulton of the Charlottetown Islanders and Brent Kisio of the Lethbridge Hurricanes will complete Hunter’s coaching staff. The tournament will get underway on December 26th, 2018.
Tim Hunter Name Head Coach of Canadian Junior Team
Hunter has medaled in back to back tournaments with Team Canada as they won silver in 2017 after a shootout loss to Team USA. The team won gold last year defeating Team Sweden in the gold medal game. Hunter could have three eligible returnees from the gold medal-winning squad from last year: Anaheim Ducks prospect Maxime Comtois, Ottawa Senators prospect Alex Formenton and St. Louis Blues prospect Robert Thomas.
Hunter currently coaches the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL. Hunter led the Warriors to a regular season title this past season. It was his fourth year behind the bench.
Hunter has also served as assistant coach at the NHL level with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the San Jose Sharks and the Washington Capitals. He also served as a player for 16 seasons.
The Right Man for the Job
With the experience of coaching in the NHL, WHL as well as internationally, Hunter brings a lot of versatility to the group. He has seen it all. He also knows what it takes to win, as he’s medaled in both years as coach of Team Canada. Also, having the experience of coaching the team the past two years will be very beneficial for Hunter as he’s already dealt with the selection process. Being a head coach of a WHL team, Hunter will also get a look at a lot of different prospects night in and night out. A lot of them, which could end up playing for him come December. The selection process will get underway at the Sportchek World Junior Showcase which will be held from July 28th to August 4th in Kamloops, B.C.
40-Man Invite List
Hockey Canada also announced the 40-man invite list for their Summer Showcase Tournament. This often serves as an early training camp and a chance for potential members of the team to make an impression on the coaching staff.
| Name | S/C | Ht. | Wt. | Born | Hometown | Club Team | NHL Draft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goaltenders |
|||||||
| Michael DiPietro | L | 6’0” | 193 | 06/09/99 | Amherstburg, Ont. | Windsor (OHL) | VAN 2017 (3/64) |
| Olivier Rodrigue | L | 6’1” | 158 | 06/06/00 | Chicoutimi, Que. | Drummondville (QMJHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Matthew Villalta | L | 6’3” | 183 | 06/03/99 | Godfrey, Ont. | Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) | LAK 2017 (3/72) |
| Matthew Welsh | L | 5’11” | 177 | 07/13/99 | Halifax, N.S. | Charlottetown (QMJHL) | 2018 Draft |
Defence |
|||||||
| Calen Addison | R | 5’11” | 178 | 04/11/00 | Brandon, Man. | Lethbridge (WHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Kevin Bahl | L | 6’6” | 231 | 06/27/00 | Mississauga, Ont. | Ottawa (OHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Nicolas Beaudin | L | 5’11” | 175 | 10/07/99 | Châteauguay, Que. | Drummondville (QMJHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Jacob Bernard-Docker | R | 6’0” | 171 | 06/20/00 | Canmore, Alta. | Okotoks (AJHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Evan Bouchard | R | 6’2” | 191 | 10/20/99 | Burlington, Ont. | London (OHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Josh Brook | R | 6’1” | 192 | 06/17/99 | Roblin, Man. | Moose Jaw (WHL) | MTL 2017 (2/56) |
| Noah Dobson | R | 6’3” | 178 | 01/07/00 | Summerside, P.E.I. | Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Pierre-Olivier Joseph | L | 6’2” | 168 | 07/01/99 | Chambly, Que. | Charlottetown (QMJHL) | ARI 2017 (1/23) |
| Jared McIsaac | L | 6’1” | 195 | 03/27/00 | Truro, N.S. | Halifax (QMJHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Ian Mitchell | R | 5’11” | 174 | 01/18/99 | Calahoo, Alta. | University of Denver (NCHC) | CHI 2017 (2/57) |
| Ty Smith | L | 5’10” | 170 | 03/24/00 | Lloydminster, Alta. | Spokane (WHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Jett Woo | R | 6’0” | 201 | 07/27/00 | Winnipeg, Man. | Moose Jaw (WHL) | 2018 Draft |
Forwards |
|||||||
| Justin Almeida | L | 5’11” | 160 | 02/06/99 | Kitimat, B,C. | Moose Jaw (WHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Jaret Anderson-Dolan | L | 5’11” | 195 | 09/12/99 | Calgary, Alta. | Spokane (WHL) | LAK 2018 (2/41) |
| Jordy Bellerive | L | 5’11” | 192 | 05/02/99 | North Vancouver, B.C. | Lethbridge (WHL) | PIT 2017 (FA/JL) |
| Shane Bowers | R | 6’0” | 178 | 07/30/99 | Herring Cove, N.S. | Boston University (HE) | OTT 2017 (1/28) |
| Maxime Comtois | L | 6’2” | 212 | 01/08/99 | Longueuil, Que. | Victoriaville (QMJHL) | ANA 2017 (2/50) |
| Ty Dellandrea | R | 6’0” | 190 | 07/21/00 | Port Perry, Ont. | Flint (OHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Connor Dewar | L | 5’10” | 175 | 06/26/99 | The Pas, Man. | Everett (WHL) | 2018 Draft |
| MacKenzie Entwistle | R | 6’3” | 181 | 07/14/99 | Georgetown, Ont. | Hamilton (OHL) | ARI 2017 (3/69) |
| Alex Formenton | L | 6’2” | 175 | 09/13/99 | King City, Ont. | London (OHL) | OTT 2017 (2/47) |
| Morgan Frost | L | 6’0” | 180 | 05/14/99 | Aurora, Ont. | Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) | PHI 2017 (1/27) |
| Cody Glass | R | 6’2” | 177 | 04/01/99 | Winnipeg, Man. | Portland (WHL) | VGK 2017 (1/6) |
| Barrett Hayton | L | 6’1” | 191 | 06/09/00 | Peterborough, Ont. | Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Stelio Mattheos | R | 6’1” | 200 | 06/14/99 | Winnipeg, Man. | Brandon (WHL) | CAR 2017 (3/73) |
| Ryan McLeod | L | 6’2” | 205 | 09/21/99 | Mississauga, Ont. | Mississauga (OHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Antoine Morand | L | 5’11” | 182 | 02/18/99 | Mercier, Que. | Halifax (QMJHL) | ANA 2017 (2/60) |
| Michael Rasmussen | L | 6’6” | 221 | 04/17/99 | South Surrey, B.C. | Tri-City (WHL) | DET 2017 (1/9) |
| Isaac Ratcliffe | L | 6’6” | 204 | 02/15/99 | London, Ont. | Guelph (OHL) | PHI 2017 (2/35) |
| Jack Studnicka | R | 6’2” | 179 | 02/18/99 | Tecumseh, Ont. | Oshawa (OHL) | BOS 2017 (2/53) |
| Nick Suzuki | R | 5’11” | 183 | 08/10/99 | London, Ont. | Owen Sound (OHL) | VGK 2017 (1/13) |
| Joël Teasdale | L | 6’0” | 201 | 03/11/99 | Beloeil, Que. | Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Robert Thomas | R | 6’1” | 194 | 07/02/99 | Aurora, Ont. | Hamilton (OHL) | STL 2017 (1/20) |
| Owen Tippett | R | 6’2” | 204 | 02/16/99 | Peterborough, Ont. | Mississauga (OHL) | FLA 2017 (1/10) |
| Joe Veleno | L | 6’1” | 195 | 01/13/00 | Kirkland, Que. | Drummondville (QMJHL) | 2018 Draft |
| Gabe Vilardi | R | 6’3 “ | 207 | 08/16/99 | Kingston, Ont. | Kingston (OHL) | LAK 2017 (1/11) |
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
