Hockey Canada has named Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois as assistant general manager for the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off. Today’s announcement also adds Kule Dubas as director of player personnel.
Hockey Canada announces #GoBolts GM Julien BriseBois will make his international management debut as assistant GM for 4Nations Face-Off in 2025.
Kyle Dubas will join him as director of player personnel.
They will hold the same titles for Canada’s men’s Olympic team in 2026.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 23, 2024
BriseBois Joins Hockey Canada
BriseBois joins other general managers on Hockey Canada. Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney and Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill have already joined the management group. Futhermore, Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas has also joined Hockey Canada as director of player personnel.
BriseBois, Sweeney, Nill, and Dubas will also join Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong has been named the general manager for Team Canada. Armstrong served as the general manager in 2022.
BriseBois Stands Out Among Colleagues
Each general manager named to Hockey Canada has experience building championship-caliber teams. However, BriseBois stands out above them all. BriseBois is the architect of the Lightning’s Stanley Cup Championships in 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, BriseBois also built the Lighting roster that won the President’s Trophy in 2019 and made an additional Stanley Cup appearance in 2022. BriseBois did a more than admirable job of finishing off what previous Lightning GM Steve Yzerman had laid out.
Hockey Canada Taking Shape
In addition to the management group, some players have been announced for the Hockey Canada’s roster. Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon have been named to the roster. As we get closer to February, more players will fill out the remainder of the roster. Connor Bedard, Brad Marchand, and Steven Stamkos are just three of the many available players who could suit up for Hockey Canada.
4 Nations Face-Off Will Replace All-Star Game
The 4 Nations Face-Off will replace the traditional All-Star game this season. In the tournament, teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States will play each other in a round-robin format. Furthermore, a one-game final will determine a winner. Everyone is looking at the tournament as a pre-cursor for the 2026 Winter Olympics from Italy. The games will mark the 20th anniversary of the Turin games, as they will be hosted jointly by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Main photo credit: Tom Szczerbowski – USA TODAY Sports
