CALGARY — Alan Letang has been named as Canada's head coach for the 2024 world junior hockey championship.
Hockey Canada announced its coaching staff Friday in a release.
Assistant coaches Gilles Bouchard, Shaun Clouston and Scott Walker, goaltending consultant Justin Pogge and video coach James Emery will join Letang in Goteborg, Sweden.
In addition, three-time Stanley Cup champion and Olympic gold medallist Brent Seabrook will make his debut as part of Hockey Canada's management group alongside Peter Anholt.
Letang, in his third season as head coach of the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting, most recently won a gold medal as head coach of Canada’s under-18 Team at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
He was also an assistant on Dennis Williams's staff as Canada won gold at the 2022 world juniors.
Before joining the Sting, Letang spent five seasons with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack as an assistant coach (2016-19) and head coach (2019-20).
“We are thrilled to welcome back Alan after a successful year where he helped Canada capture gold medals at the world juniors and Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and to have Peter and Brent’s extensive management and playing experience leading our national junior team,” Hockey Canada senior vice-president of hockey operations Scott Salmond said in a statement.
The 2024 world junior championship starts Dec. 26, when Canada opens against Finland.
Canada will be playing for its third straight gold medal, and 21st overall.
Bouchard has represented Canada three times at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (2014, 2015, 2018), winning a silver medal as the head coach of Team Canada Red in 2018 and gold as an assistant with Team Canada White in 2015. He is currently in his first year as head coach of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Sherbrooke Phoenix.
Clouston was on Canada's coaching staff for Hlinka Cup victories in 2014 and 2015. He is currently the head coach and general manager of the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers,
Walker was on the staff of Canada's 2015 world junior championship team, and the 2012 bronze medallists. He was also an assistant coach on Canada's bronze-medal-winning team at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
Walker is currently a partner and president of hockey operations with the OHL’s Guelph Storm, where he also served as head coach for six seasons.
Seabrook won three Stanley Cups over a 15-year NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks. Internationally, he helped Canada to a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics, silver and gold at the 2004 and 2005 world juniors, respectively, gold at the 2003 world U18 championship and silver at the 2001 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
He recently served as an assistant coach (2021-22) and development coach (2022-23) with the WHL's Vancouver Giants.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2023.
The Canadian Press
