Hockey Canada announced on the weekend the coaching staff that will lead the Canadian squad at the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championships in Minnesota.
One member of the staff is Humboldt’s Brad Lauer, who will serve as an assistant coach.
Currently the Head Coach of the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Spokane Chiefs, Lauer has an extensive background as a head coach in the WHL and an assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
He began his coaching career with the Kootenay Ice for five seasons before moving to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League for two seasons. Lauer got his NHL job as an assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators.
Following a season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, Lauer moved back to the NHL spending five seasons as an assistant coach, three years with the Anaheim Ducks and two years with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Lauer returned to the WHL to guide the Edmonton Oil Kings, leading them to the WHL Championship in 2022.
He returned to the NHL as the Associate Coach of the Winnipeg Jets, before becoming the head coach in Spokane in 2024.
Dale Hunter of the London Knights will be the head coach for Team Canada. Also on the coaching staff will be associate coach Misha Donskov, assistant coach Gardiner MacDougall of the Moncton Wildcats.