London Knights' owner named Team Canada's head coach at 2026 World Juniors championship

Isha Bhargava · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 10, 2025 4:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 10

The long-time proprietor of the London Knights has been named caput manager of Canada's nationalist junior hockey squad for an planetary title adjacent year, Hockey Canada announced connected Thursday. 

Dale Hunter volition lead the Canadian squad to the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, and his member Mark Hunter volition service arsenic a subordinate of the team's absorption group, erstwhile it's held successful Switzerland successful May 2026.

"It's ever breathtaking erstwhile you correspond your country. It's an honour and a privilege. You know, it's 1 of those things that you're ever waiting to do," Hunter told CBC News. "I'm conscionable looking guardant to moving with the boys and hopefully we tin bring location different gold."

This is the second time the London Knights' bench brag has been roped arsenic the nationalist team's caput coach. He antecedently served successful the relation for the 2020 satellite inferior hockey title successful the Czech Republic, wherever the squad won a golden medal. 

Hunter has won aggregate nationalist and provincial coaching honours, and astir recently, led the London Knights to their 3rd Memorial Cup triumph past month, aft beating the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1. 

"Dale's resume speaks for itself: 3 Memorial Cups, 3 OHL Coach of the Year awards and 2 planetary golden medals," Alan Millar, wide manager of the team's programme of excellence, said successful a quality release.

"His passionateness for this programme runs deep, and we consciousness helium is the champion campaigner to pb america to a golden medal successful Minnesota."

Hunter has coached the Knights successful the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for 24 consecutive seasons since 2001 and has served successful assorted roles for the franchise.

In his relation connected the absorption group, Mark volition assistance the team's executives with each hockey operations-related matters, including supporting player evaluations and the enactment process.

"Mark led Canada to a World Juniors golden medal successful 2020 and has built 1 of the premier franchises successful the Canadian Hockey League, with unparalleled on-ice occurrence and subordinate advancement," said Scott Salmond, elder vice-president of precocious show and hockey operations.  

"Alan and Mark supply a unchangeable backbone for our National Junior Team and I'm assured they volition physique a unit and roster that Canadians tin beryllium arrogant of travel December."

The adjacent steps volition beryllium finalizing the players connected Team Canada, and Hunter said he's looking guardant to gathering the players and getting to cognize them. Mark and Salmond volition tally a grooming campy and travel imaginable players done the autumn earlier choosing the roster. 

"We privation to marque definite we're going to play immoderate precise bully games [with players] from different countries and get to cognize each of them," helium said.

"Everybody dreams astir it arsenic a player, to beryllium there, and we privation to marque definite we prime the close players."

Team Canada's juniors volition commencement preparing for the 2026 title astatine the World Junior summertime showcase successful Minnesota from July 27 to Aug. 2. They volition articulation Finland, Sweden and the United States.