Coaching staffs announced for Team Canada East and Team Canada West
CORNWALL, Ont. – Sixty-three players from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) have earned invites to selection camp ahead of the 2022 World Junior A Challenge.
From Dec. 5-7, 63 CJHL players – 32 Team Canada East hopefuls and 31 Team Canada West invitees – will gather at the Cornwall Civic Complex for three days of practices and games.
There will be two intrasquad games between East and West before the final rosters are named on Dec. 7. The 2022 World Junior A Challenge is set for Dec. 11-18 at the Cornwall Civic Complex.
The invites for Team Canada East were selected from the CJHL’s five eastern leagues – the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec (LHJAAAQ) and Maritime Hockey League (MHL). The invites for Team Canada West were chosen from the four western leagues – the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).
Coaching staffs announced for Canada East and Canada West
Eight CJHL coaches have been selected to lead Team Canada East and Team Canada West in Cornwall.
Billy McGuigan (Summerside, P.E.I./Summerside, MHL) returns to Team Canada East as head coach after previously serving as an assistant coach at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge. Mark Jooris (Burlington, Ont./Burlington, OJHL), Kyle Markaric (LaSalle, Ont./Ottawa, CCHL) and Derek Smith (Belleville, Ont./Wellington, OJHL) join McGuigan as assistant coaches, marking their international coaching debuts.
For Team Canada West, Justin Falk (Snowflake, Man./Winkler, MJHL) will make his international coaching debut as head coach. He will be joined by assistant coaches Clayton Jardine (Lacombe, Alta./Camrose, AJHL), who served as video coach for Team Canada West in 2019, as well as Brayden Klimosko (Humboldt, Sask./Battlefords, SJHL) and Evan McFeeters (Canmore, Alta./Sherwood Park, AJHL), who will also make their international debuts in Cornwall.
“The coaches selected to lead Team Canada East and Team Canada West represent the level of talent in the coaching ranks in junior hockey in Canada. All eight coaches bring a wealth of coaching and playing experience from Junior A and international hockey to their respective teams,” said Andy Harkness, president of the CJHL. “It is exciting to see our coaches continuing to earn the honour of these positions and to welcome some who are new to international competition, and we look forward to them guiding both Canadian teams when the event makes its highly-anticipated return.”
The CJHL has also announced that Chris Vanstone (Mississauga, Ont./Ontario Junior Hockey League) will return as director of operations for Team Canada East after previously serving in the same role in 2018, while Rob Sklaruk (Canora, Sask./Spruce Grove, AJHL) has been named director of operations for Team Canada West.
“We are excited about the quality of coaches and players who will be a part of selection camp and the 2022 World Junior A Challenge in Cornwall,” said Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of hockey operations with Hockey Canada. “We look forward to showcasing the talent from across the CJHL, and we know fans in Cornwall will be treated to a great week of hockey.”
Of the 14 gold medal games at the World Junior A Challenge, 11 have featured at least one Canadian team. Team Canada East will look to earn its first gold medal, having won silver six times (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2019) and bronze once (2008), while Team Canada West has won gold five times (2006, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017), silver three times (2008, 2009, 2012) and bronze twice (2013, 2018).
Fans looking to secure their seats can purchase a full-event ticket package for $189 at HockeyCanada.ca/WJAC. The package includes one ticket to all 14 tournament games, including both medal games, and three pre-tournament games.
The 2022 World Junior A Challenge represents a partnership between Hockey Canada, the CJHL, NHL Central Scouting and the local host committee. The international showcase features two Canadian teams – Team Canada East and Team Canada West – along with Latvia, Sweden and the United States.
For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2022 World Junior A Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or following along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.