Saskatoon Blades’ head coach Mitch Love (pictured) has been named an assistant coach for Canada’s Under-20 World Championship team for a second straight year.

Hockey Canada made the announcement Tuesday morning, in addition to naming the 41-man summer development camp roster. The summer development camp will be held, virtually, July 27-31. Love, who is going into his third season as bench boss of the Bridge City Bunch, was a member of Canada’s gold medal-winning team this past January in the Czech Republic…as was Andre Tourigny, who will move up to head coach from assistant for the 2021 event, starting Boxing Day in Edmonton and Red Deer.

Among the 41 players invited are Saskatoon products Adam Beckman and Connor Zary…both forwards with Spokane and Kamloops of the W-H-L, respectively…along with defencemen Braden Schneider and Kaiden Guhle. Schneider is a Prince Albert native while Guhle plays for the W-H-L’s Raiders. Following is the news release from Hockey Canada…..

June 16, 2020

NR.018.20

41 PLAYERS INVITED TO CANADA’S NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM SPORT CHEK SUMMER DEVELOPMENT CAMP

Michael Dyck, Mitch Love named assistant coaches

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has announced a roster of 41 players invited to its virtual National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp, set for July 27-31, as well as the assistant coaches that will work behind the Team Canada bench at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Five goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 26 forwards will attend the five-day virtual camp, participating in a variety of sessions with a focus on player development through online education. The roster includes seven players who helped Canada win gold at the 2020 World Juniors (Byfield, Byram, Cozens, Drysdale, Lafrenire, McMichael, Mercer). Of the 41 players, 16 were selected at the 2019 NHL Draft, 22 will hope to have their name called at the 2020 draft, two are eligible in 2021 and one is eligible in 2022.

In addition, Michael Dyck (Lethbridge, Alta./Vancouver, WHL) and Mitch Love (Quesnel, B.C./Saskatoon, WHL) have been named assistant coaches, working alongside Program of Excellence management group lead Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont./Moose Jaw, WHL) and head coach Andr Touringy (Nicolet, Que./Ottawa, OHL), who were announced earlier this year.

“We are excited to begin preparations for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship with this group of 41 players and our full staff at our online camp, as we believe we have a good mix of veteran leadership and young talent that are eager to represent Canada during the holiday season,” said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of national teams for Hockey Canada. “We are also pleased to have Michael and Mitch round out the coaching staff, as their Canadian Hockey League and international experience will compliment Andr’s leadership while we work towards defending our gold medal on home ice.”

Dyck recently completed his second season as head coach of the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. He previously served as head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (2005-09), was an assistant with the Medicine Hat Tigers (1996-97), Lethbridge (1997-2002), the Vancouver Giants (2002-05) and Kootenay ICE (2013-14), and coached the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL) to a bronze medal at the 2018 TELUS Cup, Canada’s U18 Club Championship. Dyck was head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, leading the team to a silver medal. He was also head coach of Team Pacific at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2010 and 2012, won a silver medal with Canada at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, and coached Alberta to silver at the 2015 Canada Winter Games.

Love returns to Canada’s National Junior Team for the second-consecutive year after winning a gold medal as an assistant coach at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was named head coach of the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL in May 2017 after eight seasons (2009-17) as an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips. In 2018, Love won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He also won gold as an assistant with Team Canada White at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and was an assistant with Team Canada Red in 2016.

The support staff that will work with Canada’s National Junior Team at summer camp and the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship includes:

• Goaltending coach Jason LaBarbera (Burnaby, B.C./Calgary, WHL)

• • Video & analytics manager Tyler Dietrich (West Vancouver, B.C.)
  • Equipment managers Chris Hamilton (Ottawa/Ottawa, OHL) and Brian St-Louis (Hull, Que./Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)

• Therapists Brian Cheeseman (Mount Pearl, N.L./Edmonton, WHL) and Kevin Elliott (Charlottetown, P.E.I./Charlottetown, QMJHL)

• Sport performance manager Adam Douglas (Oakville, Ont.)
• Team physician Dr. Barry Wiens (Red Deer, Alta./Red Deer, WHL)
• Mental performance consultant Ryan Hamilton (Plaster Rock, N.B.)
• National teams manager Ben Shutron (Orleans, Ont.)
• National teams coordinator Brennan Baxandall (Calgary, Alta.)
• Security liaison Bob Martin (London, Ont./London, OHL)

The 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship returns to Canadian ice this December, with Edmonton and Red Deer set to co-host the annual holiday tradition. Games will be played at Rogers Place, the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, and at the Westerner Park Centrium, home of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels.

WHL SENDS 15 PLAYERS TO CANADA’S NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM SPORT CHEK SUMMER DEVELOPMENT CAMP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League is proud to announce today 15 WHL players have been invited to Hockey Canada’s virtual National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp set for July 27-31, 2020.

The group of WHL talent is led by 2020 WHL Player of the Year Adam Beckman (Minnesota Wild) of the Spokane Chiefs and features seven forwards, five defencemen and three goaltenders. Defencemen Bowen Byram (Colorado Avalanche) of the Vancouver Giants, Kaedan Korczak (Vegas Golden Knights) of the Kelowna Rockets and Matthew Robertson (New York Rangers) of the Edmonton Oil Kings, as well as forwards Dylan Cozens (Buffalo Sabres) of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Peyton Krebs (Vegas Golden Knights) of the Winnipeg ICE, represent the five other players selected in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Eight WHL players attending the camp are eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft, including Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Kaiden Guhle, who is ranked eighth among North American skaters according to NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings.

Braden Schneider of the Brandon Wheat Kings, Seth Jarvis of the Portland Winterhawks, Ridly Greig of the Brandon Wheat Kings, Connor Zary of the Kamloops Blazers and Jack Finley of the Spokane Chiefs ranked within the top-40 skaters in North America, also earned camp invitations. Dylan Garand of the Kamloops Blazers landed sixth among North American Goaltenders with Taylor Gauthier of the Prince George Cougars ranking 19th. Netminder Sebastian Cossa of the Edmonton Oil Kings is the lone WHL prospect at the camp eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft.

The Blazers, Chiefs, Oil Kings and Wheat Kings lead the WHL contingent with each Club boasting a pair of players invited to the camp. Seven other WHL member Clubs are represented by a single player.

The WHL will also be represented on the team staff with six WHL personnel. Alan Millar (Moose Jaw Warriors / Tottenham, Ont.) will serve on the Management Group along with Michael Dyck (Vancouver Giants / Lethbridge, Alta.) and Mitch Love (Saskatoon Blades / Quesnel, B.C.) as assistant coaches for the camp. Jason LaBarbera (Calgary Hitmen / Burnaby, B.C.), Brian Cheeseman (Edmonton Oil Kings / Mount Pearl, N.L.) and Dr. Barry Wiens (Red Deer Rebels / Red Deer, Alta.) will perform as the goaltending coach, team therapist and team physician, respectively.

“We are excited to begin preparations for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship with this group of 41 players and our full staff at our online camp, as we believe we have a good mix of veteran leadership and young talent that are eager to represent Canada during the holiday season,” said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of national teams for Hockey Canada. “We are also pleased to have Michael and Mitch round out the coaching staff, as their Canadian Hockey League and international experience will compliment Andr Tourigny’s leadership while we work towards defending our gold medal on home ice.”

The 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship returns to Canadian ice this December, with Edmonton, Alta. and Red Deer, Alta., set to co-host the annual holiday tradition. Games will be played at Rogers Place, the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, and at the Westerner Park Centrium, home of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels.

WHL Invitees – Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp