Ryan Oulahen to coach Canada’s under-18 team in Hlinka Gretzky Cup

CALGARY — Ryan Oulahen will be Canada’s head coach at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup international under-18 men’s hockey tournament in Edmonton.

The coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s North Bay Battalion was an assistant coach of the 2024 edition that won gold.

The tournament was first held in 1991, and showcases the world’s top under-18 men’s hockey talent.

The International Ice Hockey Federation’s world under-18 men’s championship every April is minus some of the top North American players because of major junior hockey playoffs.

Canada, which has won gold 26 times in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, claimed three in a row between 2022 and 2024.

The United States was victorious last year after beating Canada 4-3 in a shootout in the semifinal. The Americans went on to beat Sweden for gold and the Canadian downed Finland for bronze.

Canada opens the 2026 tournament Aug. 3 against Switzerland, followed by Slovakia on Aug. 4 and Sweden on Aug. 5 to close out pool play. The semifinals are Aug. 7 and the medal games Aug. 8.

Ryan McDonald of the Prince Albert Raiders, Brad MacKenzie of the Halifax Mooseheads and former NHL player Kyle Chipchura of the Edmonton Oil Kings will be Oulahen’s assistant coaches, Hockey Canada announced Wednesday.

Jeff Harvey of the Saskatoon Blades will serve as goalie coach and Matthew Smith of the Newfoundland Regiment will be video coach.

The coaching staff was selected by Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence general manager Alan Millar, director of hockey operations Benoit Roy, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations Scott Salmond and Drummondville Voltigeurs general manager Yanick Lemay.

Canada’s roster will be named at a later date. The team will have a training camp July 27-30 in Edmonton and play exhibition games July 30 against Sweden and Czechia on Aug. 1.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press