Dale Hunter to coach Canada’s 2026 World Junior team, Mark Hunter joins management group
Hockey Canada announced Thursday that London Knights’ Head Coach Dale Hunter has been named the program’s coach for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. His brother Mark, the Knights’ general manager, has also been added to the program’s management group.
Dale Hunter will be behind the 🇨🇦 bench at the #WorldJuniors, while Mark Hunter will be part of the management group.
Dale Hunter sera à la barre du 🇨🇦 au #MondialJunior, tandis que Mark Hunter fera partie du groupe de gestion.
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) July 10, 2025
The first to report the news was TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger.
Expect Hockey Canada to announce Dale Hunter as Head Coach for Canada’s World Junior Hockey Championship team. Mark Hunter is also expected to have a role in management.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 10, 2025
“Dale’s resume speaks for itself: three Memorial Cups, three OHL Coach of the Year awards and two international gold medals,” Alan Millar, Hockey Canada Program of Excellence general manager, said in a press release. “His passion for this program runs deep, and we feel he is the best candidate to lead us to a gold medal in Minnesota.”
As for Mark, he will assist Millar, as well as Senior Vice-President of High Performance and Hockey Operations Scott Salmond and Director of Hockey Operations Benoit Roy.
“Mark led Canada to a World Juniors gold medal in 2020 and has built one of the premier franchises in the Canadian Hockey League, with unparalleled on-ice success and player advancement,” said Salmond. “Alan and Mark provide a stable backbone for our National Junior Team and I’m confident they will build a staff and roster that Canadians can be proud of come December.”
The two brothers led Hockey Canada to a gold medal at the 2020 tournament.
Last season, Dale and Mark Hunter led the Knights to both an OHL Championship and a Memorial Cup championship. Since the two, along with Basil McRae, bought the club in 2000, London has won six OHL championships (2005, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2024 and 2025), along with three Memorial Cups (2005, 2016, 2025).
The news comes just weeks before the World Junior Summer Showcase, taking place July 25 to Aug. 2 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland will take part in the event.