Hunter to coach Canadian world junior team in B.C.

CALGARY Tim Hunter gets to coach the Canadian junior men’s hockey team in a city where he was an NHL player for several seasons.

Hunter will be behind Canada’s bench at the 2019 world junior men’s hockey championship in both Vancouver, where Hunter played from 1992 to 1996, and Victoria. The tournament opens Dec. 26 in both cities.

After two years as an assistant coach for Canada, the 57year-old Calgarian will oversee a team attempting to defend the gold won at the 2018 championship in Buffalo..

“To represent your country at any time, at any level, and to be the head coach, it’s a real honour,” Hunter said Tuesday on a conference call.

“What I’ve learned ... over the past two years is going to take me a long way to help me through this process.”

Hunter led the Moose Jaw Warriors to a regular-season title this past season in his fourth year coaching the Western Hockey League team.

Prior to joining the Warriors, he was an assistant coach in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals.

“Without question the right person to lead this group and to look to defend a gold medal in Canada in Vancouver where Tim was a player,” said Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada’s vicepresident of hockey operations and national teams.

Hunter played 815 NHL games over 16 seasons with Vancouver, Calgary, Quebec and San Jose.

Marc-Andre Dumont of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Jim Hulton of the Charlottetown Islanders and Brent Kisio of the Lethbridge Hurricanes round out Hunter’s coaching staff.

Hunter, his assistants and Hockey Canada management will evaluate Canadian players July 28 to Aug. 4 in Kamloops, B.C., at the Sportchek World Junior Showcase featuring Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States.