Tourigny returning to coach Canada at World Hockey Championship

Andre Tourigny will be back behind the bench for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship.

Hockey Canada announced its coaching staff Thursday for the tournament taking place May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Tourigny coached Canada to the gold medal last year in Finland and Latvia. He also served as an assistant for the 2021 and 2022 tournaments capturing gold and silver, respectively.

Joining Tourigny will be assistant coaches Dean Evason, Jay Woodcroft and Steve Ott plus goaltending consultant Justin Pogge and video coach James Emery.

“Andre has been a staple behind the Team Canada bench in recent years, and we are excited he will once again lead our team alongside Dean, Jay and Steve. All four coaches bring extensive experience and leadership as we look to defend gold in Czechia,” general manager Rick Nash said in a release. “This staff combines many years of experience at the professional and international level, and we know its leadership will be a valuable asset as we assemble a roster that represents Canada with pride next month.”

The 49-year-old Tourigny wrapped up his third season coaching the Arizona Coyotes, who missed the playoffs with a 36-41-5 record and 21 points back of a wild-card spot. The franchise is set to relocate to Utah for next season.

He has also earned silver as head coach for Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship and gold as an assistant with the team at the 2020 World Juniors.

Evason was head coach of the Minnesota Wild for parts of five seasons until he was fired on Nov. 27.

Woodcroft served as head coach for the Edmonton Oilers until he was let go on Nov. 12.

Ott has been an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues for the past seven seasons and helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 2019.