Image Credit: Thomas Skrlj / Hockey Canada Images

By Adam Donnelly

WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Blazers’ bench boss set to help guide Team Canada at World Juniors

Dec 21, 2023 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — After all the presents and pageantry of Christmas, Boxing Day brings another holiday tradition: the World Junior Hockey Championships. After cheering for Bankier and Stankoven last year, no Blazers are suiting up for Team Canada on the ice this year. However, there will be one Blazer behind the bench.

“It’s a big stage, a world stage,” Blazers Coach and GM Shaun Clouston told CFJC Today. Clouston will serve as an assistant to Team Canada Head Coach Alan Letang.

“It’s an event that I’ve watched for lots and lots of years and it’s really exciting when you have years where you have some of our players playing and you get to cheer a little harder for Canada,” continued Clouston.

Clouston has been part of a Hockey Canada contingent before, most recently at the U18 level during the 2015-2016 season, when he won gold as an assistant coach at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament and led Team Canada to a fourth-place finish at the U–18 World Championships.

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“I have been involved just a small handful of times with Hockey Canada and just that experience in general is such a positive,” Clouston recalls. “They do such a good job with the preparation, the professionalism, just providing the players with everything they need to go after it. To be part of that type of group is very special.”

The expectations are high for Team Canada at the World Juniors every year. Clouston doesn’t expect this year to be any different. He hopes he’ll be able to help the squad bring home another gold medal and carry on that winning tradition.

“Getting matchups, getting defencemen on the ice, managing minutes, and then the penalty kill will be my responsibility — trying to prepare the players for the penalty kill.”

Canada will face Finland to open up the World Juniors. Puck drop on Boxing Day is at 2:30 p.m. in Sweden — that’s 5:30 a.m. in Kamloops.