The 2024 IIHF World Championship is set to take place from May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia. Hockey Canada has announced the coaching staff for the tournament, including Steve Ott as an assistant coach. Ott, a native of Summerside, PEI, will be making his international coaching debut at the upcoming championship. He has been an assistant coach with the Blues for seven seasons, helping the team secure four playoff appearances and the 2019 Stanley Cup Championship.
Ott also had an extensive playing career in the NHL, with stints at multiple teams including the Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Buffalo Sabres, and Montréal Canadiens. On the international stage, Ott has won bronze at the 2001 IIHF World Junior Championship and silver at the 2002 tournament. He also represented Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Championship. With his experience as both a player and coach, Ott will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Team Canada at the upcoming World Championship.
The coaching staff for Team Canada will be led by Andre Tourigny as head coach. Tourigny is a Canadian who has previously coached at various levels of hockey, including junior hockey with Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) teams and in professional leagues such as AHL’s Bakersfield Condors and ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.
Tourigny’s assistant coaches will be Dean Evason and Jay Woodcroft. Evason is a Canadian who was previously head coach of Minnesota Wild from 2017-18 before being fired during the season. He has also coached in various levels of hockey including QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titans and Montreal Canadiens organization. Woodcroft is a Canadian who was previously an associate coach for Toronto Maple Leafs from 2015-16 before being hired as head coach of Calgary Flames in 2016-17 season where he was fired after one season