CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the management group that will build and lead Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, set for May 15-31 in Zürich and Fribourg, Switzerland.
Brad Treliving (Penticton, BC) and Jason Spezza (Mississauga, ON/Pittsburgh, NHL) will serve on the management group at Men’s Worlds, and will be supported by Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), Hockey Canada’s senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and Kyle Dubas (Sault Ste. Marie, ON/Pittsburgh, NHL). Treliving last represented Canada in 2016 and Spezza is set to make his international management debut, while Dubas has held various management roles with Hockey Canada since 2024, including the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, 4 Nations Face-Off, and 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Championships.
With the Pittsburgh Penguins earning a place in the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs, the main focus for Dubas at this time will be guiding the Penguins while providing support to Treliving, Spezza, Salmond and Canada’s National Men’s Team.
“Brad brings invaluable experience from previous international events and the NHL, and Jason is a rising NHL executive that brings a wealth of experience as a player both professionally and internationally, and we are excited that these two will lead our team at the IIHF World Championship,” Salmond said. “Kyle’s experience from the previous two world championships, 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympics will provide consistency to our program, and while Kyle continues to prioritize the success of the Pittsburgh Penguins, we look forward to his support as Brad and Jason build a staff and roster that gives us the best chance to be successful in Switzerland.”
Treliving was general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the last three seasons (2023-26) after serving as GM of the Calgary Flames for nine seasons (2014-23). He also spent seven seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes, serving as assistant general manager (2007-14) and vice-president of hockey operations (2010-12), as well as general manager of the San Antonio Rampage/Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League (AHL). Treliving won a gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World Championship as co-GM, and was assistant GM at the 2014 tournament.
Spezza is in his third season (2023-26) as assistant general manager of the Penguins and second (2024-26) as GM of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He also served on the selection committee that helped evaluate and select players for the 2025 IIHF World Championship. As a player, Spezza registered 995 points (363 goals, 632 assists) in 1,248 career NHL games with the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars and Maple Leafs. He also played for Canada at four IIHF World Championships, winning one gold (2015) and two silver (2008, 2009), and three IIHF World Junior Championships, winning one silver (2002) and two bronze (2000, 2001).
Dubas is in his third season (2023-26) as general manager and president of hockey operations with the Penguins. Previously, he spent nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, serving five (2018-23) as general manager and becoming the second-youngest GM in NHL history. Dubas started his front-office career with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), serving four seasons (2003-07) as a scout and three seasons (2011-14) as general manager. He was the assistant general manager (2024) and general manager (2025) at the previous two IIHF World Championship, and also helped Team Canada win a silver medal at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games as director of player personnel, and won the 4 Nations Face-Off in the same role.
The coaching and support staff for the 2026 IIHF World Championship, as well as the roster, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Canada will open the tournament against Sweden on May 15 at 10:20 a.m. ET/7:20 a.m. PT. It will also take on Italy, Denmark, Norway, Slovenia, Slovakia and Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 31. Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada will practice at Accor Arena in Paris, France, from May 8-11, and will take on France in pre-tournament action on May 10. It will also face off against Hungary on May 13 at the Patinoires du Littoral in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.