Team CHL announces staff for 2026 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Primaris
North Bay Battalion (OHL) head coach Ryan Oulahen will lead a group of coaches and management personnel who helped Canada capture gold at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, reuniting for the December 1–2 series in Chicoutimi and Québec City. Get your tickets today.
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Ryan Oulahen (North Bay Battalion / OHL) will serve as head coach of Team CHL for the 2026 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Primaris, taking place December 1–2 in Chicoutimi and Québec City. The two-game series will bring together top 2027 NHL Draft prospects from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) to face the U.S. National Under-18 Team.
Oulahen will be joined behind Team CHL’s bench by assistant coaches Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL), Brad MacKenzie (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL) and Kyle Chipchura (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL). Matthew Smith (Newfoundland Regiment / QMJHL) will serve as video coach, while Yanick Lemay (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL) returns as general manager.
MEDIA ASSETS (INCLUDING PHOTOS, HEADSHOTS & LOGOS)
STAFF PROFILES (BIOGRAPHIES, COACHING RECORDS & CAREER HIGHLIGHTS)
The six appointees helped Canada capture gold at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, where the team completed a perfect 5–0 tournament with an 8–1 victory over the United States in the final. All five coaches held the same roles with Canada, while Lemay served as assistant general manager.
That gold-medal roster included Brock England (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL) and Alexis Joseph (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL), two of the first four players already named to Team CHL for this year’s series.
Oulahen also returns to the CHL USA Prospects Challenge after serving as an assistant coach at the inaugural edition in 2024, helping Team CHL earn a series victory over the U.S. National Under-18 Team in London and Oshawa, Ontario.
“Ryan and this staff have already delivered on the international stage, helping Canada capture gold at this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup,” said Dan MacKenzie, President of the CHL. “Their success reflects the strength of coaching and player development across the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL. In a two-game series, building chemistry quickly is essential, and their experience working together will be a valuable asset for our players. We’re excited to have this group lead Team CHL as our players showcase their talent against the U.S. National Under-18 Team in front of fans in Chicoutimi and Québec City.”
“I am extremely honoured to represent the CHL in this year’s CHL USA Prospects Challenge,” said Ryan Oulahen, head coach and assistant general manager of the North Bay Battalion. “Having the opportunity to work with the coaching staff from the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is very special as well. We built a lot of trust and chemistry together and look forward to preparing this talented group of CHL players.”
Team CHL coaching and management staff
Ryan Oulahen, from Newmarket, Ontario, is the head coach and assistant general manager of the North Bay Battalion. He guided North Bay to three consecutive Central Division titles and Eastern Conference Championship Series appearances from 2022–24 and was selected as the OHL’s Third All-Star Team coach in both 2022–23 and 2023–24. Before returning to North Bay, he spent parts of three seasons as head coach of the Flint Firebirds and six seasons as an assistant coach with the Battalion. This summer’s victory gave Oulahen his third Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal, following titles as an assistant coach in 2018 and 2024. He has also coached at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge on three occasions, including as head coach of Canada White in 2017. A former Battalion captain, Oulahen played three seasons with the franchise before spending four seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2003 NHL Draft.
Ryan McDonald, from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, guided his hometown Raiders to a 52–10–5–1 record, first place in the Eastern Conference and an appearance in the WHL Championship Series in 2025–26, his first full season as head coach. Prince Albert’s first 50-win campaign since 2018–19 also earned him recognition as a finalist for the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as WHL Coach of the Year. He joined the Raiders as an assistant coach in 2020 before taking over as interim head coach in March 2025 and being appointed permanently that May. A former WHL forward, McDonald played 306 regular-season games with the Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders.. Internationally, he led Canada Red to gold as head coach at the 2025 U17 World Challenge, following a gold medal alongside MacKenzie as an assistant coach with Canada White in 2024. He added Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold this summer and previously earned silver with Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games.
“It’s a tremendous honour and a privilege to be named to the coaching staff of Team CHL. I’m very excited to get to Québec and work with some of the top prospects in our league,” said Ryan McDonald, head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders.
Brad MacKenzie, from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, is in his second season as head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads after guiding the club to the playoffs in 2025–26. He was promoted to the role in July 2025 following one season as associate coach and three as an assistant coach, including Halifax’s run to the 2023 QMJHL Championship Series. Before joining the Mooseheads, MacKenzie spent two seasons as head coach of the Grand Falls Rapids, leading the club to the top of the Maritime Hockey League’s Eastlink North Division regular-season standings in 2020–21. That season, he shared MHL Coach of the Year honours and was one of five finalists for the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s national Coach of the Year award. His international experience includes gold medals as an assistant coach with Canada White at the 2024 U17 World Challenge and with Canada at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
“I’m very excited and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the coaching staff for the CHL USA Prospects Challenge,” said Brad MacKenzie, head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads. “As a coach, I really value the chance to work alongside great coaches and am excited to see the top talent for the 2027 NHL Draft firsthand.”
Kyle Chipchura, from Westlock, Alberta, is in his third season as an assistant coach and manager of player development with the Edmonton Oil Kings after joining the club as development coach in 2023–24. He previously spent two seasons with the Northern Alberta Xtreme, first as an assistant with the U15 Prep team before leading the U17 Prep team to the 2023 Canadian Sport School Hockey League Western Championship as head coach. A former Prince Albert Raiders captain and first-round selection of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2004 NHL Draft, Chipchura captained Canada to gold at the 2006 IIHF World Junior Championship and won the Calder Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2007. His professional playing career included 482 NHL regular-season games with Montreal, Anaheim, and the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes. Behind the bench internationally, he helped Canada White earn silver at the 2025 U17 World Challenge before winning gold with Canada at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
“I’m honoured to be part of a great CHL coaching staff,” said Kyle Chipchura, assistant coach and manager of player development with the Edmonton Oil Kings. “It’s a privilege to work alongside some of the top coaches in the CHL and to help some of the best young players in our game showcase their abilities and take the next step in their development.”
Matthew Smith, from Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, is the director of hockey operations and video coach for the Newfoundland Regiment. He will handle video duties for Team CHL after serving in the same role with Canada’s gold-medal-winning team at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Smith joined the Acadie-Bathurst Titan as a video coach and marketing intern in 2020–21 and was promoted to director of hockey operations in 2022. He spent five seasons with the Titan before moving to Newfoundland, where he helped the Regiment reach the second round of the QMJHL playoffs in the club’s inaugural 2025–26 season. A University of New Brunswick graduate, Smith previously worked in video and statistics with the UNB Reds men’s hockey team, helping the program capture the 2019 U SPORTS national championship.
Yanick Lemay, general manager of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, returns as Team CHL’s general manager after holding the role at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in Calgary and Lethbridge. In his first season with Drummondville in 2023–24, he helped guide the Voltigeurs to a 102-point regular season, the Gilles-Courteau Trophy as QMJHL champions and a berth in the Memorial Cup. He was also a finalist for the Maurice-Filion Trophy as QMJHL General Manager of the Year that season. Before joining the Voltigeurs, Lemay spent 12 seasons as an amateur scout with the Winnipeg Jets, following earlier scouting and head scouting roles with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Montréal Junior. A member of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence management group since 2024, he helped Canada White and Canada Red earn gold and silver, respectively, at the 2024 U17 World Challenge. Lemay subsequently helped Canada capture bronze at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup before serving as assistant general manager for this summer’s gold-medal-winning team.
Team CHL’s support staff in Chicoutimi will include athletic therapist Marie-Pier Lemay, equipment officer Denis Tremblay and equipment attendant Caleb Cormier, all from the Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL). In Québec City, the team will be supported by equipment manager Stéphane Savard and certified sports therapist Francis Assouyat, all from the Québec Remparts (QMJHL).
About the 2026 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Primaris
Now in its third year, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge brings together many of the top NHL Draft-eligible players from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for a two-game series against the U.S. National Under-18 Team.
The first four players named to Team CHL for the 2026 event are forwards Brock England (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL), Dima Zhilkin (Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Alexis Joseph (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL), and Carter Meyer (Québec Remparts / QMJHL), all leading prospects for the 2027 NHL Draft.
Across the first two editions of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, 42 of the 44 Team CHL players were subsequently selected in the NHL Draft, including 27 in the first round: 16 from the inaugural 2024 event and 11 from the 2025 edition.
Hosted by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and Québec Remparts, this year’s series opens Tuesday, December 1, at the Georges-Vézina Centre in Chicoutimi, before moving to the Vidéotron Centre in Québec City on Wednesday, December 2. The remaining members of Team CHL’s roster will be announced in October.
Tickets for both games are on sale now at CHL.ca/ProspectsChallenge.
