Spirit GM Dave Drinkill named Director of Operations for Team Canada Red at U17 World Challenge
Calgary, AB – Hockey Canada announced Thursday afternoon its coaching and support staffs for Canada’s national under-17 teams at the 2026 U17 World Challenge in Oakville, Ontario. Spirit General Manager Dave Drinkill will reprise his role of Director of Operations with Team Canada Red for a third consecutive year.
“It’s very humbling to be able to join this group for a third season,” said Drinkill. “I’ve enjoyed seeing players get to pull on our country’s colors for the first time and grow together as a group. Winning gold last season was such a great experience and I’m honored to have the opportunity to do it again this year.”
From Elmvale, Ontario, Drinkill has secured a medal in each of his previous appearances with Team Canada. He debuted with a silver in 2024 and captured gold last fall with a 6-3 victory over Canada White in Truro, Nova Scotia.
Drinkill is set to begin his 12th season as general manager of the Saginaw Spirit. His tenure in Saginaw has led to three West Division titles (2019, 2020, 2024), two Western Conference Finals appearances (2019, 2024), and a Memorial Cup Championship in 2024.
With four players selected directly from the Spirit roster at the 2026 NHL Draft (Nikita Klepov, Egor Barabanov, Brody Pepoy, Stepan Shurygin), Drinkill’s teams have now produced 28 NHL-drafted players. This includes five top-15 picks (Klepov, Michael Misa, Zayne Parekh, Pavel Mintyukov, Cole Perfetti) since 2020, the most by a Canadian Hockey League team in that span.
Canada’s national under-17 development camp will take place July 17-21 at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville and will include practices and six games. Players will continue to be evaluated during the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) season ahead of the 2026 U17 World Challenge. The U17 World Challenge will be held Nov. 1-7 in Oakville.
