Former WHL champion, coach Evason named to coaching staff for 2024 IIHF World Championship

Calgary, Alta.- Former Western Hockey League all-star and longtime coach Dean Evason will make his international coaching debut with Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, Hockey Canada announced Thursday.

The tournament runs from May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Evason has been named an assistant coach, joining Head Coach Andre Tourigny, fellow assistant coaches Jay Woodcroft and Steve Ott, as well as former WHL Player of the Year and goaltending consultant Justin Pogge and video coach James Emery.

Evanson, a Flin Flon, Man. product, has coached for more than 14 seasons in the National Hockey League and seven in the American Hockey League.

Prior to working in the pro leagues, Evason spent seven seasons as a bench boss in the WHL with Calgary (2004-05), Vancouver (2002-04) and Kamloops (1999-2002), as well as one season as an assistant coach with Calgary (1998-99).

As a player, Evason would suit up for more than 800 NHL games with the Washington Capitals, Hartford Whalers, San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames.

In his teenage years, he made his WHL debut as a forward for the Spokane Flyers in the 1980-81 season, though he would play the bulk of his hockey with the Kamloops Junior Oilers from 1981-1984.

Evason scored 150 goals and 251 assists for 401 points in 200 WHL games.

In his final junior season, Evason rattled off an impressive 49 goals and 88 assists for 137 points in 57 games, helping Kamloops clinch the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champions and earning WHL West Division First All-Star Team honours.

Evason added another 41 points (21 goals, 20 assists) in 17 playoff games as the Junior Oilers captured Kamloops’ first WHL championship and notched two goals and two assists in four games at the 1984 Memorial Cup.

On the international stage, he represented Canada at the 1984 IIHF World Junior Championship and captained Canada to a gold medal at the 1997 IIHF World Championship.

Pogge, from Penticton, B.C., has previously worked as a goaltending coach and consultant for the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championship, the 2023 World Championship, the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2024 World Junior Championship.

He played 151 regular-season WHL games over three seasons with the Prince George Cougars and Calgary Hitmen, amassing a 79-49-12 record, a 2.29 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.

His accolades include being named the 2006 winner of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy for WHL Player of the Year, the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy as WHL Goaltender of the Year and the CHL Goaltender of the Year.

Canada will open the tournament against Great Britain on May 11 at 4:20 a.m. MST.

The group will also face Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia in preliminary round action before medal games begin on May 26.