Ten current and former WHL staff to lead Canada’s U17 teams

Calgary, Alta.- Ten current and former Western Hockey League staff will helm Canada’s National U17 squads this season, Hockey Canada announced Friday.

Vancouver Giants General Manager Barclay Parneta, former Kelowna Rockets assistant coach Travis Crickard, Lethbridge Hurricanes Associate Head Coach and Assistant General Manager Matt Anholt, Prince Albert Raiders assistant coach Ryan McDonald and Saskatoon Blades goaltending coach Jeff Harvey will headline Canada’s front office and coaching staff.

Giants equipment manager Cord Ivanco, Brandon Wheat Kings athletic therapist Zach Hartwick, Prince George Cougars athletic therapist Mitchell Karapita and Victoria Royals team physician Dr. Micheal Conrad make up the support staff, while former Spokane Chiefs scout Byron Bonora is tasked with scouting the national team squad.

Parneta will reprise his Director of Operations role after working with Team Canada Red in 2023.

Crickard, who is coming off his second season as Head Coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, has been tapped as one of two bench bosses for the tournament.

The Saint John, N.L. product won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship and as a video coach at the 2021 edition of the tournament.

Crickard served as an assistant coach and goaltending coach for the Kelowna Rockets from 2014 to 2019, winning a WHL Championship and advancing to the Memorial Cup Final in 2015.

Anholt, who was recently promoted to Associate Head Coach and Assistant General Manager by the Hurricanes, has spent six seasons with Lethbridge in a variety of skills and development roles.

The son of Hurricanes General Manager Peter Anholt was also an assistant coach with Canada Red at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

McDonald, a Prince Albert product who has now played for and coached his hometown squad, is set to make his Team Canada coaching debut.

He just wrapped up his third full season as an assistant coach for the Raiders and has won a silver medal as an assistant coach with Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games.

McDonald played five seasons in the WHL with the Regina Pats and Prince Albert before embarking on a four-year U SPORTS career at Lakehead University and the University of Saskatchewan.

Harvey, another former WHL player who suited up for the Kootenay ICE, Swift Current Broncos and Everett Silvertips, is coming off his fourth season as a goaltending coach for the Saskatoon Blades.

He helmed one of the strongest goaltending tandems in the league with Austin Elliott and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner, helping the Blades to a 50-win season and a Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s top regular-season team.

Vancouver Giants equipment manager Cord Ivanco is coming off his first WHL season after spending five years with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

The Outlook, Sask. product worked with Team Canada at the  2023 FISU World University Games in Lake Placid, where Canada won a Gold Medal, and has spent time with the NHL’s Calgary Flames during development camps.

Athletic therapist Zach Hartwick has completed three seasons with the Wheat Kings after plying his trade in the Junior A ranks.

Prince George AT Mitchell Karapita has been with the team since graduating from Mount Royal University in 2021, where he also worked with the university’s basketball teams.

Dr. Michael Conrad has been with the Royals since the franchise arrived in Victoria in 2011 and had previously served on the medical team for the Victoria Salmon Kings.

He’s represented Canada on several occasions, most recently at the 2014 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in Finland.

Bonora spent seven years as a scout with the Spokane Chiefs before making the jump to Hockey Canada full-time in 2021.

Canada’s National Under-17 Development Camp will run from July 18-24 in Oakville, Ont. with the roster to be announced at a later date.

About the Western Hockey League

Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for close to 60 years. The WHL is also a leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.

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