Hockey Canada announced Thursday that Misha Donskov will serve as head coach for three of the most prestigious events on the international calendar: the 2026 and 2027 IIHF Men’s World Championships and the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Donskov, currently the Vice-President of Hockey Operations for the organization, will make his international head coaching debut next month in Zürich and Fribourg, Switzerland.
“Misha is an integral member of our hockey operations staff, and his contributions to successful teams at Hockey Canada over the years,” senior vice president of high performance and hockey operations Scott Salmond said in a release. “Misha is a world-class coach, and we are fortunate to have him building the coaching and support staffs that will put us in a position to win multiple gold medals at two of the marquee events on the international hockey calendar.”
Misha Donskov will lead 🇨🇦 as head coach at two #MensWorlds and the 2027 #WorldJuniors.
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) April 30, 2026
Misha Donskov dirigera le 🇨🇦 lors de deux éditions du #MondialMasculin ainsi qu’au #MondialJunior 2027.
📰 https://t.co/K3PSaHjlUr
📰 https://t.co/n5IhVBzDtE pic.twitter.com/HCzXNpo6AU
The London, Ontario native brings a championship pedigree to the bench, having won a Stanley Cup championship with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. Donskov most recently served as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with my colleagues in hockey operations and throughout Hockey Canada,” Donskov explained. “As well as coaches and staff throughout the National Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League, to build teams and programs that give us the best chance to win gold medals.”