Let go by one brand of the Maple Leaf, Kyle Dubas has found a vital sideline with another.
Toronto’s former general manager, about to start his second year in charge of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dubas and Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois have been added to Hockey Canada’s executive team for next year’s 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
Dubas will be director of player personnel, with GM Don Sweeney and associate Jim Nill for the 4 Nations, with Brisebois as assistant GM. Dubas was associate GM at this year’s world championships, while this will be BriseBois’s first international assignment.
“Jim and I are thrilled to have Julien and Kyle join our management group for the 4 Nations, and work alongside them as we prepare for the Olympics,” Sweeney said in a Hockey Canada release on Tuesday. “Both are successful NHL GMs that bring a wealth of knowledge, many years of experience at the professional level and great leadership skills that will be beneficial to our coaches, support staff and players.”
tap here to see other videos from our team.
While Dubas had many successful regular seasons among his five in Toronto as the second-youngest GM in NHL history, he won just one playoff round with Toronto. Brisebois has a couple of Stanley Cup rings with the Bolts in 2020 and ‘21. The 4 Nations will be played Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.
On the Olympic side, Dubas and Brisebois will work with GM Doug Armstrong, Sweeney, Nill, player relations advisor Ryan Getzlaf and Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations.
“I believe (Dubas and BriseBois) will be strong assets to a well-rounded management team,” Armstrong said in a release. “We believe their experience and knowledge of NHL players will be a great addition to our staff as we continue to evaluate Canadian players and build rosters for international competition.”
Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brad Marchand and Brayden Point were named to the preliminary Canadian roster for the 4 Nations last month. The full roster will be announced between Nov. 29-Dec. 2, while the assistant coaches to Jon Cooper of Tampa Bay and support staff will be revealed in the coming weeks.
X: @sunhornby