CALGARY, Alta. – Twenty-three coaches involved in Hockey Canada's 2011-12 Program of Excellence will gather in Calgary from June 9-11 for the Hockey Canada coaches' seminar, which will be held at the University of Calgary and at Hockey Canada’s head office.

Hockey Canada has presented this seminar since 1998 to help coaches understand the many aspects it takes to have success at international hockey competitions. This seminar is by invitation only. Among those in attendance will be the staff of Canada’s National Junior Team and National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, and coaches who were recently named to Canada's regional under-17 teams for the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg, Man., and regional Junior A teams for the 2011 World Junior A Challenge in Langley, B.C.

The weekend will include a number of workshops and presentations that cover a range of areas necessary to being successful behind the bench at the international level.

The list of presenters includes:

Scott Arniel (head coach, Columbus Blue Jackets, NHL/assistant coach, Team Canada, 2011 IIHF World Championship)
Ben Cooper (manager, national team video, Hockey Canada)
Peter DeBoer (assistant coach, Team Canada, 2011 IIHF World Championship)
Willie Desjardins (associate coach, Dallas Stars, NHL/head coach, Team Canada, 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship)
Peter Friesen (strength and conditioning coach, Carolina Hurricanes, NHL)
Dr. Wayne Halliwell (sport psychologist)
Corey McNabb (senior manager, player development, Hockey Canada)
Kevin Prendergast (head scout, men’s Program of Excellence, Hockey Canada)
Ron Tugnutt (assistant coach, Peterborough Petes, OHL/goaltending consultant, Hockey Canada)

This year's seminar includes a keynote speech from Ken Hitchcock, who has been behind the Team Canada bench on eight occasions, most recently at the 2011 IIHF World Championship. The veteran coach was an associate coach at the 2002, 20 Olympic Winter Games, winning gold medals in 20, and served as head coach at the 2008 IIHF World Championship, where Canada won silver. Hitchcock was also an associate/assistant coach on Canada’s championship-winning team at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and won gold medals at the 2002 IIHF World Championship and 1988 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Coaches scheduled to attend the seminar:

Canada’s National Junior Team:

Head coach: Don Hay (Kamloops, B.C./Vancouver, WHL)
Assistant coaches: George Burnett (Port Perry, Ont./Belleville, OHL), Ryan Huska (Cranbrook, B.C./Kelowna, WHL), Pascal Vincent (Laval, Que./Montreal, QMJHL)

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team:

Head coach: Steve Spott (Waterloo, Ont./Kitchener, OHL)
Assistant coaches: Mario Duhamel (St-Bruno, Que./Drummondville, QMJHL), Don Nachbaur (Kitimat, B.C./Spokane, WHL)

Canada’s National Sledge Team:

Assistant coach: Billy McGuigan (Charlottetown, P.E.I./Miramichi, MHL)

Canada's regional under-17 teams (2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge):

Atlantic head coach: Eric Bissonnette (Fredericton, N.B./St. Thomas University, CIS)
Atlantic assistant coaches: Jeff MacDonald (Charlottetown, P.E.I./Charlottetown, NBPEIMMHL), Aaron Rice (Sydney, N.S./Cape Breton, NSMMHL)

Ontario head coach: Troy Smith (Kitchener, Ont./Kitchener, OHL)
Ontario assistant coach: Wayne Clark (Peterborough, Ont./Peterborough, OHL)

Pacific head coach: Michael Dyck (Lethbridge, Alta./Vancouver, WHL)
Pacific assistant coaches: Jim Dinwoodie (Coquitlam, B.C./North Shore Winter Club, Bantam AAA), Mike Mueller (Grande Prairie, Alta./Drayton Valley, AJHL)

Quebec assistant coaches: Dany Brunet (Landrienne, Que./St-Eustache, LHMAAAQ), Marc-Étienne Hubert (Chicoutimi, Que./Chicoutimi, QMJHL)

West head coach: Jamie Fiesel (Melville, Sask./Melville, SJHL)
West assistant coaches: Bob Beatty (Watrous, Sask./La Ronge, SJHL), Don MacGillivray (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg, MJHL)

Canada's regional Junior A teams (2011 World Junior A Challenge):

Canada East head coach: Curtis Hodgins (Courtice, Ont./Whitby, OJHL)
Canada West head coach: Mark Ferner (Kamloops, B.C./Vernon, BCHL)