Team Canada named Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer, Rick Tocchet, and Misha Donskov as the assistant coaches for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this week.
The newly named assistants will serve on the coaching staff led by Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper following his hiring for the team in June. Cooper decided on who would help him man the bench with the help of the Team Canada management team of general manager Don Sweeney, associate general manager Jim Hill, assistant general manager Julien BriseBois, director of players personnel Kyle Dubas, and senior vice president Scott Salmond according to the Hockey Canada release.
“I am excited to welcome Bruce, Peter, Misha, Rick, and James to the coaching staff for the 4 Nations Face-Off, as this is a highly skilled group of coaches that bring impressive accolades and experience at all levels of the game,” Cooper said on Wednesday.
“I know our players will greatly benefit from this world-class coaching staff, and I look forward to working alongside all five and representing Canada in international competition in February.”
Vancouver Canucks head coach Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau midway through the 2022-23 season and led the team to a Pacific Division title this past season. The 60-year-old won the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons while serving as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He eventually became the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes in July of 2017 before moving to the Canucks in January 2023.
Cassidy is currently the head coach of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2023. The 59-year-old previously spent nearly six seasons as head coach of the Boston Bruins from 2016 until June 2022, winning the Jack Adams Award as the league’s top coach in 2020.
DeBoer just completed his second season as the head coach for the Dallas Stars after joining the team to replace Rick Bowness in June 2022. Previously, the 56-year-old coached the Golden Knights, bringing them to two Conference Finals, as well as leading the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, and Florida Panthers, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012 with the Devils and 2016 with the Sharks.
Donskov may have the least experience on a highly regarded Team Canada staff. However, he has five years of experience as an NHL assistant coach with the Golden Knights from 2020 until 2023 and, most recently, the Dallas Stars.
Aside from a stacked coaching staff, Team Canada has also put together a group of experienced support staff, including athletic therapists Kent Kobelka (Calgary Flames) and Domenic Nicoletta (Ottawa Senators), massage therapist Andy Hüppl (Team Canada Spengler Cup and World Championships), team physician Dr. Ian Auld (Calgary Flames), hockey operations managers Mitchell Furlotte (Hockey Canada) and Kurt Keats (Hockey Canada), and equipment managers John Forget (Ottawa Senators) and Darren Granger (Los Angeles Kings).
Hockey Canada has already named a few noteworthy forwards to their roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off held in Boston and Montreal from February 12th to 20th. Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid, Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby, Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, Tampa Bay Lightning’s Brayden Point, and Boston Bruins’s Brad Marchand will represent the white and red as well as Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar.

Kings re-sign Jordan Spence

The Los Angeles Kings will have a few more years with young defenceman Jordan Spence after signing him to a two-year deal with an average annual value of $1.5 million on Thursday. 
After completing the 2023-24 season, Spence finished his three-year entry-level contract, which carried an AAV of $919,167 with an additional signing bonus of $92,500, according to PuckPedia. His new deal sees him earn a $300,000 signing bonus this season.
The 23-year-old was taken by the Kings 95th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, joining the team for 24 games during the 2021-22 season. Spence has bounced back and forth in his last three years between the Kings and their American Hockey League Affiliate, the Ontario Reign. However, in his first season with the Reign, he was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team and became a first-time league all-star. Additionally, he scored four goals and 42 points while carrying a +18 rating. 
This past season was slightly different as Spence spent nearly all his time with the Kings instead of splitting his time. The Australian-born defenceman, who grew up in Japan before moving to Canada, appeared in 71 games in 2022-23, scoring two goals and 24 points.
Spence has played 101 games in the NHL, scoring four goals and 33 points with a +14 rating. In the AHL, he has recorded eight goals and 87 points across 103 games. The blueliner has also appeared in two Calder Cup Playoff games and eight Stanley Cup Playoff games. 
Spence’s career goes beyond the NHL and onto the international stage, representing Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship and a silver medal with the Canadians at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. 

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