NHL executives Brad Treliving and Jason Spezza will lead Canada’s management group as they get ready for the 2026 World Hockey Championship slated to begin on May 15 in Switzerland, Hockey Canada announced on Monday.
The federation also said Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas would be involved with Canada’s team in a supporting role with his focus being on the Penguins in the playoffs.
Treliving was most recently the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, serving in that role for three seasons. The Maple Leafs had a 129-77-27 record during his tenure, making the playoffs in two of three seasons and winning the Atlantic Division in 2025.
The Maple Leafs parted ways with the 56-year-old on March 30 after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign.
Prior to his time in Toronto, Treliving also served as general manager for nine seasons with the Calgary Flames and seven seasons as an assistant general manager with the Phoenix Coyotes.
He was also a co-general manager of Canada at the 2016 World Hockey Championship, winning gold and was an assistant GM at the 2014 tournament.
“Brad brings invaluable experience from previous international events and the NHL, and Jason is a rising NHL executive that brings a wealth of experience as a player both professionally and internationally, and we are excited that these two will lead our team at the IIHF World Championship,” Hockey Canada’s senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations Scott Salmond said in a news release.
“Kyle’s experience from the previous two world championships, 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympics will provide consistency to our program, and while Kyle continues to prioritize the success of the Pittsburgh Penguins, we look forward to his support as Brad and Jason build a staff and roster that gives us the best chance to be successful in Switzerland.”
Spezza is in his third season as an assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, serving under Dubas. He is also in his second season as the GM of the AHL’s Wilks-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
He helped the Penguins to their first playoff appearance in three seasons with a 41-24-16 record with one game remaining.
The 42-year-old served on the selection committee last year to decide Canada’s fifth-place finishing team at the 2025 World Hockey Championship.
Spezza played 19 years in the NHL recording 363 goals and 995 points split between the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He also represented Canada four times at the World Hockey Championships, taking home a gold medal in 2015 and two silver medals in 2008 and 2009.
Canada will prepare for the tournament in Paris, France prior to the beginning of the tournament and will take on France and Hungary in two pre-tournament games.
Canada is a part of Group B with Sweden, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia, and Italy.
They open the tournament on May 15 against Sweden with every game available to watched on TSN.
