Just over two months after claiming gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships, Canada is setting its eyes on a repeat.
Dave Lowry, head coach of the Western Hockey League's Victoria Royals, will spearhead the 2016 Nation Junior Team, Hockey Canada announced Monday.
Lowry is a former NHL player who dressed in 1,084 games for the San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Calgary Flames.
Lowry was asked to be the head coach of the under-18 team back in 2009, but turned it down after being named an assistant coach for the Flames.
He was an assistant coach for the 2015 World Junior team that won gold, snapping a six-year gold-less drought.
D.J. Smith of the Oshawa Generals, Dominique Ducharme of the Halifax Mooseheads, and Martin Raymond of the Voltigeurs de Drummondville will serve as Lowry's assistants.
The tournament will be played in Helsinki, Finland. The tournament opens Boxing Day and will conclude with the gold medal game on Jan. 5.
