The Niverville Nighthawks will have a strong presence on the international stage this December, as the team’s general manager and director of scouting, Mike McAulay, has been named Director of Operations for Team Canada West at the upcoming 2025 World Junior A Challenge.
The announcement was made by Hockey Canada, confirming McAulay’s role in helping assemble and support one of Canada’s two national entries in the tournament.
The event is set to take place December 7–13 at the Colisée Vidéotron in Trois-Rivières, Québec.
Also joining McAulay from the MJHL is Josh Gratton, head coach and general manager of the Winnipeg Blues, who will serve as an assistant coach.
McAulay, who has helped lead the Nighthawks since their inception in the MJHL in 2022, calls the opportunity special.
“It’s a tremendous honour to be a part of Hockey Canada,” McAulay says. “Any time you can pull on a Team Canada jersey is a special moment. It’s special for the players, and for the organizations they come from in the MJHL.”
The Nighthawks have a solid track record of involvement with Team Canada West. In 2023, the team was represented by forward Nathan Brown, head coach Kelvin Cech, and physiotherapist Justin Giesbrecht. That squad went on to capture gold with a dominant 7–2 win over Canada East in the championship game.
“The Nighthawks have been well represented on this stage in the past, both as players and staff,” adds McAulay. “I’m really excited to continue this run.”
The World Junior A Challenge showcases top Junior A talent from around the globe, and this year’s four-team lineup includes Canada East, Canada West, Sweden, and the United States in a ten-game tournament.
The lead-up to the tournament will include several pre-tournament matchups. All games from the tournament will be livestreamed via HNLive.ca, with the gold medal game airing on TSN+.
Since its inception, the World Junior A Challenge has been a major platform for identifying future stars. Of the 17 gold medal games played to date, 13 have featured a Canadian team. Canada West has an impressive track record, winning gold six times (2006, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2023) and medalling in 12 of the 17 tournaments. Meanwhile, Canada East continues its pursuit of a first gold, having earned silver eight times and bronze once.