Kyle Dubas (BSM ‘07) has been named Director of Player Personnel for the Canadian senior men’s hockey team at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025 and the Winter Olympic Games in February 2026.
The Brock University Sport Management graduate is joining Olympic General Manager Doug Armstrong’s staff alongside Assistant General Managers Julien BriseBois, Jim Nill and Don Sweeney, who will also serve as the General Manager of Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team.
Dubas, who’s entering his second season as the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, will be tasked with selecting the rosters for both international tournaments.
“Kyle [Dubas] has enjoyed a long and successful career, and we believe his experience and knowledge of NHL players will be a great addition to our staff as we continue to evaluate Canadian players and build rosters for international competition,” said Armstrong.
Canada has already unveiled six players who will be wearing the maple leaf at February’s 4 Nations Face-Off as part of a “first six” announcement in June, with the rest of the roster being named between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. Amongst the players who will be representing Canada at the event in Montreal and Boston include Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brad Marchand, Connor McDavid and Brayden Point.
Team Canada will be looking to win their fourth consecutive best-on-best tournament after winning the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and both the 2010 and 2014 Olympic gold medals. They open their tournament in Montreal against Sweden on Feb. 12 and the United States on Feb. 15 before heading to Boston to battle Finland on Feb. 17 and hopefully advance to the championship match on Feb. 20.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is in its inaugural year, featuring Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland, as the NHL looks to revamp the all-star break with the inclusion of an international tournament in non-Olympic years.
But in 2026, the NHL will be sending their players back to the Winter Games for the first time in 12 years, which is why Dubas’ expertise and knowledge of the game will be vital as Canada seeks their first Olympic men’s hockey gold medal since 2014.
“[Dubas is a] successful NHL general manager,” said Sweeney. “[He] brings a wealth of knowledge, many years of experience at the professional level and great leadership skills that will be beneficial to our coaches, support staff and players.”
Dubas started gaining experience as an undergraduate student at Brock University, serving as a scout with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds before being named as the team’s General Manager in 2011.
In 2014, he was hired by the Maple Leafs as an Assistant General Manager which included being General Manager of the Toronto Marlies, the American Hockey League’s (AHL) affiliate of the Leafs, lifting the Calder Cup in 2018.
Since then, Dubas served as the General Manager of the Leafs from 2018 to 2023 before assuming his current role with the Penguins.
Earlier this year, Dubas made his international management debut as Associate General Manager for Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Hockey Championship.
After a disappointing fourth-place finish, Dubas will be looking to help guide Canada back atop the podium at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Winter Olympic Games and win his first medal with Hockey Canada.
For more information on the Canadian senior men’s national team, head to hockeycanada.ca.
