Newly minted Head Coach Ryan McDonald shakes hands with General Manager Curtis Hunt. (Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

16th Head Coach in Team History

McDonald officially named next head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders

May 27, 2025 | 5:50 PM

After leading the team to a record of 15-5-0-1 in 21 regular season games as the interim head coach, along with leading the team to their first 3-1 playoff series comeback since the 1996 playoffs, the Prince Albert Raiders have officially handed the reigns over to Ryan McDonald as the team’s 16th bench boss.

It’s a decision many Raiders fans were waiting to hear finally become official, and for general manager Curtis Hunt, it’s a decision that was made fairly easy by the work McDonald had already put into the team.

“I always believed he was a climber. He had just great passion, not just for the game, but for the team itself. We had maybe a glimpse there in mid-season, which you don’t always get a look at, and I think to some degree I put him in a tough spot when we made the change, and I thought shone in what could have been a difficult position. I thought he did a real good job for us in the postseason. You spend some time and listen in to what he believes in, in terms of the culture, in terms of the style of play, in terms of accountability, opportunity. I thought this was the best decision and the best guy to take this team at this point in time.”

After originally joining the team as a player in the 2006-07 season, McDonald played 182 regular season games where he posted 82G-80A-162P as a Raider, along with 3G-2A-5P in six playoff games, McDonald spent four seasons as a head coach in the Warman Wildcats system before rejoining the Raiders as an assistant coach in 2020-21. He spent the next four seasons under Mark Habschied and Jeff Truitt where he learned how to be a coaching leader at the WHL level, preparing him for the takeover on March 10 this past season.

With a ton of young talent that already has playoff experience, and a ton of promising prospects, a young coach is exactly what Hunt believes the Raiders need to build towards that championship team.

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“I think he gained the respect of his players, and I like the message. I like the management. I like the accountability. Nothing really changed organizationally in terms of what the expectations are here. We’re here to win every day, and that’s his mentality. That’s my mentality. It’s our front office mentality, and that’s part of the Raider way.”

For McDonald, stepping into the role is a dream come true. Being a Prince Albert local, his journey has taken him from a fan in the stands, to becoming one of those players he used to look up to, and now to the bench boss that leads this team.

“The only words that come to mind, it’s just so special. I’ve gone kind of full circle. I was talking to a person today about remembering eating popsicles in the stands, being 7-8 years old, watching hockey games. Having the opportunity to play for the team and then ultimately having the privilege to lead the team as the head coach is something that’s just so special, and being able to share it with my family so close every single day is just it’s remarkable.”

McDonald had a lot of people to thank for getting him into the role from the Raiders staff that trust him to lead the team forward to the players that bought into what he was trying to get them to accomplish. The biggest thanks, however, went out to his family who he says has given up a lot to support him in this journey.

“I wouldn’t be here without the sacrifice of my wife Kallie, who spends a lot of days at home with our two little girls Emery and Berkley and making sure that the house is still running. My parents, it’s funny, you could go to the rink when I played and you would see my dad in the stands watching practice. I know where he’d be sitting for every game and it’s funny as a coach, he still comes and he still watches practice every single day. So for me that’s something really special.”

When it comes to what you’ll see on the ice, McDonald doesn’t plan to change too much from what the Raiders showed their fans at the end of the season.

“For me, the biggest thing is I like to bring energy every single day. When we get on the ice for practice, it’s energy all around. Jumping in on drills and getting involved with the guys, that’s what makes the atmosphere around the rink and those habits and details. That’s what’s extremely important in the game today. You’re watching in the NHL playoff where the teams with great habits, you’re seeing them find success.”

With a full summer ahead of the 2025-26 season, McDonald plans to use that time as best he can to get himself and his squad ready.

“You know the old saying, ‘When you have time, use it.’ For me, this summer is a great opportunity to to sit back and reflect and take a look from a 200 foot view on some areas that we want to improve on and do a little bit different, but also take a look at some areas that we did really good on and also give credit where credit’s due. So again, just making sure that we take a look at all avenues, building out our process, you’ve heard me say it day in and day out, it’s all about the details and continuing to build our game and build our process.”

The Raiders coaching staff as of now has Ryan McDonald at helm as head coach, along with Connor Yawney and Doan Smith as assistant coaches.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com