Former Prince Albert Raiders captain Kyle Chipchura (left) and current Raiders Head Coach Ryan McDonald will both be behind the bench for either Canadian team at the U17 World Hockey Challenge in Nova Scotia this fall, with Chipchura being an assistant for Canada White while McDonald will lead Canada Red as head coach. (Prince Albert Raiders Fan Page/Facebook - Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Logan Lehmann

Alumni spotlight

Raiders coach, former captain named to coach at U17 World Challenge

Jul 15, 2025 | 4:56 PM

Two Prince Albert Raiders alumni are set to don the maple leaf in Nova Scotia later this fall for the U17 World Hockey Challenge.

Former centreman and current Raiders head coach, Ryan McDonald and fellow centreman Kyle Chipchura were named to Team Canada for the tournament, where McDonald will lead Canada Red while Chipchura will be an assistant coach on Canada White.

“As the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, we are thrilled with the coaching staff we have assembled from across the CHL to help introduce our players to the program,” said Alan Millar, general manager of the Program of Excellence in a release. “They all bring a unique skill set and are committed to the development of players on and off the ice, which we know will help set a strong foundation for future success within our program.”

This will be McDonald’s first year being head coach of the national team after being an assistant last year with Canada White, where he captured a gold medal alongside current Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph and forward Riley Boychuk.

McDonald was named head coach of the Raiders in May after finishing this past season as the interim head coach following the departure of Jeff Truitt. In addition to his gold medal last year, the Prince Albert native helped lead Team Saskatchewan to a silver medal as an assistant at the 2023 Canada Winter Games.

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For Chipchura, this is his first time as a coach on the international stage, and he just finished his second season as assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings. In his junior hockey days, the Westlock, Alta. product played four seasons with the Raiders from 2002-2006, captaining the team during the 2005-06 season. At the 2006 World Juniors, Chipchura captained Canada to gold winning 5-0 over Russia in the finals.

The U17 World Hockey Challenge will be played from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8 at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro, Nova Scotia.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

On Bluesky: @loganlehmann.bsky.social