When Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), announced the coaching staffs for Canada East and Canada West for the 2025 Junior A World Challenge, Canada East had a definite Lac St. Louis feel to it. Pincourt’s Bruce Richardson will be Team Canada East’s bench boss for a second consecutive Junior A World Challenge. Richarson is the general manager and head coach of the Valleyfield Braves in the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (QJAAAHL). A product of North Shore Hockey and a former Lac St. Louis Lion, Richardson’s foundation planted the seeds that led to playing as a professional in the AHL, ECHL and overseas and coaching. “That’s where it started,” Bruce Richardson said. “That’s where I think I was able to become a better version of me. I think it all started with Mr. (Ron)Stevenson (with North Shore). He gave me the passion, and he gave me the tools to try to accomplish what I did as a hockey player and also as a coach. I was fortunate throughout my career to have great coaches, starting with him and in midget with Kevin Figsby (now Commissioner of the QJAAAHL), and after that, major Junior and even in the pro, I was lucky to have guys like Bob Hartley and Mike Babcock and Randy Carlisle. Ron Stevenson really helped me, I think that’s the most important thing. You need the best coaches at that level, because these are the ones to start you on the right path.”

With a strong coaching staff in place, Canada East is poised to compete at the highest level in the 2025 Junior A World Challenge. The tournament will take place from December 7-13 at the Colisée Vidéotron in Trois-Rivières. This annual event showcases the top Junior A talent from across the country and is an important milestone in their young careers. “I think it’s huge,” Richardson said. “The players are tier two, and they don’t get the honour to wear that Team Canada jersey. Normally, for that kind of event, you have to be at the World Juniors or the U 18 Worlds. Normally the players that are in the U 18 or U 20 program are the kind of major Junior, first round or second round NHL picks, so it’s tough to get in. When these guys have an opportunity to wear the jersey, it’s always fun. It’s a jersey that guys like Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Crosby, Connor McDavid, these guys wore that jersey. it’s always prestigious, and it’s always fun for the kids to be able to compete with the Team Canada logo on their jersey.”

This tournament will be a stiff challenge for Team Canada East and West as Team USA will draw players from the United States Hockey League (USHL), a tier one junior league, and Team Sweden’s players will also be considered tier one caliber. That will make Richardson’s task of earning the first gold medal for Team Canada East a more difficult goal. Richardson and his staff will assemble the best squad they can but that is also a tough task. “The biggest challenge was to select the right players,” he said. “To make sure that we have a good team. It’s a tough tournament, because we have to build our own team, and we have five leagues where we could pick the player from. It’s not like we have a lot of time to go around and do some scouting. We have to look at game film online. We have to go to games, to talk to coaches, and scouts. I think that the toughest part is selecting the right players, because we’re not looking to build an all-star team, we’re looking to build a team that’s going to help us to win a gold medal.”

Richardson brings a wealth of experience and success to the Canada East bench. Now in his second season as general manager and head coach of the Valleyfield Braves, Richardson took over the head coaching role in the 2023-24 season. That same year, he was honored with the Trophée Jean-Hébert as LHJAAAQ general manager of the year and was also named coach of the year, recognizing his outstanding contributions and leadership within the league.

His prior coaching career includes serving as head coach for the Victoriaville Tigres (2014-16) and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (2018-23) in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he developed a reputation for building competitive teams and fostering player development.

Richardson’s international résumé is equally impressive. He was an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team, winning a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship and a bronze in 2023. He also served as an assistant coach at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, further expanding his experience on the international stage.

Richardson’s continued commitment to Canadian hockey development is evident in his leadership style and track record of success. That portfolio all stems from Richardson’s philosophy of coaching. “I think these days communication is probably the number one key,” he said. “Back in the days, as I used to coach, you used to say it was my way or the highway when you were a coach, but now it’s more communication, and it’s creating a partnership with the player to try to help him accomplish his objective. Because if he’s able to accomplish his objective, it’s just going to benefit the team, and if it benefits the team, it’s going to benefit the coaching staff and the coach also.”

It will be a tough test from the opening faceoff for Team Canada East as they will face longtime rivals, Team USA on Sunday, December 7 in the tournament’s opening game. n