Story by
Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason to coach Canada at world championship
- Story by
- Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason to coach Canada at world championship
Dean Evason has added a new coaching job to his resume.
According to a source, the Blue Jackets coach will run the bench for Canada at the 2025 men's world championship to be held May 9-25 in Stockholm, Sweden, and Herning, Denmark.
Advertisement
Evason, 60, just completed his first season with the Blue Jackets and nearly coached them into the postseason with a surprising playoff push that lasted until the Montreal Canadiens claimed the final spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference with one game left on the Columbus schedule.
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason talks to officials during the second period of the NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025.
Getting that close to a playoff spot was no small feat for Evason or the Blue Jackets after losing Johnny Gaudreau to an offseason tragedy Aug. 29, 2024. In fact, Evason is likely to receive votes as this season's Jack Adams award as the NHL's coach of the year.
"One thing about Dean is he's a motivated guy," Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/general manager Don Waddell said April 23. "The other thing he did this year, which I thought was great, is he used his assistant coaches ... it wasn't always him in the room delivering messages between periods or after games. So, when he went in there, they knew he was in there. I thought he utilized his assistants very well that way."
Advertisement
More: 5 tasks on Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell's offseason 'to do' list
Evason was an assistant for Canada at the 2024 men's world championship in Czechia, where Utah coach Andre Tourigny ran the bench. Evason was chosen for that role by Rick Nash , the Jackets' director of hockey operations who presided over Canada's roster as GM for that tournament .
Jul 23, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Dean Evason is introduced as the new head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets during a press conference with general manager Don Waddell at Nationwide Arena.
Two months later, Waddell hired him to coach the Blue Jackets after getting his first NHL head coaching stint with the Minnesota Wild .
"I've had an opportunity to play for my country, and I've had an opportunity now to coach," Evason said Feb. 7 before the NHL's 4 Nations Tournament break . "There's great, great honor in pulling your flag over your head and putting it on your chest. So, any opportunity anyone has to do that, I know how it feels. It's an incredible honor."
Advertisement
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
Get more on the Columbus Blue Jackets with our Cannon Fodder podcast
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dean Evason to coach Canada at 2025 IIHF World Championship
