Rick Nash was named general manager of Canada’s men’s team for the 2024 IIHF World Championship on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old Brampton, Ontario, native, is in his third season as director of player development for the Columbus Blue Jackets after joining them as assistant to the GM on June 13, 2019.
The tournament will be held in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia, from May 10-26.
“Rick is an outstanding person to lead Canada’s national men’s team at this year’s world championship, as he brings a wealth of international and NHL experience from his playing career and his time as an executive,” said St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, who is Canada’s management lead for the men’s team. “We are excited to work with Rick and begin building the staff and roster that will wear the Maple Leaf in Czechia and help us defend gold in May.”
Nash was Canada’s assistant GM when it finished second at the 2022 World Championship. Prior to serving a player development director in Columbus, he was the team’s special assistant to the GM from 2019-21.
The No. 1 pick in the 2002 NHL Draft by Columbus, Nash had 805 points (437 goals, 368 assists) in 1,060 games for the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. He had 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) in 89 Stanley Cup Playoff games and helped the Rangers reach the Cup Final in 2014, when it lost to the Los Angeles Kings in five games.
He represented Canada at the Olympics in 2006 (Torino), 2010 (Vancouver) and 2014 (Sochi), winning gold in 2010 and 2014. He also played in the World Championship, winning gold in 2007, and finished second twice (2005, 2008). He helped Canada finish second at the 2002 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Canada will open this year’s World Championship against Great Britain on May 11. It will also face Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and host Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games May 26.
Canada will play pre-tournament games against Austria at Steffl Arena in Vienna on May 5, and Hungary at MVM Dome in Budapest on May 7.
