Former world champion will coach Canadian women’s hockey team next season

CALGARY – Former world champion Laura Schuler is taking the helm of the Canadian women’s hockey team.

The Toronto native, who won three world gold medals with Canada in the 1990s, has been named the team’s head coach for the 2015-16 season. She succeeds Doug Derraugh, who coached Canada to a silver medal at the world championships earlier this year.

Schuler was an assistant at the world tournament in Malmo, Sweden. She was also the head coach of the squad that won the under-18 world championship in 2014.

Edmonton’s Howie Draper and Winnipeg’s Dwayne Gylywoychuk will be Schuler’s assistants while Brad Kirkwood of Calgary is the team’s goaltending coach.

“These four coaches bring a tremendous amount of knowledge and international experience to Canada’s national women’s team program,” said Melody Davidson, Hockey Canada’s general manager of national women’s team programs. “We’re looking forward to our coaches working with our senior athletes as we prepare for the Four Nations Cup and IIHF Women’s World Championships.”

Hockey Canada says it will name its coaching staff for the 2018 Winter Olympics by the end of next year.

In addition to her three world titles, Schuler won silver with Canada at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.