Dustin Schwartz’s next stop is a major one.
More than a year after his run with the Edmonton Oilers ended, the longtime goalie coach has been hired by Hockey Canada as its first-ever director of goaltending. Schwartz spent nearly a decade with Edmonton after joining the club in the 2015-16 season, and he was let go after the 2024-25 campaign.
His time with the Oilers came with plenty of scrutiny. Edmonton cycled through goaltenders for years without settling on a clear answer in net, and plenty of fans pinned part of that struggle on Schwartz before Peter Aubry replaced him in the summer of 2025.
Now, Schwartz is moving into a national role with a much wider scope.
“Dustin’s success and experience with goaltenders in the NHL, internationally and in Major Junior hockey speak for themselves, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Hockey Canada to oversee our goaltending department,” said Scott Salmond, the senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations for Hockey Canada, in a release.
“This is a critical position for our organization and our Members, and we will continue to seek innovative opportunities to advance our work to develop more goaltenders across Canada from the grassroots to our national team programs.”
Hockey Canada said Schwartz’s responsibilities will include “evaluation, selection, mentorship, and development of national team goalies, as well as leading Hockey Canada’s grassroots goaltending development,” along with overseeing “new organizational goaltending initiatives such as goaltending camps and symposiums.”
Starting in 2027, he will also work as the goalie coach for various Canadian national teams.
The move comes as Hockey Canada looks to strengthen a position that has lagged behind other countries. That gap showed at the latest Winter Olympic Games in Italy earlier this year, when the United States rolled out Connor Hellebuyck, Jeremy Swayman, and Jake Oettinger, while Canada went with Jordan Binnington, Darcy Kuemper, and Logan Thompson.
Schwartz said the opportunity means a great deal to him.
“It is an honour to be hired by Hockey Canada, and the expansive job description provides the opportunity to work in a multitude of different areas with the goal of enhancing and evolving the goaltending position under the Hockey Canada umbrella,” Schwartz said in a release.
“My passion for the game combined with the opportunity to focus on the development and growth of the goaltenders and coaches across the country is very special. This new goaltending program is designed to have a positive impact on goaltenders of the future and elite Canadian professionals at the highest level.”
Even after the criticism he faced in Edmonton, Schwartz’s standing in the broader hockey world clearly remains strong. Hockey Canada is betting on him to help shape the next wave of Canadian goaltending.
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