By Cami Kepke via Western Hockey League

Calgary Hitmen great and longtime NHLer Ryan Getzlaf will make a third trip to the Olympic Games, this time, as a member of Canada’s men’s hockey management team.

Getzlaf is slated to serve as a player relations advisor for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy, Hockey Canada announced Friday.

He joins newly-minted General Manager Doug Armstrong on the executive team.

“There is a wealth of experienced and successful Canadian executives throughout the NHL, and we believe Doug is the best person to lead our National Men’s Team and build our management groups from a talented pool of executives at each event leading up to and including the 2026 Olympics,” Hockey Canada chief operating officer and executive vice-president of strategy Pat McLaughlin said. “Doug and Ryan both bring accomplished careers and many years of NHL and international experience to Hockey Canada and Scott (Salmond) has been instrumental in the success of Canada’s national teams at all levels for more than 20 years.”

Getzlaf is set to make his international management debut after a 17-year on-ice career with the Anaheim Ducks.

The Regina, Sask. product captained the Ducks for 12 seasons and captured the Stanley Cup in 2007, appearing in 1,157 NHL games and recording 1,019 points (282 goals, 737 assists).

His international career is highlighted by two Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014), a 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal and a first-place finish at the 2003 IIHF World U18 Championship.

Getzlaf got his start in the WHL after being selected by the Calgary Hitmen with the 54th overall pick in the 2000 WHL Bantam Draft.

He famously grew nearly half a foot between the time he was drafted and when he joined the Hitmen as a 16-year-old.

Getzlaf amassed 95 goals and 120 assists for 215 points in 233 regular season games for Calgary, with an additional 28 points in 31 playoff games.

He was selected by the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the first round, 19th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and would have made his NHL debut the following season if it hadn’t been for the 2004-05 lockout.

A banner honouring Getzlaf was raised to the Saddledome rafters in 2015 as the team’s first inductee of the ‘Forever a Hitmen’ program.

Getzlaf is currently in his first season as Anaheim’s player development coordinator.

The 2026 Games will be the first Olympics with NHL participation since the 2014 event in Sochi.