Sixteen veterans from a dominant team that won gold in Beijing will lead the Canadian women’s hockey team into the Olympics next month in Italy.
It all begins with their captain, Marie-Philip Poulin, who has scored more golden Olympic goals than any other hockey player, male or female.
She’s looking to earn her fifth Olympic medal in her fifth Games, something only two other hockey players have accomplished: Canadians Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford.
“It is always an incredible honour to wear the maple leaf, and being selected to my fifth Olympic Games is something I never could have dreamed of as a little girl,” Poulin said in a statement on Friday, as the roster was unveiled at the Canadian Olympic Committee headquarters in Toronto.
“Being part of Team Canada is so special. It is a moment of great pride and passion that we don’t take for granted as we hope to inspire more young girls to chase their dreams.”
Other forwards returning from that 2022 team include Sarah Fillier (New York Sirens), Laura Stacey (Montreal Victoire), Emma Maltais (Toronto Sceptres), Sarah Nurse (Vancouver Goldeneyes), Blayre Turnbull (Toronto Sceptres), Emily Clark (Ottawa Charge), Natalie Spooner (Toronto Sceptres) and Brianne Jenner (Ottawa Charge).
Both Jenner and Spooner will be competing in their fourth Olympics, after earning gold in both 2022 and 2014.
Seven players will make their Olympic debut in Italy, including forwards Daryl Watts (Toronto Sceptres), Kristin O’Neill (New York Sirens), Julia Gosling (Seattle Torrent) and Jennifer Gardiner (Vancouver Goldeneyes).
Only Poulin has scored more points than Watts since the PWHL launched in 2024. O’Neill, meanwhile, has carved out a role as a faceoff specialist and fourth-line centre who other players hate competing against.
Gardiner has had a strong sophomore season in the PWHL with her hometown Goldeneyes, while Gosling is tied with Hilary Knight for the team lead in points on rival Seattle.
Jennifer Gardiner, right, has had a strong sophomore season in the PWHL. (Getty Images)
PWHL impact
Most of the members of the 2022 blue line are back: Renata Fast (Toronto Sceptres), Erin Ambrose (Montreal Victoire), Jocelyne Larocque (Ottawa Charge), Ella Shelton (Toronto Sceptres) and Claire Thompson (Vancouver Goldeneyes).
Sophie Jaques, a two-time Walter Cup champion now playing with Vancouver, and the Montreal Victoire’s Kati Tabin will compete in their first Olympic Games. It will also be Tabin’s first major tournament for Canada, after making her senior national team debut this past fall at the Rivalry Series.
That gives the Canadian staff the option to roll out pairs who compete together in the PWHL, including Fast and Shelton with Toronto and Montreal’s Tabin and Ambrose. Thompson and Jaques have also logged time together with the Minnesota Frost and are now teammates in Vancouver.
Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montreal Victoire) returns in net and should be this team’s starter, having never lost a game at the Olympics. Joining her will be Emerance Maschmeyer (Vancouver Goldeneyes), who won with this team in 2022, and newcomer Kayle Osborne, who has been solid under a heavy workload as the starter with the New York Sirens.
“Paring down the roster to the final group to represent Canada is always a challenging process,” Canadian GM Gina Kingsbury said. “We began the year with 30 athletes who trained with us throughout the season, while also evaluating a deep pool of talented players, ensuring every decision was carefully considered. We are confident we have selected a highly motivated and eager group who take great pride and passion in wearing the maple leaf.”
For years, the Canadian team was built through centralization, where Olympic hopefuls would live and train together in one location for months leading up to the Games. It was a major advantage for Canada and helped build team chemistry.
That’s no longer possible, as players now compete in the PWHL. Instead, this team was built over three training camps in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal last fall.
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Host Karissa Donkin and women’s hockey analysts Tessa Bonhomme break down the selections, snubs and surprises of who made Team Canada for the women’s hockey team.
Performance at four Rivalry Series games this season against the United States and in the PWHL were also factors. Players like Watts, Jaques and Tabin were able to translate strong PWHL performance into a spot on the national team.
Surprises and omissions
The biggest surprises come on defence, where 19-year-old Chloe Primerano was one of the final cuts. She’s a skilled and strong-skating defender with the University of Minnesota who figures to be a big part of Canada’s future.
New York Sirens captain Micah Zandee-Hart and Montreal Victoire rookie Nicole Gosling were also among the last cuts on defence. Tabin’s versatility to play on both sides of the puck, plus her built-in chemistry with Ambrose, may have given her an edge.
Up front, 19-year-old Caitlin Kraemer, Seattle Torrent forward Danielle Serdachny and Vancouver’s Hannah Miller were also in contention. Miller’s eligibility to compete for Canada was the subject of an appeal with the International Ice Hockey Federation, as she’d previously competed with the Chinese team. It’s not clear whether the IIHF made a ruling on that appeal before the team was named.
With the timeline for Nurse’s injury still in flux, Kraemer or Serdachny could be last-minute call-ups, should she be unable to compete.
Young star Chloe Primerano, left, was left off Canada’s roster. (Associated Press)
Only the third goaltender spot was up for grabs and it came down to Osborne or University of Minnesota Duluth goaltender Ève Gascon. Both will be a big part of Canada’s future in net, but Osborne has proved her mettle against the top players in the PWHL, having started every one of the Sirens’ games so far this season.
All 23 of the players selected to compete for the Canadian team play in the PWHL. It’s a contrast from the American team, which is bringing seven college players to Italy.
“Being selected to represent your country at the Olympic Games is an incredible honour and we congratulate all 23 of these incredible women for this outstanding achievement,” Hockey Canada’s president and CEO, Katherine Henderson, said. “As proud Canadians, we are inspired by your accomplishments, and we can’t wait to cheer you on as you wear the maple leaf on the world stage and compete for a gold medal in Milan.”
Canada will open its tournament on Feb. 5 against Finland. In addition to Finland, Canada’s Group A includes the United States, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
The gold-medal game is set for Feb. 19. Canada has won five Olympic gold medals since women’s hockey became part of the Olympic programme in 1998, finishing at the top in 2022, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022.
