Sixteen veterans from a dominant team that clinched gold in Beijing will lead the Canadian women’s hockey team at the upcoming Olympics in Italy next month.
The team is spearheaded by their captain, Marie-Philip Poulin, renowned for scoring the most Olympic golden goals in hockey, surpassing all other players, regardless of gender.
Poulin aims to secure her fifth Olympic medal in her fifth Games, a feat only achieved by two other hockey players: Canadians Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford.
Expressing her gratitude, Poulin remarked, “It is always an incredible honor 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.” The roster was revealed at the Canadian Olympic Committee headquarters in Toronto on Friday.
Returning forwards from the 2022 team include Sarah Fillier, Laura Stacey, Emma Maltais, Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, Emily Clark, Natalie Spooner, and Brianne Jenner. Both Jenner and Spooner will be participating in their fourth Olympics after securing gold in 2022 and 2014.
Seven players will make their Olympic debut in Italy, including forwards Daryl Watts, Kristin O’Neill, Julia Gosling, and Jennifer Gardiner. Notably, only Poulin has scored more points than Watts since the PWHL inception in 2024. O’Neill has excelled as a faceoff specialist and fourth-line center, earning the respect of her competitors.
Gardiner has shown impressive performance in her 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.
In defense, most of the members of the 2022 blue line are returning, including Renata Fast, Erin Ambrose, Jocelyne Larocque, Ella Shelton, and Claire Thompson. Sophie Jaques and Kati Tabin will make their Olympic debut, with Tabin also debuting in a major tournament for Canada after her recent senior national team debut.
Ann-Renée Desbiens will return in net, likely as the team’s starter, alongside Emerance Maschmeyer and newcomer Kayle Osborne. The team selection process was described as challenging by Canadian GM Gina Kingsbury, who emphasized the pride and passion the players have in representing Canada.
The Canadian team was assembled over three training camps in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal last fall due to the absence of centralization, a change from previous years. The team’s performance in the Rivalry Series games against the United States and in the PWHL influenced the final selection.
Notable omissions include 19-year-old Chloe Primerano on defense, along with Micah Zandee-Hart and Nicole Gosling. The forward lineup saw contenders like Caitlin Kraemer, Danielle Serdachny, and Hannah Miller, with the latter facing eligibility concerns due to her prior participation with the Chinese team.
With the final roster comprising all PWHL players, Hockey Canada’s president and CEO, Katherine Henderson, commended the 23 selected players for their remarkable achievement and expressed anticipation for their performance in Milan.
Canada, a five-time Olympic gold medalist in women’s hockey, will commence their tournament on Feb. 5 against Finland in Group A, which also includes the United States, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. The gold-medal match is scheduled for Feb. 19.
