CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Wednesday the 23 players who have been invited to Canada’s National Women’s Team winter camp, taking place Jan. 20-25, 2013 in Ottawa, Ont. Canada’s roster includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards.

The roster for Canada’s National Women’s Team winter camp includes:

• 16 players who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Burlington, Vt. (Agosta, Apps, Bendus, Birchard, Bonhomme, Bram, Hefford, Irwin, Johnston, Labonté, Lacasse, Larocque, Mikkelson, Ouellette, Spooner and Ward);
• 11 members of Canada’s gold medal-winning team from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. (Agosta, Apps, Bonhomme, Hefford, Irwin, Johnston, Labonté, Mikkelson, Ouellette, Vaillancourt and Ward);
• 22 players from the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (Agosta, Apps, Bendus, Birchard, Bonhomme, Bram, Hefford, Irwin, Johnston, Kessler, Labonté, Lacasse, Larocque, Mikkelson, Ouellette, Prevost, Slusar, Spooner, Vaillancourt, Wakefield, Ward and Watchorn);
• one player competing in U.S. college hockey (Kohanchuk);

Canada’s National Women’s Team winter camp will serve as an evaluation opportunity for Canada’s National Women’s Team coaching staff and Hockey Canada scouting staff for the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Ottawa and 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Players will continue to be evaluated with their club teams during the 2012-13 season.

The 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, taking place April 2-9 at SBP Arena and the Nepean Sportsplex, will mark the sixth time Canada has hosted the tournament. Canada also hosted in 1990 in Ottawa, 1997 in Kitchener, Ont., 2000 in Mississauga, Ont., 2004 in Halifax, N.S., and 2007 in Winnipeg, Man. The host committee is still recruiting volunteers for the event; please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/2013ottawa for more information.

The 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship is being hosted in partnership by Hockey Canada, the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association and Senators Sports and Entertainment.

Ticket packages for the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship are on sale now and include 12 games at SBP Arena, home of the Ottawa Senators, all Team Canada games and all medal round games. For more ticket information, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/2013ottawa, and to purchase 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship ticket packages, please CLICK HERE.

In addition to the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, the Ottawa area will play host to more than 450 teams from across Ontario for the OWHA provincial championships during the world championship.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Francis Dupont, Hockey Canada’s manager of media relations, will be on site at Canada’s National Women’s Team winter camp in Ottawa. He is handling all interview requests and can be reached at [email protected].

For more information on Canada’s National Women’s Team and Hockey Canada, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/nwt, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hc_teamcanada.