PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Marie-Philip Poulin will captain Canada’s National Women’s Team on rival ice at the upcoming 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship from March 31-April 7.

The 26-year-old from Beauceville, Que., has led Canada in recent months at its two-game December Series and also wore the ‘C’ at the 2016 4 Nations Cup in Vierumäki, Finland and the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Kamloops, B.C.

Poulin, a two-time Olympic gold-medallist, will be joined on the leadership team by Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, Ont./Calgary, CWHL), Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont./Calgary, CWHL), and Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./Toronto, CWHL) who will rotate the ‘A’ and serve as alternate captains for the duration of the championship.

“This is a veteran group of players who have worn the red-and-white on many occasions for us,” said Laura Schuler, head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team. “These players possess the values that we believe can guide us to success and we’re confident in their abilities and our team’s preparation.”

Canada will open the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship against the United States on March 31, and also faces Finland (April 1) and Russia (April 3) in the preliminary round. A complete tournament schedule can be found here. 

All of Canada’s games at the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship will be broadcast by TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada. Visit TSN.ca and RDS.ca for broadcast times.

The 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship is the 18th since the tournament’s 1990 inception. Canada’s National Women’s Team has appeared in every world championship gold-medal game, winning 10 gold medals (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2012) and seven silver (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016).

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Team Program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter.com/HC_Women.