CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada unveiled the 23 players (three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards) who will be aiming to capture Canada’s first 4 Nations Cup gold medal in four years when the event hits Canadian ice Nov. 6-10 in Saskatoon, Sask.

The roster was chosen from the 59 players invited to attend Canada’s National Women’s Team Fall Festival, Sept. 8-16 in Dawson Creek, B.C. The identification camp featured two squads participating in fitness testing, off-ice workouts, and a series of games as the national team program’s initial step in evaluating and developing players ahead of the 4 Nations Cup and other short-term international competitions during the 2018-19 season.

“This will be a good test for our players and program as we enter into a new four-year cycle leading into the next Olympics,” said Gina Kingsbury, Hockey Canada’s director of women’s national teams. “We have a committed and determined group of players looking to establish themselves as the top hockey nation among the best nations in the world. The 4 Nations Cup in Saskatoon will be an important measuring stick for us this season and leading into the IIHF Women’s World Championship next April.”

Canada’s roster for the 2018 4 Nations Cup includes:

• Fourteen players who won a silver medal with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea (Clark, Daoust, Fast, Fortino, Jenner, Johnston, Larocque, Nurse, Poulin, Saulnier, Spooner, Stacey, Szabados, Turnbull);
• Seventeen players who won a silver medal at the 2017 4 Nations Cup in Tampa, Fla. (Clark, Daoust, Fast, Fortino, Jenner, Johnston, Krzyzaniak, Larocque, Nurse, Potomak, Poulin, Saulnier, Spooner, Stacey, Szabados, Turnbull, Zandee-Hart);
• Nine players who won a gold medal at the 2014 4 Nations Cup in Kamloops, B.C. (Clark, Fortino, Jenner, Johnston, Krzyzaniak, Larocque, Saulnier, Spooner, Turnbull); and
• Five players who will compete in their first 4 Nations Cup (Bourbonnais, Fillier, Gabel, Gosling, Tiley).

Canada will play a pre-tournament game on Nov. 4 against Finland in Prince Albert, Sask., before preliminary-round play against Sweden (Nov. 6), the United States (Nov. 7), and Finland (Nov. 9) at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. The bronze- and gold-medal games will be played Saturday, Nov. 10; the full schedule can be found at HockeyCanada.ca. Full event ticket packages, as well as day passes beginning at $30, can be purchase at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.

Hockey Canada also announced that Perry Pearn (Stettler, Alta.) will serve as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 4 Nations Cup. Pearn will be joined by assistant coaches Doug Derraugh (Arnprior, Ont./Cornell University, ECAC), Hockey Canada alumna and four-time Olympic gold-medallist, Caroline Ouellette (Montreal/Concordia University, RSEQ), who announced her retirement as a player in September, and Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.). Pasco Valana (Delta, B.C./University of B.C., CW) will serve as the team’s goaltending consultant.

At the conclusion of the 4 Nations Cup, Kingsbury, in consultation with head scout Melody Davidson (Oyen, Alta.), will continue to evaluate players through their club teams ahead of the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship, April 4-14, in Espoo, Finland.

Since the debut of the 4 Nations Cup in 1996, Canada’s National Women’s Team has won gold 14 times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014) and brought home a silver medal eight times (1997, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017).

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