CALGARY, Alta. – Six candidates for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team will travel to Sheffield, England, July 14-21 to participate in the 2013 IIHF Women’s High Performance Camp at Sheffield Arena, which will feature 18 countries coming together to help grow the female game globally.
 
The 2013 IIHF Women’s High Performance Camp is the third phase of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s “To Sochi and Beyond,” a strategic development plan to improve women’s hockey worldwide, both on and off the ice. The program has expanded this year to include all countries involved in the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship program, as well as those ranked among the top 14 nations at the under-18 level.

The Canadian players who will be participating in the 2013 IIHF Women’s High Performance Camp include:

• two players from British Columbia: Micah Hart (Saanichton, B.C./Okanagan Hockey Academy, JWHL) and Sarah Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C./Pursuit of Excellence, Midget AAA);
• one player from Nova Scotia: Taylor Crosby (Cole Harbour, N.S./Shattuck St-Mary’s, U.S. Prep);
• two players from Ontario: Kelly Mariana (Mississauga, Ont./Mississauga, PWHL) and Kirsten Welsh (Blackstock, Ont./Whitby, PWHL);
• one player from Quebec: Alyson Matteau (Blainville, Que./Laurentides, Midget AA).

Ten Canadians will also be attending the 2013 IIHF Women’s High Performance as staff members, including Hockey Canada’s general manager of National Women’s Team programs Melody Davidson (Oyen, Alta.), who will serve as a coach mentor; Canada’s National Women’s Team goaltending coach Matt Cockell (Winnipeg, Man.); Canada’s National Women’s Team skating and skills coach Marc Power (Ottawa, Ont.); Olympic gold medallist Isabelle Chartrand (Anjou, Que.) and seven others who have been regularly involved with Canada’s National Women’s Program and will lead other participating nations in their respective fields of expertise.

“Hockey Canada is excited to once again take part in the IIHF Women’s High Performance Camp by sending some of our top young players and most knowledgeable leaders and mentors in the female game,” Davidson said. “These camps have been and will continue to be crucial in creating more parity among participating nations and improving women’s hockey overall.”

The 2013 IIHF Women’s High Performance Camp will split players from all countries up into six rosters, each consisting of 15 skaters and two goalies. Teams will be on the ice twice a day, including three games over the course of camp, dryland training, fitness testing and classroom sessions. Coach mentors and athlete ambassadors will be assigned to teams to serve as resources for both players and coaches.

This year’s camp is part of several global development projects taking place as part of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s commitment to narrowing the women’s hockey gap between North America and the rest of the world.