TORONTO, Ont. – Hockey Canada announced Sunday the 22 players that will represent their country on Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team in a three-game series against the United States’ Women’s Under-18 Select Team next week in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders on the roster were chosen following the National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camp, which ran in conjunction with the National Women’s Under-22 Team selection camp, from August 7-15 in Toronto.

Head coach Sarah Hodges (Regina, Sask.) assembled the team with help from Melody Davidson, Hockey Canada’s head scout of women’s national team programs, along with newly-named assistant coaches Steve Macdonald (Winnipeg, Man.) and France Montour (Edmonton, Alta.), and goaltending coach Jamie McGuire (Toronto, Ont.).

“The young players who competed at this year’s National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camp showed incredible skill on the ice and are a testament to the growing strength of women’s hockey in this country,” Hodges said. “Canada is fortunate to have such a deep pool of female talent to choose from, and we look forward to the challenge against the United States next week in Lake Placid.”

The roster for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team includes two members of the team that won Canada’s first-ever women’s under-18 gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship in April in Chicago, Ill. (Erin Ambrose and Emily Fulton) and two members of the Thunder Bay Queens, who won gold at the 2010 Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship, in Regina, Sask. in March (Amanda Makela and Brittany Zuback).

The newly-selected National Women’s Under-18 Team will travel south of the border for games against the United States’ Women’s Under-18 Select Team on August 18, 19 and 21 at the Lake Placid Olympic Center.

Following the series, Hockey Canada scouts and coaching staff for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team will continue to evaluate players when they return to their club teams for the 2010-11 season, in order to decide who will represent Canada at the 2011 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship next spring in Sweden.