CALGARY, Alta. – Twenty-three players have been selected to represent Team Canada at the upcoming 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship, March 31-April 7 in Plymouth, Mich.

Canada’s National Women’s Team roster was selected by head coach Laura Schuler alongside Melody Davidson, Hockey Canada’s general manager of national women’s team programs, and included support from Hockey Canada regional scouts, assistant coaches Dwayne Gylywoychuk and Troy Ryan, and goaltending coach Brad Kirkwood.

“This is a determined group of players that have been chosen to wear the red-and-white on the international stage,” said Laura Schuler, head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team. “As our evaluation process continues leading into the selection of our Olympic centralization roster later this year, we’re confident this group will make Canada proud in Plymouth and we’re looking forward to building on our successes from the 2016-17 season.”

Team Canada’s coaching staff will also be joined by Caroline Ouellette (Montreal, Que./Concordia University, RSEQ), a four-time Olympic gold-medallist, who has been named an assistant coach alongside Gylywoychuk and Ryan for the championship.

Canada’s National Women’s Team for the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship includes:

• 18 players who were victorious in the two-game 2016 December Series against the United States with Canada’s National Women’s Team (Agosta, Ambrose, Clark, Fortino, Irwin, Jenner, Johnston, Krzyzaniak, Larocque, Maschmeyer, Mikkelson, Potomak, Poulin, Rougeau, Spooner, Szabados, Turnbull, Wakefield);

• 16 players who won a silver medal with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship (Agosta, Bram, Clark, Davis, Fortino, Jenner, Johnston, Krzyzaniak, Larocque, Maschmeyer, Mikkelson, Poulin, Rougeau, Spooner, Turnbull, Wakefield);

• 13 players who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (Agosta, Fortino, Irwin, Jenner, Johnston, Lacasse, Larocque, Mikkelson, Poulin, Rougeau, Spooner, Szabados, Wakefield);

• Four players who will make their world championship debut with Canada’s National Women’s Team (Ambrose, Fast, Potomak, Stacey).

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).

Players in Canada’s National Women’s Team program will continue to be monitored with their club teams leading into and during the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship by Hockey Canada scouts, along with the coaching staff, prior to the announcement of Canada’s National Women’s Team Olympic centralization roster this spring.

Note to media: Media accreditation for the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship is now open; accreditation can be applied for online by clicking here no later than March 17.

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.