CALGARY, ALTA. –
With its eight-day selection camp now complete, Hockey Canada has named 24
players to Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team that will compete
against the United States in a three-game series in Lake Placid, N.Y.,
beginning Aug. 17.
Of the
24 players
who will wear the Team Canada jersey for games Aug. 17, 18, and 20, three
are goaltenders, seven are defencemen, and 14 are forwards. They were
selected from among the group of 43 players who were invited to selection
camp in Calgary.
“We want to congratulate all 42 players who took part in the selection
camp, and thank our staff for a phenomenal week. As we expected, these
young women showed up ready to work hard both on and off the ice, and they
made our decision very difficult,” said Delaney Collins, head coach of
Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team. “Congratulations to the 24 players
who were selected to play in Lake Placid; you’ve earned this opportunity,
and we’re excited to work with you and continue to see you develop over
this upcoming series.”
Collins, an alumna of Canada’s National Women’s Team, and assistant coaches
Amanda Benoit-Wark and Darren Turcotte, as well as goaltending consultant,
Joe Johnston, worked with Mel Davidson, Hockey Canada’s general manager of
national women’s team programs, to evaluate and ultimately select the group
that will compete in Lake Placid later this week.
Regional scouts Brian Hart (Ontario), Greg Hermiston (B.C.), Chris Higgins
(Ontario), Scott Lambton (Quebec), Rod Larsen (Saskatchewan), Doug MacLeod
(Alberta), and Gary Soper (Ontario) also attended the selection camp and
provided assistance with player evaluations.
The 24-player roster includes:
-
Five players who took part in the 2016 three-game summer series against
the United States (Fillier, Parker, Slobodzian, Veillette, Vorster);
-
Four players who took home silver at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World
Championship last January (Fillier, McQuigge, Veillette, Vorster); and
-
Representation from the provinces of Ontario (12), Saskatchewan (4),
Quebec (3), British Columbia (2), Manitoba (1), Newfoundland and
Labrador (1), and Alberta (1).
Following the series in Lake Placid, Hockey Canada scouts, along with the
team’s coaching staff and general manager, will continue to evaluate
players with their provincial and club teams during the 2017-18 season,
including at the 2017 National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Quebec
City, Nov. 1-5, in preparation for selecting the Canadian team that will
compete at the 2018 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Dmitrov, Russia.
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.