GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. UNITED STATES (JAN. 12)

Canada’s National Women's Under-18 Team is one win away from an eighth world title, facing off against the United States in the gold medal game Sunday at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.

Last Game

Canada gained a measure of revenge in its semifinal, doubling up Czechia 4-2 one year after the Czechs shocked Canada by the same score in the semis. Stryker Zablocki continued her red-hot run, scoring once and adding an assist, as did Caileigh Tiller. Marilou Grenier made 19 saves, while Chloe Primerano chipped in with two assists, becoming the all-time leading scorer in National Women’s Under-18 Team history.

The Americans got a scare from Sweden in their Saturday semifinal, holding on for a 2-1 win to book their place in the final. The defending world champions got two second-period goals from captain Anabella Fanale and 17 saves from Morgan Stickney to advance to their 16th gold medal game.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Americans clashed in a three-game summer series in Thorold, Ontario, in August, with Canada taking two of three. In the series finale, Stryker Zablocki forced overtime by scoring with just 58 seconds left in the third period, but a seven-round shootout went the way of the U.S. in a 4-3 final.

The last meeting between the rivals at U18 Women’s Worlds came in preliminary-round play at the 2023 tournament in Ostersund, Sweden. Caitlin Kraemer scored twice, Emma Pais had a goal and a helper and the Canadians held the U.S. to only 11 shots on goal in a 3-1 victory that completed a perfect prelims for Canada.

What to Watch

While this space is typically reserved for individual efforts, we would be remiss if we let the tournament end without highlighting the top-to-bottom effort that has allowed Canada to return to the gold medal game. Through three preliminary-round wins and a pair of playoff victories, the Canadians have scored the most goals (37), taken the most shots (250) and allowed the fewest shots (63), while icing the tournament’s best power play (45%) and best penalty kill (94.7%). All 20 skaters have recorded at least one point, with three of the tournament’s top four scorers wearing the Maple Leaf – Zablocki (7-4—11), Primerano (4-6—10) and Maxine Cimoroni (4-6—10). And the goaltenders haven’t been too bad, either – Grenier has a .917 save percentage in her three starts, while Amelia Wilkinson has allowed just one goal across her 120 minutes for a 0.50 goals-against average and .933 save percentage.

The Americans have clamped down defensively and have yet to allow a goal at five-on-five in the tournament, giving up just two in total (both on the power play) across five games. A big reason they’re not allowing many goals? They’re not allowing many shots. The U.S. has given up just 64, with the 18 taken by Sweden the highest single-game total. Morgan Stickney has played every second between the pipes, fashioning a miniscule 0.40 goals-against average and .969 save percentage with three shutouts, while Fanale (5-4—9) and Mary Derrenbacher (2-6—8) have done the heavy lifting up front. And then there’s the experience factor; the Americans have eight players – Derrenbacher, Fanale, Caroline Averill, Margaret Averill, Haley Box, Natalia Dilbone, Megan Healy and Macy Rasmussen – back from the team that beat Czechia 5-1 to win gold a year ago in Zug.

A Look Back

When you include summer series, Canada and the U.S. have met 68 times since the creation of the U18 program in 2007. The Canadians have a 38-30 edge overall, while the Americans have won 13 of 22 at U18 Women’s Worlds.

But if history tells us anything, expect a close game; of the 22 meetings at the world championship, 10 have needed overtime and three others have been one-goal finishes in regulation time. Canada claimed its first-ever gold medal in extra time; current Seattle Kraken assistant coach Jessica Campbell provided the heroics in 2010, scoring the winner to put the Canadians atop the podium in Chicago.

All-time record: United States leads 13-9 (6-4 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 48
United States goals: 62

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. CZECHIA (JAN. 11)

After a historic quarterfinal victory, Canada’s National Women's Under-18 Team faces a familiar foe in the semifinals when it takes on Czechia on Saturday at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.

Last Game

Canada scored early and very often on Thursday, netting seven goals in each of the first two periods en route to a 17-0 win over Japan to equal its single-game scoring record. In the first 16 editions of the tournament, only six times had a Canadian skater recorded five points in a game. Four players did it against the Japanese – Stryker Zablocki (3-2—5), Maxine Cimoroni (3-2—5), Chloe Primerano (2-3—5) and Caileigh Tiller (2-3—5). Canada went 4-for-4 on the power play, tying the tournament record for PPGs in a game, and it finished with a massive 76-4 advantage in shots on goal.

The Czechs secured their place in the final four with a comfortable shutout win of their own, blanking Finland 6-0 on Thursday. Adela Fromova, Viktorie Jilkova, Dana Brezinova and Magdalena Felcmanova recorded a goal and an assist apiece for Czechia, while Daniela Novakova turned away all 18 shots directed her way to earn the clean sheet.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Czechs clashed in the preliminary-round finale on Tuesday, with the Canadians wrapping up first place on Group B with a 5-0 win. Zablocki led the offence with two goals, Sydney Sawyer had a goal and an assist, and Kate Viel chipped in with two helpers. Marilou Grenier posted the shutout with a 20-save effort, half of those coming in the third period.

What to Watch

With Primerano on the verge of more history, let’s put the focus once again on the Canadian captain. The North Vancouver, B.C., product – who already became the highest-scoring defender in U18 Women’s Worlds history earlier in the tournament – has moved within striking distance of a couple more significant milestones. With her five points against the Japanese (four of those, by the way came in the first period, just the fifth four-point period in tournament history), Primerano needs just one point to become the leading scorer in National Women’s Under-18 Team history (she’s even with Caitlin Kraemer) and three to surpass the iconic Marie-Philip Poulin as the highest-scoring Canadian in tournament history. She also has an outside shot at passing Erin Ambrose for most assists in Team Canada history (she needs five). All in all, just another ho-hum international appearance for Primerano.

The Czechs have their sights set on more history. One year ago, in the semifinals, the Czechs stunned a Canadian team that had been downright dominant; after outscoring its opponents 36-1 in four games, Canada dropped a 4-2 decision to Czechia in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. Twelve months later, 11 players who were part of that win are back for the Czechs, although that list doesn’t include the three players who scored goals in that game or standout goaltender Aneta Senkova (who made 45 saves). Czechia has reached the final four with an offence-by-committee approach; no skater has more than four points, and nine have at least three. Novakova has been a workhorse, playing every second for the Czechs; she has fashioned a 2.24 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.

A Look Back

This is meeting No. 10 between the Canadians and Czechs, with Canada taking eight of the first nine (the only blemish was the semifinal a year ago in Zug) and outscoring Czechia 65-9.

A pair of future Olympic gold medallists made their marks in the first matchup at the inaugural U18 Women’s Worlds in 2008; Marie-Philip Poulin and Natalie Spooner recorded a hat trick apiece in an 11-2 Canadian win in Calgary. Poulin finished with five points in that win, still one of just six such performances by a Canadian in tournament history.

All-time record: Canada leads 8-1
Canada goals: 65
Czechia goals: 9

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. JAPAN (JAN. 9)

Canada’s National Women's Under-18 Team is on to the playoffs at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, taking on Japan in quarterfinal action Thursday.

Last Game

Canada closed out a perfect preliminary round with a 5-0 win over Czechia on Tuesday. Stryker Zablocki led the way with two goals, Sydney Sawyer had a goal and a helper and Marilou Grenier turned aside 20 shots for the shutout. Chloe Primerano made more history in the victory; with her assist on Zablocki’s second goal, the Canadian captain became the highest-scoring defender in U18 Women’s Worlds history (19 points).

Japan dropped a heart-breaker in its prelim finale, falling 5-4 to Sweden on Tuesday. Koko Ruike and Nanaho Yamaguchi finished with a goal and an assist apiece for the Japanese, who led 3-1 early in the second period and 4-3 with eight minutes to go but couldn’t find the win column.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Japanese have met just once before at U18 Women’s Worlds, in the opener of the 2014 tournament in Budapest. In that one, Victoria Bach had two goals and an assist, Sarah Potomak added a goal and two helpers, and Lauren Wildfang chipped in with three assists as Canada outshot Japan 65-22 in a 7-1 win.

What to Watch

Zablocki had three goals in as many prelim games, picking up right where she left off a year ago in Zug, when she posted seven points (2-5—7) in six games as part of Canada’s bronze medal-winning contingent. In between, she had a 2024 to remember. The Prince Albert native earned MVP honours at the Esso Cup, co-leading the tournament with 11 points (8-3—11) in seven games while leading the Regina Rebels to their first national title, and then she was named Top Forward at the U18 Women’s National Championship, recording five points (3-2—5) in six games while helping Saskatchewan to a spot in the bronze medal game.

Youth is the name of the game for the Japanese, who ice the youngest roster in the tournament in Vantaa. Only two players – goaltender Haruka Kuromaru and forward Hina Fukuyama – are in their final year of U18 eligibility, meaning a whopping 21 can return for the 2026 tournament. (Canada, by comparison, has 15 players finishing their eligibility this year.) Offence was hard to find in the prelims for the Asian side; they scored only six goals in three games, with four of them coming against the Swedes (and three of those in a span of just over six minutes late in the first period and early in the second). Nana Akimoto – one of Japan’s 11 15-year-olds – was the lone skater to record more than one goal (she had two).

A Look Back

As mentioned above, just the one previous meeting, 11 years ago in Hungary.

All-time record: Canada leads 1-0
Canada goals: 7
Japan goals: 1

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. CZECHIA (JAN. 7)

Canada’s National Women's Under-18 Team closes out the preliminary round Tuesday at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, facing off against Czechia with first place in Group B on the line.

Last Game

Canada made it two wins in as many days Sunday, beating Switzerland 5-1. Dorothy Copetti led the charge with a pair of goals as the Canadians took control with a four-goal second period. Sara Manness put together her second-straight two-point effort – scoring once and adding an assist – and Maxine Cimoroni chipped in with two helpers. Chloe Primerano scored her second goal of the tournament, pulling even with Jincy Dunne and Brigette Lacquette as the highest-scoring defender in U18 Women’s Worlds history.

The Czechs stayed unbeaten by doubling up Slovakia 6-3 on Sunday. Linda Vocetkova scored twice in the first period – two of Czechia’s 23 shots in the opening frame – while Barbora Proskova added a goal and two assists to help the Czechs erase a 3-2 second-period deficit.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Czechs last clashed a year ago in the semifinals in Zug, with Czechia securing a stunning 4-2 victory – its first over Canada at any level of international women’s hockey. Primerano and Stryker Zablocki scored to erase a two-goal lead early in the third period, but the Canadians – who came into the game unbeaten and having outscored opponents 35-1 – missed out on the gold medal game for the first time ever.

What to Watch

Sara Manness has been a force on the top line for Canada, scoring a goal and setting up three others through two games to sit second in tournament scoring alongside linemate Maxine Cimoroni. The MVP of the 2023 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, Manness has had an international coming-out party in Vantaa; she had just six points in 14 games wearing the Maple Leaf prior to arriving in Finland, but earned an assist in the pre-tournament win over the host country , picked up two helpers in the tournament-opening victory over Slovakia and had a goal and an assist against the Swiss. She also gets to do it alongside twin sister Kate; the sisters are the fifth set of first siblings to represent Canada at the U18 Women’s Worlds, but the first to do it together.

For the Czechs, Julia Jebouskova has done the heavy lifting up front. The 16-year-old, who was held off the scoresheet across six games at last year’s U18 Women’s Worlds, netted the overtime winner in the tournament opener against Switzerland before chipping in a goal and an assist to help Czechia pull away from Slovakia on Sunday. Jebouskova has been a scoring machine this season with the U19 program at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota, potting 22 goals (and adding 12 assists) in 25 games.

A Look Back

This is meeting No. 9 between the Canadians and Czechs, with Canada taking seven of the first eight and outscoring Czechia 60-9.

A pair of future Olympic gold medallists made their marks in the first matchup at the inaugural U18 Women’s Worlds in 2008; Marie-Philip Poulin and Natalie Spooner recorded a hat trick apiece in an 11-2 Canadian win in Calgary. Poulin finished with five points in that win, still one of just six such performances by a Canadian in tournament history.

All-time record: Canada leads 7-1
Canada goals: 60
Czechia goals: 9

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. SWITZERLAND (JAN. 5)

Coming off a tournament-opening victory, Canada’s National Women's Under-18 Team is right back on the ice Sunday at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, taking on Switzerland in Group B action.

Last Game

Canada opened its preliminary-round schedule with a 6-2 win over Slovakia on Saturday. Despite outshooting the Slovaks 60-7, the game was even at 2-2 heading to the third period before B.C.-born blue-liners Danica Maynard and Chloe Primerano scored 2:11 apart to kick-start the Canadian offence. Maxine Cimoroni finished with a goal and an assist, while Sara Manness and Caileigh Tiller chipped in with two assists apiece.

The Swiss lost a nail-biter in their opener, falling 2-1 in overtime to Czechia on Saturday. Sonja Inkamp gave Switzerland the lead seven minutes into the third period, only for the Czechs to pull even with 2:08 left and win it in overtime. Amaya Iseli was terrific between the pipes, finishing with 36 saves.

Last Meeting

It was a quarterfinal clash a year ago in Zug, with Canada posting a 6-0 victory over the tournament hosts. Sienna D’Alessandro scored a pair of goals, Gracie Graham added a goal and two assists and Primerano continued her romp through the record books with three helpers. Rhyah Stewart was only required to turn away three shots as the Canadians finished with a one-sided 54-3 edge in shots on goal.

What to Watch

Cimoroni was a member of Canada’s bronze medal-winning roster a year ago, recording three points in six games to help the Canadians find the podium. The Toronto product almost matched those numbers in the first period Saturday, helping set up Hayley McDonald for Canada’s first goal of the tournament before scoring herself late in the opening frame. Cimoroni is having a season to remember; after leading Canada with five points (2-3—5) in the three-game summer series against the U.S., the Ohio State commit took home Most Valuable Player honours from the U18 National Women’s Championship in November while helping Ontario Red to another gold medal. She also ranks fifth in OWHA U22 Elite scoring, posting 32 points (17-15—32) in 20 games with the Mississauga Hurricanes.

It was tough to miss Inkamp on Saturday, if only because she never seemed to leave the ice. The Swiss defender played 29:10 in the overtime loss to the Czechs, almost two minutes than any other player. Back for her third U18 Women’s Worlds, Inkamp has spent parts of the last two seasons in the Women’s League, the top league in Switzerland, seeing time with HC Ambri-Piotta last season before getting into six games with the ZSC Lions this year. Inkamp is also somewhat of a rarity on the Swiss roster – a 2007-born player. Switzerland ices one of the youngest rosters in the tournament, with just nine players born in 2007. That’s the second-fewest behind only Japan, which has only two.

A Look Back

This is just the fifth meeting between the Canadians and Swiss, and the fourth to come in the prelims. Canada is perfect through the first four, outscoring Switzerland 44-3.

The first matchup came at the 2009 tournament in Germany; Casandra Langan made history in that one, becoming the first Canadian to score four goals in a game as part of a 16-1 win. Jamie Lee Rattray added a hat trick of her own, while Jessica Wong chipped in with two goals and an assist.

All-time record: Canada leads 4-0
Canada goals: 44
Switzerland goals: 3

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. SLOVAKIA (JAN. 4)

The quest for an eighth gold medal at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship begins Saturday as Canada’s National Women's Under-18 Team opens the 2025 tournament against Slovakia at Tikkurila Arena.

Last Game

Canada warmed up for the world championship with a 7-0 win over host Finland in pre-tournament action on New Year’s Day. Stryker Zablocki led the offence with two goals and an assist, Kate Manness and Sofia Ismael chipped in with one of each, and Marilou Grenier (14 saves) and Amelia Wilkinson (three saves) combined for the shutout.

The Slovaks were last in action on Dec. 15, closing out the Four Nations Tournament in Füssen, Germany, with a 3-2 loss to Hungary. Blanka Bereczkiova and Vanessa Eibenova scored the goals for Slovakia, which was four minutes away from a tournament title before the Hungarians rallied late.

Last Meeting

Canada and Slovakia have met just once, a quarterfinal matchup at the 2022 U18 Women’s Worlds. Balanced scoring was the name of the game in Wisconsin; seven different players scored goals and 14 recorded points in a 7-0 Canadian win. Four players – Madison Chantler, Ava Murphy, Karel Préfontaine and Mckenna Van Gelder – produced a goal and an assist each, and Mari Pietersen needed to make just five saves for the shutout.

What to Watch

Two words: Chloe Primerano. The 18-year-old (she turned 18 on Thursday) introduced herself to the hockey world with a beautiful shootout winner to help Canada’s National Women’s Team win Game 2 of the Rivalry Series in November, and now Primerano turns her attention back to her continued assault on the Team Canada record book at the U18 level. Already the highest-scoring defender in National Women’s Under-18 Team history, her assist in the pre-tournament win leaves her only eight points behind Caitlin Kraemer for the all-time scoring mark, and seven helpers behind Erin Ambrose. The North Vancouver, B.C., product also needs 11 points to surpass Marie-Philip Poulin as Canada’s all-time leading scorer at U18 Women’s Worlds (she led the tournament with 16 points in 2024). She’s also only three points from becoming the leading scorer among defenders in tournament history, trailing only Brigette Lacquette and Jincy Dunne.

The Slovaks have a phenom of their own in Nela Lopusanova, who is back for her third appearance at the U18 Women’s Worlds. She burst onto the scene as a 14-year-old in 2023, winning MVP honours with a tournament-leading 12 points (9-3—12) in five games, including a ‘Michigan’ goal. Most recently, she dominated at the Olympic qualifying tournament on home ice in Piestany in mid-December; Lopusanova helped Slovakia reach the final qualifying tournament after posting 18 points – 11 of them goals – in just three games, highlighted by four-goal games in wins over Kazakhstan and Slovenia. A University of Wisconsin commit for the 2026-27 season, Lopusanova is plying her trade this season with Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, New York, where she’s a teammate of Canadian forward Stryker Zablocki. Oh, and she is still eligible for one more U18 tournament in 2026.

A Look Back

Not much more to talk about than what we mentioned above – one game, one win.

All-time record: Canada leads 1-0
Canada goals: 7
Slovakia goals: 0

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada and its Member partners – Hockey Nova Scotia, Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador, and Hockey Quebec - have announced the host communities and tournament dates for two of its international events – the 2025 U17 World Challenge and 2025 Junior A World Challenge, along with the U18 Women’s National Championship.  

“Hockey Canada takes great pride in welcoming premier hockey events and hockey talent to communities across the country,” said Dean McIntosh, senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact with Hockey Canada. “From sponsors to volunteers, communities over the years have proven to be excellent hosts, ensuring lasting memories and legacy for all participants.”

The U17 World Challenge will return to Nova Scotia for a third time (and first since January 2014) when Truro plays host from Oct. 31-Nov. 8. The tournament is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence and includes two Canadian teams and four international entries.

The U18 Women’s National Championship will be hosted in Newfoundland and Labrador for the first time when the City of Mount Pearl and Town of Conception Bay South welcome eight provincial and regional teams – Alberta, Atlantic, B.C., Manitoba, Ontario Blue, Ontario Red, Quebec and Saskatchewan – to compete for a national championship from Nov. 3-9.

The Junior A World Challenge will be hosted in Quebec for the first time, Dec. 7-13 in Trois-Rivières. An international showcase of some of the best young hockey talent, more than 300 NHL draft picks have played at the tournament since 2006, including 45 first-round draft picks.

Fans can stay up to date on schedules, ticket information and other promotions by signing up to become a Hockey Canada Insider.

For more information on Hockey Canada please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CAMROSE, Alberta – Canada West earned its first win of the 2024 Junior A World Challenge on Sunday afternoon, a 5-2 victory over Canada East to win the bronze medal at the Camrose Recreation Centre. It is the third bronze and 12th medal overall for Canada West in tournament history.

“The guys grinded even though they could have quit, but they didn’t and that speaks to their character,” said Canada West head coach Mike Reagan (Flin Flon, MB/Flin Flon, MJHL). “A lot of people will look at the round-robin and wonder what happened, but at the end of the day I thought our guys played a heck of a game in the semifinal. The score (a 6-0 loss to Sweden) wasn’t indicative of the game, and today we showed up with our best effort. It just goes to show that if you stick with something, you can be rewarded. I’m extremely proud the guys and our staff.”

Canada West opened the scoring seven minutes into the first period when Ellis Mieyette (Lumsden, SK/Drumheller, AJHL) beat Canada East goaltender Noah Tegelaar (Georgetown, ON/Collingwood, OJHL).

East would tie the game on a goal from Parker Forlin (Niagara Falls, ON/Niagara Falls, OJHL) at 7:07 of the second period before Koen Senft (Regina, SK/Flin Flon, SJHL) scored twice in just over five minutes for a two-goal Canada West lead after 40 minutes.

Jack Plandowski (Halifax, NS/Calgary, AJHL) and Garrett Thom (Edmonton, AB/Camrose, AJHL) added third-period goals for West – sandwiched around an East marker from Cameron Menard (Carp, ON/Espanola, NOJHL) - to round out the scoring.

“It’s a great feeling even though we didn’t have the first couple of games that we wanted,” said Senft. “In the end, we came together; today we put together a full 60 minutes and it’s a great feeling in the room right now. We just knew that if we won today, it would erase the results of the week. We just had to simplify our game and stick with it.”

Canada East fell 3-2 to the United States in a hard-fought Saturday semifinalto set up Sunday’s all-Canadian bronze medal game.

“I think we just had no more gas left in the tank,” said Canada East head coach Bruce Richardson (Pincourt, QC/Valleyfield, LHJAAAQ). We gave it all yesterday; our mindset was all about fighting for a gold medal. We came up short in that goal and we had nothing left for today. The guys tried today, but their emotions were still down a bit from yesterday. I’m still proud of how they competed today and all week.”

A full game summary is available HERE.

In Sunday night’s gold medal game, the United States captured its 10th gold medal with a 7-4 win over Sweden. Will Zellers led the Americans with a pair of goals, while Lucas Van Vliet and Luke Osburn chipped in with a goal and an assist apiece. The U.S. now has 16 medals (10 gold, one silver, five bronze) at the Junior A World Challenge.

Following the game, the tournament all-star team was announced.

Goaltender: Caleb Heil (United States)

Defence: Zachary Deleau (Canada East)

Defence: Jacob Rombach (United States)

Forward: Eric Nilson (Sweden)

Forward: Ivar Stenberg (Sweden)

Forward: Lucas Van Vliet (United States)

For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2024 Junior A World Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca/WJAC, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the 24 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, Jan. 4-12 in Vantaa, Finland.

Three goaltenders, seven defence and 14 forwards were selected by Cherie Piper (Scarborough, ON), senior manager of player development and scouting, along with head coach Vicky Sunohara (Scarborough, ON/University of Toronto, OUA) and assistant coaches Marc-André Côté (Montreal, QC/University of Moncton, AUS) and Stefanie McKeough (Carlsbad Springs, ON/Boston, PWHL). Goaltending coach Sheldon Goertzen (Saskatoon, SK/University of Saskatchewan, CW) also provided input.

Included among the 24 players are five who won a bronze medal at the 2024 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship (Cimoroni, Grenier, S. Manness, Primerano, Zablocki) and 19 who wore the Maple Leaf during a three-game series against the United States in August (Bertelsen, Cimoroni, Copetti, Grenier, Ismael, S. Manness, Maynard, McCullough, McDonald, Piggott, Primerano, Sawyer, Sorokan, Therien, Tiller, Tremblay, Viel, Wilkinson, Zablocki).

“I truly value the opportunity to work with this exceptionally skilled group of young athletes and dedicated staff at the world championship in January, and to compete for a gold medal in Finland,” Sunohara said. “We have a very competitive group that is proud to represent Canada, and the entire coaching staff is eager to get our group together and continue building the foundation of what it takes to play for Team Canada.”

Canada is in Group B with Czechia, Slovakia and Switzerland, while Group A includes Finland, Japan, Sweden and the United States. The Canadians open the tournament against Slovakia on Jan. 4 and will face Switzerland on Jan. 5 before its preliminary-round finale against Czechia on Jan. 7. All games will start at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT. Prior to the tournament, Canada will face the host Finns in an exhibition game at 6:30 a.m. ET/3:30 a.m. PT in Vantaa.

“This roster represents the building blocks for Canada’s National Women’s Program, and we are excited for these young athletes to proudly represent our country in Finland,” Piper said. “Being named to Team Canada represents years of hard work and dedication. We are incredibly proud of their growth and we look forward to watching them progress in their hockey careers.”

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team will look capture gold at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship for the first time since 2023; it has won seven gold medals (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2022, 2023), seven silver (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020) and two bronze (2018, 2024).

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 14 tournament games, including all Team Canada preliminary-round games, all four quarterfinals, both semifinals and the medal games; check local listings for details.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has named the 44 players from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada East and Canada West at the 2024 Junior A World Challenge, set for Dec. 9-15 in Camrose, Alberta.

Both teams were chosen following a three-day selection camp in Calgary that wrapped up Thursday.

The 22 players representing Canada East were selected from the CJHL’s five eastern leagues - the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec (LHJAAAQ) and Maritime Hockey League (MHL). 

The 22 players representing Canada West come from the CJHL’s four western leagues - the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).

“Anytime there is an opportunity to bring together the best Junior A players from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League, we know difficult decisions will have to be made,” said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. “We feel we have assembled two strong and competitive teams that will proudly represent Canada and compete for a gold medal.”

The communities of Drumheller and Wetaskiwin will host pre-tournament games on Dec. 7. Canada East will face off against Sweden at the Drumheller Memorial Arena at 3 p.m. MT, while Canada West will play the United States at 4:30 p.m. MT at Co-Op Place in Wetaskiwin.

The puck drops on the tournament at Encana Arena on Dec. 9 when Canada East, the 2023 silver medallist, opens against the United States at 3 p.m. MT, followed by Canada West, the defending gold medallist, facing Sweden at 7:30 p.m. MT.

Fans still looking to secure their seat for the 2024 Junior A World Challenge can purchase full-event ticket packages for $140, including fees, at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets. The package includes one ticket to all six preliminary-round games, both semifinals and the medal games. Mini-packages for the preliminary round and medal round are also available.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the bronze medal and gold medal games; check local listings for details.

All preliminary-round games and both semifinals will be available via Hockey Canada’s livestreaming partner at HNLive.ca.

Of the 16 gold medal games at the Junior A World Challenge, 13 have featured at least one Canadian team. Canada East will look to earn its first gold medal, having won silver eight times (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023) and bronze once (2008), while Canada West has won gold six times (2006, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2023), silver three times (2008, 2009, 2012) and bronze twice (2013, 2018).

For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2024 Junior A World Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca/WJAC, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.