CALGARY, Alta. – After a 2020-21 season that saw limited on-ice opportunities and virtual summer camps, Hockey Canada has announced its men’s and women’s national teams will return to the ice in July for their annual summer camps.

From July 25-Aug. 10, Hockey Canada’s national team program, including the men’s under-18 and under-20 teams, and women’s under-18, NextGen (born in 2003), development and senior national teams, will gather in Calgary for a series of on- and off-ice activities for the first time since 2019.

“After a unique and difficult season, Hockey Canada is thrilled to provide our national team athletes and staff the opportunity to return to the ice for our annual summer camps in Calgary,” said Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of national teams. “We look forward to hosting the top athletes and staff from across the country in July, and are excited to kick off our preparations for a new season and a number of international competitions.”

The Program of Excellence (POE) camps, which includes the men’s under-18 and under-20 programs, will take place at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on the Tsuut'ina Nation, while the BFL National Women’s Program Summer Showcase, presented by Sobeys, will take place at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park. Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will also gather for a five-day off-ice boot camp in preparation for the 2021-22 season and 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

“This year’s summer camps mark the first time that all levels of the National Women’s Program will participate in camp at the same time, helping us provide consistency with all our athletes and staff throughout the program,” said Gina Kingsbury (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.), director of women’s national teams. “Despite a difficult season, our athletes have done an excellent job of staying connected and working hard with limited resources, and we are excited to get back on the ice this summer as we work towards the upcoming season.”

The following national team camps and programs will be hosted in Calgary this summer:

• National Para Hockey Team boot camp (July 21-25)
• National Women’s Team pre-worlds camp (July 25-Aug. 10)
• National Men’s Under-18 Team summer development camp (July 26-Aug. 3)
• BFL National Women’s Under-18 Team summer camp, presented by Sobeys (July 29-Aug. 5) – including NextGen athletes
• BFL National Women’s Development Team summer camp, presented by Sobeys (July 29-Aug. 9)
• National Junior Team summer development camp (July 29-Aug. 3)

In the coming weeks, Hockey Canada will announce the rosters and staffs for each national team program.

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

Since 2011, the United Nations has recognized Oct. 11 as International Day of the Girl Child, honouring girls’ rights and the unique challenges they face around the world.

“Only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals will we get to justice and inclusion, economies that work for all, and sustaining our shared environment now and for future generations.” – United Nations

This year’s campaign is themed My Voice, Our Equal Future, which hopes to inspire today’s generation of girls to lead as activists, thereby accelerating social change. To honour and to celebrate, HockeyCanada.ca brought together gamechangers who advocate for and accelerate change in Canada’s game.

Through various initiatives, including the Hockey Canada Foundation’s Hockey is Hers (see below), Hockey Canada, as a leading national sport organization, is striving towards increased opportunities for more girls to play. Amplifying the actions and voices of national team players and alumni is important to inspire young girls across the country. For Hockey Canada, the goal is to remove barriers so all girls can benefit from the positive life skills and experiences learned on and off the ice.

Why is it important for young girls to see women playing the game at the highest level?

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has announced a pool of 109 of the country’s top young players invited to participate in a pair of virtual camps with Canada’s National Women’s Program.

Fifty players (eight goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 26 forwards) are attending the BFL CANADA National Women’s Development Team Summer Camp, presented by Sobeys, meeting weekly until athletes return to university in the fall.

Fifty-nine players (nine goaltenders, 20 defencemen and 30 forwards) attending the BFL CANADA National Women’s Under-18 Team Summer Camp, presented by Sobeys, will meet weekly until the 2021 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.

The under-18 roster includes three players who won a silver medal at the 2020 IIHF U18 Women’s Championship (Gascon, Paul, Wozniewicz), with another five part of the development roster (Cherkowski, Cooper, Gosling, Messier, Naud).

“It is important to recognize the accomplishment of these athletes being  identified in our program at the under-18 and development level; they are a big part of our future moving forward,” said Gina Kingsbury, director of women’s national teams with Hockey Canada. “The virtual sessions taking place allow us to connect and educate our athletes on their development. We are also trying to take advantage of this opportunity to connect our next-gen athletes with our current senior athletes, creating a strong tie between generations of our program.”

As the virtual meetings progress through the summer, the athletes will cover topics that include at-home strength and conditioning plans, mental performance plans and check-ins, nutrition, dry-land skills, skating simulations, team-building activities, short-term international competition preparation and meetings with coaches.

The online sessions will take place up to twice weekly, with critical information being communicated to athletes to allow them to continue to evolve as high-performance athletes in this new environment, and will utilize the strengths and experience of Canada’s National Women’s Program leadership to help connect one-on-one, athlete-to-athlete.

Coaching staff named for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team

In addition to the announcement of the rosters, Hockey Canada unveiled the coaching staff tasked to lead Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for the 2020-21 season.

Howie Draper (Edmonton, Alta./University of Alberta, CW), who has led Canada to gold (2019) and silver (2020) at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, returns behind the bench as head coach.

He will be joined by assistant coaches Alison Domenico (Ottawa, Ont./Providence College, HE) and Team Canada alumna Tara Watchorn (Newcastle, Ont./Boston University, HE), who was an assistant at the 2020 U18 women’s worlds, and goaltending coach Gord Woodhall (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg, MFMHL), who joined Draper as part of the medal-winning staffs in 2019 and 2020.

Hockey Canada also announced the support staff that will work with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team throughout the 2020-21 season, including:

• video coach Steph Thomson (Oshawa, Ont./NAIT, ACAC)
• therapist Danielle McNally (Wolfville, N.S.)
• massage therapist Julie Yew (Montreal, Que.)
• team physician Andi Jones (Penetanguishene, Ont./Penetang, PJHL)
• strength and conditioning coach Jason Weber (Saskatoon, Sask./University of Saskatchewan, CW)
• mental skills coach Paula McQuaid (Charlottetown, P.E.I.)
• equipment manager Brittany Simpson (Ottawa, Ont.)
• national teams manager Tania Kenny (Toronto, Ont.)

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Twitter.com/HC_Women.

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced today that it has cancelled all summer camps for national teams through Sept. 1 due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As the decision was made with the health and safety of all coaches, staff and participants as the top priority, Hockey Canada maintains a commitment and high standard of excellence to learning and coaching. As such, various programming and training sessions will be held virtually this summer.

“It is certainly disappointing to come to this decision for our summer events this year, but it is the right decision as we keep the health and safety of our participants a priority,” said Tom Renney, chief executive officer of Hockey Canada. “There is level of camaraderie and learning that takes place in-person, but we have found a way to mitigate some of the impact and still share best-in-class experiences through virtual learning. The coaches and professionals in their field will continue to guide and lead our athletes so when we are able to return to hockey, they will be physically and mentally prepared and equipped to compete at the highest level.”

The following national team camps and programs will be delivered virtually:

• BFL Canada National Women’s Under-18 Team Summer Camp, presented by Sobeys (April 26 until 2021 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship)
• BFL Canada National Women’s Development Team Summer Camp, presented by Sobeys (May 3 until athletes return to university)
• Program of Excellence coach seminar (May 25-June 5)
• Program of Excellence goaltender development camp (June 9-12)
• Canada’s national under-17 development camp (July 19-25)
• Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp (July 27-31)

Topics for virtual sessions will include at-home strength and conditioning plans, mental performance plans and check-ins, nutrition, dry-land skills, skating simulations, team-building activities, short-term international competition preparation and meetings with coaching staffs.

The online seminar delivery for both women’s programs will take place up to twice weekly, with critical information being communicated to athletes to allow them to continue to evolve as high-performance athletes in this new environment, and will utilize the strengths and experience of Canada’s National Women’s Program leadership to help connect one-on-one, athlete-to-athlete. The men’s programs will take place during the specified dates.

In the coming weeks, Hockey Canada will also be announcing the rosters and staff named to the national team programs.

HOCKEY CANADA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS & EVENTS

Following the March cancellation of the remainder of the 2019-20 hockey season, which included all national championships, Hockey Canada has worked diligently with the various host organizing committees to plan for the 2020-21 season and beyond.

“During these unprecedented times, Hockey Canada has had to make changes to its season schedule to prioritize the health and safety of all participants at our national events, impacting various host committees and communities across the country,” said Scott Smith, president and chief operating officer of Hockey Canada. “We appreciate the support and dedication by our upcoming host committees to adjust our schedule for the next two hockey seasons, and we look forward to working with these communities to put on world-class events.”

The following changes have been made to Hockey Canada event hosting agreements following the cancellation of all spring events this season:

• Prince Albert, Sask., which was set to host the 2020 Esso Cup, Canada’s U18 Women’s Club Championship, will retain its hosting rights for the 2021 Esso Cup. Lloydminster, Alta., will host the 2022 Esso Cup.
• Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., and Cape Breton, N.S., were awarded the TELUS Cup, Canada’s U18 Club Championship, in 2020 and 2021, respectively, but Hockey Canada has worked with both communities and Members to re-assign future hosting. Cape Breton has been confirmed as the host in 2022, and Saint-Hyacinthe is being considered as the host in 2021 or 2023.
• The 2020 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, set to be played in Portage la Prairie, Man., will be hosted in Penticton, B.C., in May 2021. Estevan, Sask., will host Canada’s National Junior A Championship in 2022, with the potential for the event to return to Portage la Prairie in 2023.
• Niagara Falls, Ont., was selected to host the 2020 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf this June, but instead will host the 2021 edition of the event.

While Hockey Canada continues to work closely with local, provincial, territorial and national health authorities, the current event schedule remains unchanged for the fall and winter. This includes the 2020 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, Oct. 31-Nov. 7 in Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I.; 2020 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, Nov. 2-8 in Dawson Creek, B.C.; 2020 Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup, Dec. 6-12 in Bridgewater, N.S.; 2020 World Junior A Challenge, Dec. 13-20 in Cornwall, Ont.; and 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26 to Jan 5 in in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.

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

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has named 46 players to Canada’s National Women’s Development Team and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for a pair of three-game series against the United States in Lake Placid, N.Y., from Aug. 14-17.

As a part of the Team Canada Summer Showcase, 88 players arrived in Calgary Aug. 2 and 3 to attend the BFL National Women’s Development Team Selection Camp and BFL National Women’s Under-18 Team Selection Camp, which involved on- and off-ice training, classroom sessions and fitness testing.

Along with intrasquad games at both camps, the development team camp included match-ups against national teams from France and Japan, and a team of U SPORTS all-stars, while the U18 hopefuls faced Russia’s national under-18 team in a series of games.

Canada’s National Women’s Development Team:

From Aug. 14-17, 23 players (three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards) will compete against the United States. The complete schedule can be found here. Canada’s National Women’s Development Team includes:

• Three players who competed for Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2018 4 Nations Cup in Saskatoon, Sask. (Bourbonnais, Fillier, O’Neill)
• 11 players who competed as part of Canada’s National Women’s Development Team in the three-game series against the United States in Calgary, Alta., in August 2018 (Bell, Bourbonnais, Connors, Fillier, Houston, Maltais, O’Neill, Schneider, Shelton, Shirley, Vasko)

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team:

From Aug. 14-17, 23 players (three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards) will compete against the United States. The complete schedule can be found here. Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team includes:

• Five players who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2019 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Obihiro, Japan (Cherkowski, Cooper, Gosling, Naud, Wheeler)
• Six players who competed as part of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team in the three-game series against the United States in Calgary, Alta., in August 2018 (Bochna, Cherkowski, Cooper, Gosling, Naud, Wheeler)
• 15 players who represented their provinces at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alta. (Bochna, Bogden, Buglioni, Cherkowski, Cooper, Cormier, Gascon, Gosling, Messier, Naud, Osborne, Paul, Picard, Wheeler, Wozniewicz)

“For our athletes at the under-18 level, this week is their first step into our program, which is a key component as we look to develop and identify those who will be part of our program competing on the international stage this year and moving forward,” said Gina Kingsbury, Hockey Canada’s director of women’s national teams. “We have had tremendous success under the leadership of head coach Howie Draper (Edmonton, Alta.), who has continued to help develop these athletes at a pivotal point in their careers.”

“We’re also fortunate and excited to have Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.) as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Development Team,” added Kingsbury. “Under his leadership, Troy will work with our players and evaluate their development so they have a chance to compete for spots in the lead up to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and beyond.”

Following the series, Hockey Canada, led by Kingsbury in coordination with head scout Melody Davidson, and in consultation with regional scouts and the U18 coaching staff, will continue to evaluate under-18 players, including at the 2019 National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Morden and Winkler, Man., from Nov. 5-9, in preparation for selecting the Canadian team that will compete at the 2020 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. Additionally, all players will be considered for possible invites to camps and events with Canada’s National Women’s Team, including the Fall Festival in September as well as the 2019 4 Nations Cup.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter.com/HC_Women.

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada kicks off the 2019-20 season with 89 of the country’s top under-18 and development team talents on the ice for selection camps at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Aug. 2-11.

Part of the Team Canada Summer Showcase, 45 players will attend the BFL National Women’s Development Team Selection Camp, with another 44 invited to the BFL National Women’s Under-18 Team Selection Camp.

The athletes will compete for a chance to wear the Maple Leaf in a pair of three-game series against the United States in Lake Placid, N.Y., from Aug. 14-17.

Melody Davidson, Hockey Canada’s head scout for national women’s teams, put together the list of invitees with assistance from regional scouts Brian Hart (Ontario), Greg Hermiston (B.C.), Chris Higgins (Ontario), Scott Lambton (Quebec), Rod Larsen (Manitoba and Saskatchewan), Doug MacLeod (Alberta), Troy Ryan (Atlantic) and Gary Soper (Ontario).

“Ultimately, the Summer Showcase is about bringing in the top under-18 and development-aged athletes, and to work with experienced staff and give them the resources and tools they need to be successful and grow," said Gina Kingsbury, director of national women’s teams. "For the under-18 program, this is the first step of our process towards defending gold at the 2020 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. At the same time, it’s an important touch point for our development-aged athletes to give them critical experiences ahead of the start of their club-team seasons, and push for an opportunity for 2022. It enables Hockey Canada to provide experiences, teaching and feedback necessary for athletes to take their game to the next level.”

On the development roster, 17 players are back from the team that faced the U.S. in a three-game series last summer in Calgary, along with six who won gold with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2019 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Japan. On the U18 side, five returning world champions are among the camp invites.

At the BFL National Women’s Development Team Selection Camp, set for Aug. 2-11, the 45 invitees – seven goaltenders, 13 defencemen and 25 forwards – will be split into two teams to participate in practices, intrasquad games, off-ice training, fitness testing and classroom sessions. The camp will also include a team of U SPORTS all-stars, as well as national teams from France and Japan.

At the BFL National Women’s Under-18 Team Selection Camp, set for Aug. 3-11, the 44 players – six goaltenders, 14 defencemen and 24 forwards, will be split into two teams to participate in practices, intrasquad games, off-ice training, fitness testing and classroom sessions. The camp will also include Russia’s national women’s under-18 team.

Full on-ice schedules for both camps are available at HockeyCanada.ca/Showcase. All games are free and open for the public to attend.

Coaching staffs unveiled for national women’s teams

Both teams will have veteran coaches behind the bench. Leading Canada’s National Women’s Development Team is head coach Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.), while Howie Draper (Edmonton/University of Alberta, CW) returns as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team

Ryan, who most recently won bronze as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship and silver at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, will be joined by assistant coaches – and Team Canada alumae – Courtney Kessel (Mississauga, Ont./Princeton University, ECAC), Carla MacLeod (Calgary/Edge School, CSSHL), and Cara Morey (Hensall, Ont./Princeton University, ECAC) and goaltending coach Joe Johnston (Lower Sackville, N.S./Dalhousie University, AUS), while Draper, who guided Canada to its first world title since 2014, will work with assistants Britni Smith (Port Perry, Ont./Clarkson University, ECAC)  and Tara Watchorn (Newcastle, Ont./Boston University, HE), and goaltending coach Gord Woodhall (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg, MFMHL).

Media accreditation for the Team Canada Summer Showcase can be requested online.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter.com/HC_Women.

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence and National Women’s Program are preparing for the 2019-20 season with a pair of four-day goaltending camps at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. 

The camps bring together the top goaltending talent and elite-level instructors from across the country. They serve as the initial evaluation stage for summer development and selections camps for Canada’s national teams.

The Program of Excellence goaltending camp, set for June 5-8, will welcome 26 male goaltenders, including 10 at the under-20 level, four at the under-18 level and 12 in the under-17 category.

“The Program of Excellence goaltending camp is another great opportunity to work with the top young goaltenders in the country, and a very important part of the development process for these athletes,” said Shawn Bullock, director of men’s national teams for Hockey Canada. “This four-day camp will provide goalies at all levels of our program the benefit of working with and learning from some of the top instructors in Canada in preparation for the upcoming season.” 

On the National Women’s Program side, 20 goaltenders will gather in Calgary from June 6-9 for four days of practices. Eleven goaltenders will participate in the National Women’s Team and National Women’s Development Team camp, joined by nine in the under-18 category.

“We are excited to welcome 20 of the top goaltenders in the country, and to continue to develop the strong talent pool of goalies in Canada,” said Gina Kingsbury, director of women’s national teams for Hockey Canada. “Having all our athletes from the under-18 level to the national team work with the same group of elite coaches provides consistency to our program and allows for development at all ages of the National Women’s Program.”

All on-ice sessions are open to the public and media.

For more information on Hockey Canada, the Program of Excellence and National Women’s Program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook and Twitter.

It’s on to the next challenge for Sarah Nurse.

The 2018 Olympic silver medallist went second overall to the Toronto Furies in the 2018 CWHL Draft, opening the book on her professional career after a successful four-year run at the University of Wisconsin.

The Hamilton, Ont., native has been no stranger to the red and white of Team Canada, wearing her country’s colours in 46 games across all three levels of the national women’s program – Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, Canada’s National Women’s Development Team and Canada’s National Women’s Team.

Her international career includes gold at the 2013 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship and 2014 Nations Cup, and silver at the 4 Nations Cup in 2015 and 2017, at the 2017 Nations Cup and in PyeongChang.

But Nurse was far from the only Team Canada alumna to have her name called on draft day. When it was all over, 14 players with Team Canada experience – including five of the six first-round picks – had joined a CWHL roster.

The list includes Halli Krzyzaniak, a two-time U18 world champion and three-time member of the Canadian contingent at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, and Rebecca Leslie, who wore the ‘C’ with Canada’s National Women’s Development Team at the 2018 Nations Cup.

Four other draftees have also worn letters for Canada: Victoria Bach (alternate captain), Krzyzaniak (captain and alternate captain) and Nurse (alternate captain) with the development team, and Krzyzaniak (alternate captain) and Hannah Miller (alternate captain) with the under-18 side.

All told, 10 players have won a U18 world title (Bach, Geneviève Bannon, Catherine Daoust, Krzyzaniak, Leslie, Miller, Eden Murray, Kimberly Newell, Nurse and Shea Tiley), five have won gold with the development team (Bach, Mellissa Channell, Krzyzaniak, Leslie and Nurse) and one has helped the senior team top the podium (Krzyzaniak). Combined, they’ve brought home 18 gold medals.

Team Canada alumnae selected in the 2018 CWHL Draft included:

1st Round
2. Toronto – Sarah Nurse
WU18: 2012-13 – 7GP 1G 0A 1P
NWDT: 2014-17 – 21GP 7G 12A 19P
NWT: 2015-18 – 18GP 4G 1A 5P

3. Markham – Victoria Bach
WU18: 2013-14 – 8GP 5G 3A 8P
NWDT: 2014-18 – 30GP 15G 17A 32P

4. Calgary – Halli Krzyzaniak
WU18: 2011-13 – 18GP 3G 9A 12P
NWDT: 2014-17 – 15GP 0G 3A 3P
NWT: 2014-17 – 34GP 3G 6A 9P

5. Shenzhen – Kimberly Newell
WU18: 2012-13 – 6GP 1.65GAA 1SO 6-0-0

6. Toronto – Shea Tiley
WU18: 2013-14 – 7GP 0.99GAA 2SO 4-1-0
NWDT: 2016 – 2GP 0.00GAA 0SO 1-0-0

8. Toronto – Brittany Howard
NWDT: 2018 – 1GP 5G 1A 6P

2nd Round
10. Calgary – Rebecca Leslie
WU18: 2013-14 – 8GP 2G 6A 8P
NWDT: 2015-18 – 19GP 5G 8A 13P

12. Montreal – Geneviève Bannon
WU18: 2012-13 – 10GP 1G 3A 4P

3rd Round
14. Toronto – Mellissa Channell
WU18: 2011 – 3GP 0G 0A 0P
NWDT: 2012-16 – 19GP 1G 5A 6P

15. Shenzhen – Hannah Miller
WU18: 2012-14 – 18GP 6G 4A 10P
NWDT: 2017-18 – 6GP 1G 5A 6P

5th Round
26. Markham – Gina Repaci
WU18: 2010-11 – 8GP 1G 1A 2P
NWDT: 2014 – 3GP 0G 0A 0P

28. Montreal – Catherine Daoust
WU18: 2012-13 – 10GP 1G 3A 4P

8th Round
42. Calgary – Eden Murray
WU18: 2012-13 – 10GP 1G 2A 3P
NWDT: 2016 – 1GP 0G 0A 0P

9th Round
48. Montreal – Olivia Atkinson
NWDT: 2017 – 2GP 0G 1A 1P

CALGARY, Alta. – Following a week-long selection camp, 45 players have been named to Canada’s National Women’s Development Team and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for a pair of three-game series against the United States, Aug. 16-19 at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary.

As part of the Team Canada Summer Showcase, a total of 92 players were invited to attend the two camps, which involved on- and off-ice training, classroom sessions and fitness testing. The National Women's Development Team camp also included games against Japan’s national women’s team and a team of U SPORTS all-stars, while the National Women’s Under-18 Team camp include three intrasquad games before players were selected to compete against the United States.

“The opportunity to scout and assess players at our development and under-18 levels is an integral part in the growth and development of our athletes as we embark on a new four-year cycle leading into the 2022 Olympics,” said Gina Kingsbury, Hockey Canada’s director of women’s national teams. “We have built a storied history and rivalry with the Americans and the importance of our games, starting with these three-game series, will allow us to begin to identify those athletes who will be part of our program competing at the highest international level.” 

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team:

From Aug. 16-19, 23 players (3 goaltenders, 7 defencemen and 13 forwards) will compete against the United States. The complete schedule can be found here. Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team includes:

• Three players who took part in the 2017 three-game series against the United States (Gosling, MacEachern, Shirley)
• Three players who won a bronze medal with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Dmitrov, Russia (Gosling, MacEachern, Shirley)  
• Two players who participated in the 2018 Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship in Bridgewater, N.S. (Shirley, Naud)

Following the series, Hockey Canada, led by Kingsbury in coordination with head scout Melody Davidson, and in consultation with regional scouts and the U18 coaching staff, will continue to assess players with their club teams throughout the first part of the 2018-19 season, in preparation for selecting the Canadian team that will compete at the 2019 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, Jan. 6-13, 2019 in Obihiro, Japan. Additionally, all players will be considered for possible invites to camps and events with Canada’s National Women’s Team, including the Fall Festival in September.

Canada’s National Women’s Development Team:

From Aug. 16-19, 22 players  (2 goaltenders, 7 defencemen and 13 forwards) will compete against the United States. The complete schedule can be found here. Canada’s National Women’s Development Team includes:

• 10 players who played for Canada’s National Women’s Development Team at the 2018 Nations Cup in Füssen, Germany (Bell, Bourbonnais, Deguire, Maltais, Munroe, O’Neill, Pozzebon, Shelton, Shirley, Tse)
• Two players who competed for Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2017 Four Nations Cup in Tampa, Fla. (Zandee-Hart, Potomak)

Tickets to the National Women’s Development Team Canada-USA series are available online now and start at $10, with ‘special experience’ packages available to minor hockey players. 

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter.com/HC_Women.