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.

CALGARY, Alberta –Hockey Canada has announced a multi-year partnership extension with one of its long-standing premier partners, Imperial Oil’s Esso brand.

The extension will see Esso continue to work with Hockey Canada on initiatives that promote and strengthen inclusion in hockey, as well as enhancing programming opportunities for grassroots participants across Canada, including with women and girls.

“Hockey Canada has made it clear to Canadians that we are committed to building a healthier hockey that is rooted in safety, excellence and sport for all, and today’s announcement is extremely important to help us work towards that in partnership with Esso,” said Katherine Henderson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada. “We are grateful to have its unwavering support and cannot wait to work together to connect more Canadians, and especially women and girls, with our national winter sport for years to come.”

“Imperial and the Esso brand have proudly supported hockey in Canada for more than 80 years, recognizing its vital role in connecting people and communities,” said Sherri Evers, senior vice-president with Imperial Oil. “Supporting the next generation of players and fans helps ensure the spirit of hockey in Canada continues to thrive. We look forward to our continued partnership with Hockey Canada that allows us to support achievement at all levels of hockey – from grassroots to the world stage.”

Imperial Oil and the Esso brand have been synonymous with hockey in Canada for nearly 90 years and a premier partner of Hockey Canada since 1981.

As part of the extension, the Esso brand will continue to have an extensive presence in creating unforgettable experiences for women’s and girls’ hockey across the country as the title sponsor of the Esso Cup, Canada’s Women’s U18 National Club Championship, and Esso Fun Days, which is an introductory program that introduced over 1,500 girls and women to hockey last season.

“For many Canadians hockey isn’t just a game, it’s what brings us together in our communities, and when Team Canada hits the ice it’s what unites us a nation” said Cheryl Seaward, director of partnerships at Imperial Oil. “As a long-standing premier partner of Hockey Canada, Imperial is proud to extend its partnership, fuelling the next generation of athletes from pond to podium while supporting the expansion and growth of the women’s game.”

The 2025 Esso Cup is scheduled for April 20-26 in Lloydminster, Alberta.

Along with Esso, Hockey Canada’s premier partners include TELUS, Tim Hortons and TSN/RDS.

To learn more about Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca , or follow along through social media on Facebook , X and Instagram .

CALGARY, Alberta – Following the June unveiling of its first six players for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Hockey Canada, in partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), has announced the full roster for the tournament, set for Feb. 12-20, 2025, in Montréal, Québec, and Boston, Massachusetts.

Three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards were selected by general manager Don Sweeney (St. Stephen, NB/Boston, NHL), associate general manager Jim Nill (Hanna, AB/Dallas, NHL), assistant GM Julien BriseBois (Greenfield Park, QC/Tampa Bay, NHL) and director of player personnel Kyle Dubas (Sault Ste. Marie, ON/Pittsburgh, NHL). Head coach Jon Cooper (Prince George, BC/Tampa Bay, NHL) and assistant coaches Bruce Cassidy (Ottawa, ON/Vegas, NHL), Peter DeBoer (Dunnville, ON/Dallas, NHL), Rick Tocchet (Scarborough, ON/Vancouver, NHL) and Misha Donskov (London, ON/Dallas, NHL) also provided input.

Hockey Canada’s executive committee, which includes Doug Armstrong (Sarnia, ON/St. Louis, NHL), management group lead and general manager of Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, player relations advisor Ryan Getzlaf (Regina, SK/Anaheim, NHL), Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, Katherine Henderson (Thunder Bay, ON), president and chief executive officer, and Pat McLaughlin (Saint John, NB), chief operating officer and executive vice-president of strategy, also supported the roster selection process.

“Anticipation has been building around the Canadian roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, and today we are thrilled to unveil the group of players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada in Montréal and Boston in February,” Sweeney said. “We believe we have assembled a roster that features world-class talent, as well as success at the NHL and international levels, and we are confident this group will give us the best chance to accomplish our goal on the international stage.”

The roster includes 17 players who have suited up for Canada’s National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship (Binnington, Cirelli, Crosby, Konecny, MacKinnon, Makar, Marchand, Marner, McDavid, Montembeault, Morrissey, Pietrangelo, Point, Reinhart, Sanheim, Stone, Theodore) and 19 who have played for Canada’s National Men’s Team at the IIHF World Championship (Binnington, Cirelli, Crosby, Hagel, Hill, Konecny, MacKinnon, Marchand, Marner, McDavid, Montembeault, Morrissey, Parayko, Pietrangelo, Point, Reinhart, Sanheim, Stone, Theodore). The players have won a combined 20 Stanley Cups, as well as three Olympic gold medals, 10 gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship, nine gold at the IIHF World Championship and five gold at the IIHF U18 World Championship.

“This is an exciting time for the NHL and international hockey, and we know our players are excited and grateful for the opportunity to play for Canada and take on the top players from the participating countries,” Cooper said. “This event is an important part of the process as we continue to build teams that can be successful on the international stage, and we look forward to our group gathering in February and competing for a championship in Montréal and Boston.”

Canada will open the 4 Nations Face-Off against Sweden on Feb. 12, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT at the Bell Centre in Montréal. It will also take on the United States on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT in Montréal and Finland on Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT at TD Garden in Boston before the tournament concludes with the championship game on Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT in Boston.

For more information on the 4 Nations Face-Off, please visit the official tournament page.

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

CALGARY, Alberta – With less than one month until the puck drops on the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, Hockey Canada has announced the 32 players who have earned an invitation to Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp, set for Dec. 10-13 at TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario.

Four goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 18 forwards were selected by U20 head scout Al Murray (Regina, SK) and the management group, which includes Peter Anholt (Naicam, SK/Lethbridge, WHL) and Brent Seabrook (Tsawwassen, BC), with support from Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, and player development coach Scott Walker (Cambridge, ON/Guelph, OHL). Head coach Dave Cameron (Kinkora, PE/Ottawa, OHL), U17 head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) and goaltending consultant Dan De Palma (Kamloops, BC/Kamloops, WHL), as well as coaches and general managers from across the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), also provided input.

“We are excited to announce the 32 players who have earned invitations to selection camp in Ottawa, and begin the road to our ultimate goal of winning a World Junior Championship gold medal on home ice,” Murray said. “This is a talented group of young players that is determined to represent Canada with pride over the holidays, and we expect a highly competitive camp with several difficult decisions when determining our final roster.”

Among the 32 players competing for a chance to represent Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa are seven players who were named to the roster for the 2024 World Juniors (Bonk, Cowan, Molendyk, Ratzlaff, Rehkopf, Wood, Yager), as well as eight who won gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship (Beaudoin, Brunicke, George, Ivankovic, Luchanko, Martone, McKenna, Schaefer) and three who captured a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Ivankovic, McKenna, Schaefer).

Selection camp will include a pair of games against a team of U SPORTS all-stars, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. ET and Dec. 13 at 12 p.m. ET. Fans looking to secure their seat for the selection camp games can purchase tickets at HockeyCanada.ca/WorldJuniors, with two-game packages starting at $52 and individual-game tickets starting as low as $35. Both games will also be livestreamed at HNLive.ca.

Following selection camp, Canada’s National Junior Team will travel to Petawawa, Ontario, for a four-day training camp at the Silver Dart Arena, Dec. 15-18, in preparation for the 2025 World Juniors. Team Canada will also take on Switzerland, Sweden and Czechia in pre-tournament action on the Road to the World Juniors.

“We are thrilled for the 32 players who have earned the opportunity to compete for a spot on Canada’s National Junior Team at the World Juniors, and we look forward to a starting the final piece of our evaluation process at selection camp,” Anholt said. “We are also excited to bring our team to Ottawa and Petawawa, and to give fans an opportunity to see the best under-20 Canadian players take on a U SPORTS all-star team before the start of the tournament.”

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day with four games, which includes Canada taking on Finland at the Canadian Tire Centre at 7:30 p.m. ET. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will once again provide extensive coverage of the event, broadcasting all 29 tournament games and all three Team Canada pre-tournament games.

Hockey Canada has also announced the return of Canada’s Ultimate 50/50, presented by Tim Hortons, which is bigger than ever for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. For the very first time, fans in 11 Provinces and Territories can participate in the World Juniors and support grassroots hockey initiatives in their community by purchasing 50/50 tickets for three main draws (Dec. 4-26, Dec. 26-31, Dec. 31-Jan. 5). Net proceeds will support the growth and retention of hockey, women’s and girls’ hockey and initiatives that make the game safer. For more information, please visit HockeyCanada5050.ca.

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

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 18 players who will be a part of Canada’s National Para Hockey Team at the 2024 Para Cup, Dec. 8-14 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Three goaltenders, five defence and 10 forwards were selected by head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON/York University, OUA) and Adam Janssen (Richmond Hill, ON), manager of hockey operations. Assistant coaches Steve Arsenault (Spruce Grove, AB), Mike Fountain (Gravenhurst, ON), Liam Heelis (Georgetown, ON), Boris Rybalka (Vernon, BC) and Greg Westlake (Oakville, ON) also provided input.

“The Para Cup is an exciting event as we showcase our game to Canadians across the country, and we are thrilled to bring the tournament back to Charlottetown this year,” Herrington said. “We are anticipating strong competition from China, Czechia and the United States, but we have prepared a competitive group set to represent Canada next month.”

The roster features 16 players who won a gold medal at the 2024 World Para Hockey Championship in Calgary (Armstrong, Boily, Burnett, Cozzolino, Dixon, Dunn, Halbert, Henry, Hickey, Jacobs-Webb, Kingsmill, Kovacevich, Lavin, Lelièvre, McGregor, Watson).

Canada’s National Para Hockey Team selected its roster from the 32 players who participated in evaluation camp, Sept. 27–Oct. 2 in Elmira, Ontario.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the medal games on Saturday, Dec. 14; please check local listings for details. All preliminary-round games and both semifinals will be livestreamed at HNLive.ca.

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

Effective for the 2025-26 season, Hockey Canada participants will notice a change in the structure of their annual service fees that directly support benefits provided by the national governing body, including sport safety and hockey development initiatives.

Participants will pay $41.41 in service fees next season, including insurance, which is an increase of $11.68.*

The majority of the increase is related to the participant assessment fee, which has not been raised in over 20 years.

The participant service fees will be structured as follows:

• Assessment fee will increase from $3.00/participant to $10.00/participant
• Sport Integrity fee will increase from $2.94/participant to $4.50/participant
• Hockey Canada Registry fee will be $3.12/participant
• Participant insurance fees will not increase for the 2025-26 season and remain $23.79/participant.

We thank you for your understanding of these changes to our service fees for next season that are necessary to ensure the development, sustainability and safety of Canada’s hockey system.

*In Quebec, participants will pay $39.00, which is an increase of $10.12, as they have a different fee structure based on provincial legislation.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada and Force Sports have announced The First Whistle, a new program designed to reduce barriers to entry for officials, including for women and individuals from underrepresented communities.

Primarily targeting newly certified officials, the program looks to increase registrations by using jerseys loaned to approved minor hockey associations and limiting the cost barriers for prospective officials.

“Officiating is such a tremendous way for participants of all ages to be involved in hockey and we recognize that across the country, there are existing barriers impacting entry-level opportunities for interested officials,” said Dan Hanoomansingh, manager of officiating for Hockey Canada. “In partnership with Force Sports, we hope that The First Whistle can help minor hockey associations recruit more officials and ultimately create lifelong engagement with hockey for participants in the program, which will benefit Hockey Canada, our Members and participants.”

“Through this program and our partnership with Hockey Canada, Force Sports hopes to reduce the barriers to entry for those wanting to try officiating,” said Dave Martin, president of Force Sports.

More information about the Hockey Canada Officiating Program can be found here.

To learn more about Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the 60 players from the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) who have earned invitations to Canada East and Canada West selection camp in advance of the 2024 Junior A World Challenge.

Beginning Dec.3, the invitees will gather in Calgary to participate in practices and play a pair of intrasquad games as part of the final evaluation process by management and coaching staffs.

The final East and West rosters will be named Dec. 5 in advance of the tournament, which runs from Dec. 9-15 in Camrose, Alberta.

The Canada East roster will be 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). Canada West will include players from the 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).

“This is the first time since 2022 we are taking the opportunity to hold a camp before naming our teams for the Junior A World Challenge,” said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. “In partnership with the CJHL, we have identified the top 60 Junior A players in the country. We expect a competitive three days before we narrow our rosters down to the two teams that will proudly represent Canada in Camrose.”

Ahead of the tournament, the Canadian teams will play a pair of 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 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.

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.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced a three-year partnership extension with Canlan Sports through the 2026-27 season that will continue to welcome over 80,000 adult recreational hockey participants to Canada’s sanctioned hockey system, and allow both organizations and Hockey Canada’s Members to collaborate on initiatives to grow the game across the country.

In addition to its adult recreational programming, Canlan runs learn to skate and select introductory hockey programs for participants, helps to deliver minor hockey tournaments, and provides practice and game ice for minor hockey associations across Canada with its 11 sports complexes in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan.

“Hockey Canada’s partnership with Canlan is critical to helping us grow the game at all levels and we are excited to work with them to introduce more youth and adults to hockey,” said Darren Cossar, senior vice-president of member engagement for Hockey Canada. “Together with our Members, we have a tremendous opportunity to build on our partnership with Canlan to enhance the programs offered to participants and learn from the successes of the Adult Safe Hockey League (ASHL) and ASHL Affiliate Leagues.”

The partnership between Hockey Canada and Canlan began in 2011 and will celebrate 15 seasons during the 2025-26 campaign.

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Hockey Canada as we look to highlight all of the positive benefits the game of hockey has to offer participants and the growth opportunities for the sport with different audiences across the country,” said Joey St-Aubin, president and CEO for Canlan Sports.

Throughout the partnership, Hockey Canada and its Members will continue to work with Canlan to welcome new participants to the game, including women and girls, new Canadians, families facing financial barriers, and equity-deserving groups.

To learn more about Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok. To learn more about Canlan Sports, please visit canlansports.com.