CALGARY – Hockey Canada announced on Monday the 38 players who will compete for spots on the National Women’s Under-22 Team at its selection camp, which will be held at York University in Toronto, ON from August 9-19.

The 38 players were selected for the camp by Wally Kozak, Hockey Canada’s Head Scout for National Women’s Teams, in consultation with Melody Davidson, general manager of National Women’s Teams, and Julie Healy, Hockey Canada’s Director of Female Hockey.

Fifteen players on the selection camp roster played for the National Women’s Under-22 Team last year, including Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, ON), who helped the National Women’s Team win gold at the recent IIHF World Women’s Championship in Winnipeg. The selection camp roster includes four goaltenders, 12 defence and 24 forwards.

“This group once again shows the depth of female hockey in Canada,” says Kozak. “We have players here from our branches throughout Canada. I know that it’s going to be a competitive camp and it will be challenging to select the final group of players for the team.”

Using the upcoming U19 camp and this U22 camp, a roster of 22 players will be finalized at the conclusion of the camp at York University and that team will play the U.S.A.’s National Women’s Under-22 Team in a three-game exhibition series from August 23-26 in Lake Placid, NY. Team Canada will be coached by Dan Church (North York, ON/York University, CIS) and his assistants will be Sarah Howald (Regina, SK/University of Regina, CIS) and Stephanie White (Toronto, ON/Mississauga Aeros, NWHL).

The Under-22 camp will also mark the first year of a two-year partnership between Hockey Canada and Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS). The CIS will send a national team of Canadian university women’s hockey players to the 2009 Winter Universiade in Harbin, China. It will mark the first time that women’s hockey is part of the World University Games.

The CIS will participate in Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team selection camp this year and next year in building a team for 2009. The CIS All-Stars will take the place of Team Finland, which has participated in the U22 event in the past.

National Women’s Under-22 selection camp – Breakdown by Branch

Hockey Alberta – 6 (Clemis, Szabados, Hunt, Jones, Newton, Podloski)

Saskatchewan Hockey Association – 4 (Schroeder, Klassen, Ross, Swan)

Hockey Manitoba – 3 (Gagnon, Larocque, Fridfinnson)

Ontario Women’s Hockey Association – 16 (Hosier, Kessler, Allen, Bevan, Gray, Normore, Payne, Shaw, Smith, Agosta, Giles, Irwin, Marziali, McMeekin, Paton, Thibault)

Hockey Quebec – 7 (Ward, Bettez, Blais, Chouinard, Hill, Leclerc-Auger, Scanzano)

Hockey Nova Scotia – 1 (Brine)

Hockey PEI – 1 (McKinnon)