CALGARY, Alta. – As St. Catharines, Ont., readies to welcome the world with the 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, Hockey Canada announced it will be honouring three recent Canada’s National Women’s Team retirees on Saturday, Jan. 9.

Jayna Hefford, Gillian Apps, and Catherine Ward announced their retirement from international competition in September. The three Olympic gold-medallists are being honoured during the first intermission of Saturday evening’s Canada-Czech Republic match-up.

“The opportunity to acknowledge these three women not only speaks about them as  individuals, but it’s an opportunity to recognize them as the role models and leaders they are both on and off the ice among their teammates and to all young players involved in the game,” said Melody Davidson, general manager of national women’s team programs, Hockey Canada.

The 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship represents a partnership between Hockey Canada, the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association, and the Niagara Sport Commission, and will feature eight teams – Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. The championship is a showcase event for the future of women’s hockey and takes place Jan. 8-15, 2016.

“Hosting the 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship on Canadian ice presents a fantastic opportunity for all Canadians to celebrate female hockey. There is no better way to enhance that celebration than to honour these three players, who have been role models and inspirations to young hockey players in Canada and around the world,” said Dean McIntosh, senior director of events and properties for Hockey Canada. “This is a special event for Hockey Canada and our event partners, and we look forward to making the game on Jan. 9 a special night for our three honourees, and the fans who come out to support Team Canada.”

Team Canada ticket package released

On Monday, Hockey Canada announced the 23-player roster selected to represent Canada at the 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. Beginning Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. ET, a Team Canada ticket package – featuring the three Team Canada preliminary-round games, one quarter-final, one semifinal, and both the bronze- and gold-medal games – is available for purchase for $80 plus fees. Full-tournament ticket packages are also available, starting at $125.

Canada will open up the 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship against Russia on Friday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, and will also play the Czech Republic on Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT before a showdown with last year’s gold-medallists from the United States on Monday, Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT. The bronze-medal and gold-medal games are scheduled for Friday, Jan. 15 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT and 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, respectively.

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team has appeared in every gold medal game at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, winning four gold medals (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) and four silver (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015).

For more information on the 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, please visit hockeycanada.ca/2016niagara, or follow through social media at facebook.com/hockeycanada, twitter.com/hockeycanada and twitter.com/hc_women.