CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Friday the 23 players that will compete for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship, taking place Jan. 5-12 in Buffalo, N.Y.

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards. The roster features Micah Hart (Saanichton, B.C./Okanagan Hockey Academy, JWHL), Samantha Cogan (Ottawa, Ont./Nepean, PWHL), and Sarah Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C./Pursuit of Excellence, Midget AAA), who return after winning a gold medal at the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship in Budapest, Hungary last March.

The final roster also includes 19 players (Agnew, Boissonnault, Cogan, Coutu-Godbout, Eastwood, Gebhard, Hart, Higham, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Labbe, McGill, O’Neill, Potomak,  Pozzebon, Quaranta, Sucharda, Tse) who were on Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for a three-game series against the United States, which took place in Calgary last August. Canada won the series, earning victories in two of the three games at the Markin MacPhail Centre.

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team roster also includes:

• four players who participated in the 2014 IIHF Women’s High Performance Camp in Vierumäki, Finland in July (Campbell, Gebhard, Houston, Hunt);

• four players who attended Canada’s National Women’s Fall Festival in Calgary in September (Agnew, Hart, Cogan, Potomak).

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team roster, by province:

• Ontario – 10 (Agnew, Cogan, Eastwood, Field, McGill, O’Neill, Pozzebon, Quaranta, Sucharda, Tse)
• Manitoba – four (Campbell, Higham, Houston, Hunt)
• Quebec – three (Coutu-Godbout, Giguère, Matteau)
• British Columbia – two (Hart, Potomak)
• Alberta – one (Labbe)
• New Brunswick – one (Boissonault)
• Nova Scotia – one (Jackson)
• Saskatchewan – one (Gebhard)

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team was assembled by Melody Davidson, general manager of national women’s team programs, and Hockey Canada’s team of scouts, along with head coach Cassandra Turner, assistant coaches Jackie Friesen, Delaney Collins and Noémie Marin, and goaltending coach Amanda Mazzotta.

“We are thrilled with the players that have been selected for this year’s team; the 23 players chosen for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team will represent our country with passion, pride and purpose,” Turner said. “We’re looking forward to having the squad together in London, Ont., for pre-competition camp as we work towards defending the gold medal in Buffalo, N.Y.”

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team will be on the ice in London, Ont., for pre-competition camp from Dec. 28, 2014 to Jan. 3, 2015. Canada will face the Carleton University women’s hockey team in two pre-tournament games on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2.

Canada plays its first game at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship against the United States at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on Monday, Jan. 5, and will also take on Russia and the Czech Republic in the preliminary round. The gold medal game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Monday, Jan. 12.

Canada has won four gold medals at the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014), and will look to capture their fourth consecutive world title in Buffalo. 

NOTE TO MEDIA: Morgan Bell, Hockey Canada’s coordinator of media relations, will be on site in London for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team pre-competition camp, and in Buffalo for the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship. Please contact her for any interview requests at (403) 669-1261 or [email protected].

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hc_women.