It’s the dawn of a new day for the Canadian women’s national hockey team.
After a disappointing silver medal finish at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the team has gone through a lot of change. Entering November’s World Championship, Canada has a new general manager, a new head coach, and a whole lot of fresh faces ready to hit the ice.
As another Olympic cycle kicks off, there’s a clear goal to build towards a better result in four years time. Still, as one of the world’s hockey powerhouses, the goal to win right now remains unchanged.
A new era of Team Canada
In May, it was announced that GM Gina Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan would step down from their roles. The keys were then handed to Montréal Victoire GM Danièle Sauvageau and head coach Kori Cheverie to lead the team into the next Olympic cycle. Cheverie has served as assistant coach for the team since 2021.
Sauvageau and Cheverie wasted no time in making their mark on this squad. After October’s training camp, the duo put together a surprisingly fresh roster for the upcoming World Championships. With a number of Canada’s key veterans injured or unavailable, they took the opportunity to prioritize a youth movement in favor of bringing back longtime staples of the team like Brianne Jenner, Natalie Spooner, or Jocelyne Larocque.
Ahead of the tournament, Canada played two exhibition matches against the United States. In Cheverie’s first match as bench boss, Canada earned a 5-3 victory –– its first win in eight games against the USA. In the second match, Canada fell 4-0, showing there still may be some work to do. As the tournament gets underway, the burden is on Cheverie and her group to prove there’s been enough change for the Canadians to be crowned champions again.
Roster changes
Here’s a look at how Canada’s World Championship roster compares to the team it dressed for the Milan Olympic Games:
In: Jessie Eldridge, Caitlin Kraemer*, Rebecca Leslie*, Sara Manness*, Hayley McDonald*, Danielle Serdachny, Rosalie Tremblay*, Sarah Wozniewicz*, Kendall Cooper*, Nicole Gosling, Chloe Primerano, Ève Gascon
Out: Jenn Gardiner, Julia Gosling, Brianne Jenner, Natalie Spooner, Jocelyne Larocque, Emerance Maschmeyer
Injured or unavailable: Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, Claire Thompson
*Making World Championship debut
Players to watch
While a lot will be made about the changes in this roster, Canada still boasts firepower from top to bottom. In the absence of Marie-Philip Poulin, watch for returning players like Laura Stacey, Emma Maltais, and Daryl Watts to step up and lead this young group.
Rosalie Tremblay and Caitlin Kraemer cemented themselves as players to watch with a goal each in Canada’s first pre-tournament exhibition game last Wednesday against Team USA. For 18-year-old Tremblay, it was her senior team debut. As a new Olympic cycle starts, the sky is the limit for these two youngsters.
On the blue line, you have the return of reliable staples like Erin Ambrose, Sophie Jaques, and Renata Fast. After a Walter Cup winning season, rising defensive star Nicole Gosling is back on the Canadian roster. 19-year-old Chloe Primerano is also back with the senior team as she continues to impress at University of Minnesota.
Canada’s crease still belongs to Ann-Renée Desbiens. The 32-year-old is coming off a career year in Montréal, backstopping the Victoire to a Walter Cup.
Group stage schedule
- Nov. 6 vs. Sweden, 3 PM local (9 AM EST)
- Nov. 8 vs. Japan, 7 PM local (1 PM EST)
- Nov. 9 vs. Denmark, 7 PM local (1 PM EST)
- Nov. 11 vs. Finland, 3 PM local (9 AM EST)
Find the full tournament schedule at iihf.com.
