Toronto (Rajeev Sharma): The Canadian women’s hockey team is set to bring a wealth of international experience to the ice at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics next month, with a roster that blends proven champions and emerging talent.
Hockey Canada on Friday announced a 23-player squad that includes 20 players from the team that finished runner-up to the United States at the 2025 World Championships in the Czech Republic. Sixteen players from the gold medal-winning team at the 2022 Beijing Olympics have also been retained, underlining Canada’s intent to rely on a core that has delivered success on the biggest stage.
Leading the team is captain Marie-Philip Poulin, a four-time Olympian who will be chasing her fourth Olympic gold medal. Achieving that feat would see her equal the record for most Olympic ice hockey gold medals won by any player, male or female, a mark currently shared by three other Canadian women.
The squad also features significant offensive firepower, with three of the top five goal scorers from last season’s Professional Women’s Hockey League included. Poulin, Brianne Jenner and Daryl Watts all make the roster, with Watts set to make her Olympic debut. Another first-time Olympian is Jennifer Gardiner, who was the second-highest scorer at the recent World Championships with 10 points, just two behind Poulin.
Veteran forward Sarah Nurse adds further experience to the lineup. Nurse set Olympic records in Beijing for the most assists and total points in a single women’s tournament, finishing with 13 assists and 18 points. Although she has missed a large portion of the current PWHL season due to injury, officials expect her to be fully fit in time for the Olympics.
Canada, which has won a record five Olympic gold medals in women’s hockey, will open its campaign against Finland on February 5 in Italy. The much-anticipated clash with arch-rivals United States is scheduled for February 10 in the final Group A match, while the gold medal game will be played on February 19.
