2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics: Team Canada announces women’s hockey roster
Team Canada has announced the 23-player roster for the women’s national hockey team that will defend gold at the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
Here’s what you need to know.
Team Canada
Canada’s Olympic roster consists of 20 skaters and three goalies, who all play in the PWHL this season. It’s a veteran-laden squad led by the legendary Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored the winning goals in the gold medal game of the 2010, 2014 and 2022 Olympics.
Here’s the full roster:
Forwards
| Player | Shoots | PWHL Team |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Clark | L | Ottawa Charge |
| Sarah Fillier | R | New York Sirens |
| Jennifer Gardiner | L | Vancouver Goldeneyes |
| Julia Gosling | L | Seattle Torrent |
| Brianne Jenner | R | Ottawa Charge |
| Emma Maltais | L | Toronto Sceptres |
| Sarah Nurse | L | Vancouver Goldeneyes |
| Kristin O'Neill | L | New York Sirens |
| Marie-Philip Poulin | L | Montreal Victoire |
| Natalie Spooner | R | Toronto Sceptres |
| Laura Stacey | R | Montreal Victore |
| Blayre Turnbull | R | Toronto Sceptres |
| Daryl Watts | L | Toronto Sceptres |
Defence
| Player | Shoots | PWHL Team |
|---|---|---|
| Erin Ambrose | R | Montreal Victoire |
| Renata Fast | R | Toronto Sceptres |
| Sophie Jaques | R | Vancouver Goldeneyes |
| Jocelyne Larocque | L | Ottawa Charge |
| Ella Shelton | L | Toronto Sceptres |
| Kati Tabin | L | Montreal Victoire |
| Claire Thompson | L | Vancouver Goldeneyes |
Goaltenders
| Player | Catches | PWHL |
|---|---|---|
| Ann-Renee Desbiens | L | Montreal Victoire |
| Emerance Maschmeyer | L | Vancouver Goldeneyes |
| Kayle Osborne | L | New York Sirens |
With the PWHL now in its third season, Canada changed their usual Olympic preparation. In the past, players would be based out of Calgary six months before the Games while they trained and played exhibition games.
Instead, Canada invited 30 players, including 28 from the PWHL, to three two-week training camps between September to November, just before the start of the PWHL season.
Olympic Odds
While Canada has won five of seven gold medals since women’s hockey made its Olympic debut in Nagano, Japan in 1998, the United States is gained ground in recent years, claiming two of the last three World Championships.
Canada reclaimed Olympic gold in 2022 with a 3-2 win over Team USA to avenge the U.S. victory over Canada in 2018.
Canada has been placed in Group A for these Olympics, which consists of the top five seeds in the world. They will open their gold medal defence on Feb. 5 against Finland in Milan. Next, Canada faces Switzerland on Feb. 7 and Czechia on Feb. 9 before closing out the preliminary round against the United States on Feb. 10.
Group B consists of Germany, Sweden, Japan, Italy and France.
All Group A teams and the top three teams from Group B will move on to the quarterfinals, which run from Feb. 13-14. Both semifinals will be played on Feb. 16 and the medal games will be played on Feb. 19.