All 23 players on Team Canada hail from the PWHL
NEW YORK AND TORONTO (Jan. 9, 2026) – Hockey Canada announced today that 23 players from the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) have been selected to the 2026 Canadian Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team. The Milano Cortina 2026 women’s hockey tournament will take place from Feb. 5-19.
All 23 players on Canada’s 2026 Olympic women’s hockey roster come from the PWHL, with representation from six teams. Toronto leads with six players, followed by Montréal and Vancouver with five each, Ottawa and New York with three each, and Seattle with one.
Goaltenders: Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL), Emerance Maschmeyer (VAN), Kayle Osborne (NY).
Defenders: Erin Ambrose (MTL), Renata Fast (TOR), Sophie Jaques (VAN), Jocelyne Larocque (OTT), Ella Shelton (TOR), Kati Tabin (MTL), Claire Thompson (VAN).
Forwards: Emily Clark (OTT), Sarah Fillier (NY), Jenn Gardiner (VAN), Julia Gosling (SEA), Brianne Jenner (OTT), Emma Maltais (TOR), Sarah Nurse (VAN), Kristin O’Neill (NY), Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL), Natalie Spooner (TOR), Laura Stacey (MTL), Blayre Turnbull (TOR), Daryl Watts (TOR).
Of the 23 players named to the roster, Poulin is the most experienced Olympian, heading to her fifth Games with four career medals (three gold, one silver). Brianne Jenner, Jocelyne Larocque, and Natalie Spooner will each make their fourth Olympic appearance, while Clark, Desbiens, Fast, Nurse, Stacey, and Turnbull are set for their third. Ambrose, Fillier, Maltais, Maschmeyer, Shelton, and Thompson will compete in their second Olympics. Seven PWHL players — Gardiner, Gosling, Jaques, O’Neill, Osborne, Tabin, and Watts — are making their Olympic debuts in Milan.
Several members of Hockey Canada’s 2026 Olympic women’s hockey staff are representatives from the PWHL, serving in roles similar to those they hold within the league. Gina Kingsbury (TOR) serves as General Manager, Troy Ryan (TOR) as Head Coach, Kori Cheverie and Caroline Ouellette as Assistant Coaches (MTL), Stef Tompson (TOR) as Assistant Coach (Video), Brad Kirkwood (TOR) as Goaltending Consultant, Vicki Bendus (MTL) as Strength and Conditioning Coach, Daniel Tkaczuk (TOR) as Performance Coach Consultant and Alana Goulden (TOR) as Equipment Manager.
Team Canada begins Olympic play in the preliminary round against Finland on Feb. 5 at 9:10 p.m. local time (3:10 p.m. ET) at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. The Finnish roster includes four PWHL players.
The 2025-26 PWHL regular-season schedule will take a pause for the Olympics following games on Jan. 28 and then resume games beginning Feb. 26.
ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S HOCKEY LEAGUE (PWHL)
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that features the best women’s players in the world. It is comprised of eight teams: Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver. Launched on January 1, 2024, the PWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women’s hockey game. The league was recognized by Sports Business Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year, and ranked No. 1 in Canada for corporate reputation in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Harris Poll. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter for the latest updates. Follow the league on social media @thepwhlofficial.
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