TORONTO — The Canadian women’s national hockey team will lean on an experience-heavy roster at the 2026 Olympics, naming 20 returning players from the 2025 world championships to its 23-player roster on Friday afternoon. That includes 13 forwards who represented the national team last April, including three of the top five goal scorers in the PWHL this season – captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Brianne Jenner and Daryl Watts. Jennifer Gardiner, who finished second in tournament scoring, will make her
That includes 13 forwards who represented the national team last April, including three of the top five goal scorers in the PWHL this season – captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Brianne Jenner and Daryl Watts. Jennifer Gardiner, who finished second in tournament scoring, will make her Olympic debut. So will Watts, who is second all-time in PWHL scoring behind only Poulin.
Sarah Nurse, who set the Olympic record for scoring in a single tournament (18) in 2022, will also return to the roster and should be ready for Milan after missing most of the 2025-26 season due to injury.
Among the six returning defenders are all three 2025 PWHL defender of the year finalists, Renata Fast, Sophie Jaques, and Claire Thompson. No. 1 goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens — who has a .947 save percentage in the PWHL this season — will return to Canada’s crease. And while she wasn’t at last year’s worlds due to injury, longtime back-up goalie Emerance Maschmeyer will head to her second Olympics. New York Sirens goalie Kayle Osborne will fill out the depth chart.
Overall, Canada’s roster includes 16 players with Olympic experience, and nine with more than two tournaments under their belt, led by Poulin, who will play in her fifth Olympic games in Milan; Jenner, Natalie Spooner and defender Jocelyne Larocque will play in their fourth.
Seven players — Watts, Gardiner, Kristin O’Neill, Julia Gosling, Tabin, Jaques and Osborne — will make their Olympic debuts when the women’s tournament begins on Feb. 5.
Team Canada’s preliminary round begins with an opening day game against Finland and ends with a rivalry match against the U.S. on Feb. 10. The gold medal game is slated for Feb. 19.
The U.S. women’s roster was named on Jan. 31 and can be viewed here.
Here are the 2️⃣3️⃣ women who will wear the 🍁 at #MilanoCortina2026!
Voici les 2️⃣3️⃣ joueuses qui porteront la 🍁 à Milan-Cortina!
ROSTER: https://t.co/DN4VfPerVb
FORMATION : https://t.co/zYh3mjB1wu@TeamCanada | @Equipe_Canadapic.twitter.com/f5memnB5Gx— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) January 9, 2026
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
NHL, Olympics, Women's Hockey
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Category: General Sports
