CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has named 46 players to Canada’s National Women’s Development Team and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for a pair of three-game series against the United States in Lake Placid, N.Y., from Aug. 14-17.

As a part of the Team Canada Summer Showcase, 88 players arrived in Calgary Aug. 2 and 3 to attend the BFL National Women’s Development Team Selection Camp and BFL National Women’s Under-18 Team Selection Camp, which involved on- and off-ice training, classroom sessions and fitness testing.

Along with intrasquad games at both camps, the development team camp included match-ups against national teams from France and Japan, and a team of U SPORTS all-stars, while the U18 hopefuls faced Russia’s national under-18 team in a series of games.

Canada’s National Women’s Development Team:

From Aug. 14-17, 23 players (three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards) will compete against the United States. The complete schedule can be found here. Canada’s National Women’s Development Team includes:

• Three players who competed for Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2018 4 Nations Cup in Saskatoon, Sask. (Bourbonnais, Fillier, O’Neill)
• 11 players who competed as part of Canada’s National Women’s Development Team in the three-game series against the United States in Calgary, Alta., in August 2018 (Bell, Bourbonnais, Connors, Fillier, Houston, Maltais, O’Neill, Schneider, Shelton, Shirley, Vasko)

Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team:

From Aug. 14-17, 23 players (three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards) will compete against the United States. The complete schedule can be found here. Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team includes:

• Five players who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2019 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Obihiro, Japan (Cherkowski, Cooper, Gosling, Naud, Wheeler)
• Six players who competed as part of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team in the three-game series against the United States in Calgary, Alta., in August 2018 (Bochna, Cherkowski, Cooper, Gosling, Naud, Wheeler)
• 15 players who represented their provinces at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alta. (Bochna, Bogden, Buglioni, Cherkowski, Cooper, Cormier, Gascon, Gosling, Messier, Naud, Osborne, Paul, Picard, Wheeler, Wozniewicz)

“For our athletes at the under-18 level, this week is their first step into our program, which is a key component as we look to develop and identify those who will be part of our program competing on the international stage this year and moving forward,” said Gina Kingsbury, Hockey Canada’s director of women’s national teams. “We have had tremendous success under the leadership of head coach Howie Draper (Edmonton, Alta.), who has continued to help develop these athletes at a pivotal point in their careers.”

“We’re also fortunate and excited to have Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.) as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Development Team,” added Kingsbury. “Under his leadership, Troy will work with our players and evaluate their development so they have a chance to compete for spots in the lead up to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and beyond.”

Following the series, Hockey Canada, led by Kingsbury in coordination with head scout Melody Davidson, and in consultation with regional scouts and the U18 coaching staff, will continue to evaluate under-18 players, including at the 2019 National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Morden and Winkler, Man., from Nov. 5-9, in preparation for selecting the Canadian team that will compete at the 2020 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. Additionally, all players will be considered for possible invites to camps and events with Canada’s National Women’s Team, including the Fall Festival in September as well as the 2019 4 Nations Cup.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter.com/HC_Women.