Hockey Canada selects 24 players for women’s under-18 series in Lake Placid

Four returnees who won silver at worlds last January will lead Canada into a three-game U.S. series.

CALGARY, ALTA. – With its eight-day selection camp now complete, Hockey Canada has named 24 players to Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team that will compete against the United States in a three-game series in Lake Placid, N.Y., beginning Aug. 17.

Of the 24 players who will wear the Team Canada jersey for games Aug. 17, 18, and 20, three are goaltenders, seven are defencemen, and 14 are forwards. They were selected from among the group of 43 players who were invited to selection camp in Calgary.

“We want to congratulate all 42 players who took part in the selection camp, and thank our staff for a phenomenal week. As we expected, these young women showed up ready to work hard both on and off the ice, and they made our decision very difficult,” said Delaney Collins, head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team. “Congratulations to the 24 players who were selected to play in Lake Placid; you’ve earned this opportunity, and we’re excited to work with you and continue to see you develop over this upcoming series.”

Collins, an alumna of Canada’s National Women’s Team, and assistant coaches Amanda Benoit-Wark and Darren Turcotte, as well as goaltending consultant, Joe Johnston, worked with Mel Davidson, Hockey Canada’s general manager of national women’s team programs, to evaluate and ultimately select the group that will compete in Lake Placid later this week.

Regional scouts Brian Hart (Ontario), Greg Hermiston (B.C.), Chris Higgins (Ontario), Scott Lambton (Quebec), Rod Larsen (Saskatchewan), Doug MacLeod (Alberta), and Gary Soper (Ontario) also attended the selection camp and provided assistance with player evaluations.

The 24-player roster includes:

• Five players who took part in the 2016 three-game summer series against the United States (Fillier, Parker, Slobodzian, Veillette, Vorster);
• Four players who took home silver at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship last January (Fillier, McQuigge, Veillette, Vorster); and
• Representation from the provinces of Ontario (12), Saskatchewan (4), Quebec (3), British Columbia (2), Manitoba (1), Newfoundland and Labrador (1), and Alberta (1).

Following the series in Lake Placid, Hockey Canada scouts, along with the team’s coaching staff and general manager, will continue to evaluate players with their provincial and club teams during the 2017-18 season, including at the 2017 National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Quebec City, Nov. 1-5, in preparation for selecting the Canadian team that will compete at the 2018 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Dmitrov, Russia.

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