Jason La Rose
The 2018-19 season comes to a close for Canada’s National Women’s Team when it heads across the Atlantic to Espoo, Finland for the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship from April 4-14.
Twenty-three players have been selected to wear the Maple Leaf at women’s worlds as Canada looks for its 11th gold medal, and first on European ice since the 1999 tournament in Espoo and Vantaa.
Take a closer look at the Canadian contingent…
1: Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner; Jamie Lee Rattray was named the best player in NCAA women’s hockey in 2013-14, posting an NCAA-best 66 points in 41 games with Clarkson University. Loren Gabel, who leads the NCAA with 40 goals for Clarkson this season, is a finalist for the 2018-19 award, to be presented March 23.
2: Broderick Trophy winners; Ann-Sophie Bettez was recognized as the best player in women’s university hockey in 2011-12, posting 13 goals and 37 points with McGill University, while Mélodie Daoust was Canada’s best with McGill one year later, pacing the country with 75 points.
4: Players who helped the Calgary Inferno post the best regular-season record in the CWHL in 2018-19; Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Brigette Lacquette and Blayre Turnbull will lead the Inferno against the Canadiennes de Montreal in the Clarkson Cup final on March 24.
5: Players who have won tournament awards or earned all-star team berths at the IIHF Women’s World Championship; Marie-Philip Poulin was named MVP and Top Forward in 2013, and was an all-star in 2013 and 2017, Emerance Maschmeyer was Top Goaltender in 2016, and Laura Fortino (2012), Natalie Spooner (2015) and Rebecca Johnston (2016) were selected to the all-star team.
6: Players who will make their IIHF Women’s World Championship debuts in Finland – Ann-Sophie Bettez, Jaime Bourbonnais, Mélodie Daoust, Loren Gabel, Sarah Nurse and Micah Zandee-Hart.
6: Players who have worn the ‘C’ with Team Canada at the Olympic Winter Games, IIHF Women’s World Championship, Nations Cup or IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship – Erin Ambrose, Mélodie Daoust, Brianne Jenner, Marie-Philip Poulin, Jill Saulnier and Micah Zandee-Hart.
8: Players who helped Canada win its most recent gold medal at the IIHF Women’s World Championship; Laura Fortino, Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Geneviève Lacasse, Jocelyne Larocque, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner and Shannon Szabados were part of the team that topped the podium at the 2012 women’s worlds in Burlington, Vt.
12: Ontario natives, more than any other province; it is followed by Quebec (3), Alberta (2), Manitoba (2), Nova Scotia (2), British Columbia (1) and Saskatchewan (1).
16: 2018 Olympic silver medallists – Emily Clark, Mélodie Daoust, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Geneviève Lacasse, Brigette Lacquette, Jocelyne Larocque, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Jill Saulnier, Natalie Spooner, Laura Stacey, Shannon Szabados and Blayre Turnbull.
46: Career points at the IIHF Women’s World Championship for Marie-Philip Poulin, most among any Canadian skater. Poulin has 21 goals and 25 assists in 35 games to sit six points ahead of Rebecca Johnston (17-23—40).
419: Combined points (in 392 games) for the 16 skaters who played in the CWHL during the 2018-19 season. Marie-Philip Poulin (23-27—50) claimed the Angela James Bowl as leading scorer for the third time, highlighting a list of 12 skaters in the top 20.
9,596: Days between appearances as a head coach at an IIHF tournament (Jan. 4, 1993 to April 4, 2019) for Canadian head coach Perry Pearn, who led Canada’s National Junior Team to gold at the 1993 IIHF World Junior Championship.