Hockey Canada has invited 142 of the nation’s top players to attend the BFL National Women’s Program selection camp, set to take place August 3 to August 14 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park, the organization announced Friday, July 29.
1️⃣4️⃣2️⃣ players have earned invites to selection camps with Canada’s National Women’s Program ahead of #WomensWorlds and a pair of 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 series.
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) July 29, 2022
NWT Roster ➡ https://t.co/vR79fwKnpV
U18 Roster ➡ https://t.co/Gck6qvC9Ms
The 11-day camp will bring together athletes vying for spots on Canada’s National Women’s Team (NWT), Canada’s National Women’s Development Team (NWDT) and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team as a start to the 2022-23 season and a new four-year Olympic cycle.
“This is a great opportunity to bring all three groups together in one place and start to envision what the next four years will look like,” said director of hockey operations Gina Kingsbury in a statement.
“We are coming off a very successful season and we are looking to continue building on that. We have a full complement of experienced staff to lead our camps but having our Olympic athletes able to play leadership roles where they can mentor and share their experience is a positive step in our journey towards the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan.”
Following the selection camp, the cross-border series with the United States will be re-introduced for the first time since 2019. Player selections will be made by head coach of Canada’s National Women’s team Troy Ryan, Kori Cheverie, and Courtney Birchard-Kessel, head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, with input from senior manager of player development and scouting Cherie Piper and Kingsbury.
Team Canada will also face Finland on August 14 in a final tune-up before the Canada-U.S. series.
The selection camp is also a critical step for Canada’s National Women’s Team in preparation for the 2022 Internation Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World Championship, August 24 until September 4 in Herning and Frederikshavn, Denmark. Canada is expected to play Denmark and the United States in a pair of pre-tournament games prior to the start of the women’s worlds.
In the 2021 tournament, Canada captured gold by defeating the United States in the finals courtesy of Marie Philip-Poulin’s overtime winner. It was Canada’s first gold medal at the Women’s World Championship since 2012.
Rebecca Leslie of Ottawa, Jamie Lee Rattray of Kanata, Karel Préfontaine of Gatineau, Geneviève Lacasse of Kingston and Kayle Osborne of Rideau Lakes are all vying for spots on the national team, while MacKenzie Clarke of Ottawa, Ashley Allard of Renfrew, Taylor Gilmour of Kingston and Jill Hennessy of Mississippi Mills are all hoping to be part of the U18 squad.
