Hockey Canada invites 142 players to National Women's Program selection camp

Jade Iginla, left, and Jordan Baxter chase the puck during a Canada's national women's under-18 team inter-squad game in Calgary, Alta., Friday, May 27, 2022. (Jeff McIntosh/CP)

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 Aug. 3-14 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park, the organization announced Friday.

The 11-day camp will bring together athletes vying for spots on Canada’s National Women’s Team, Canada’s National Women’s Development Team 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 Aug. 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 IIHF Women’s World Championship, Aug. 24-Sept. 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.

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