Danielle Serdachny Fits Right In As Team Canada's Newest Player

Making Team Canada is an incredible accomplishment for any athlete. Making the roster of a back-to-back World Championship and Olympic gold medal-winning team is even more impressive. For the 2023 women’s World Championship, only one Canadian woman accomplished the feat of cracking Canada’s roster for the first time – that player is Danielle Serdachny.

“Unbelievable is the only word that does justice to it,” Serdachny said of stepping on the ice with her heroes as teammates in front of a home Canadian crowd. “I was a little bit nervous, but it was a great atmosphere.”

With the nerves gone, 21-year-old Serdachny will look to make a bigger impact for Canada as the tournament goes on after coming off an NCAA-leading 71-point season in only 40 games with Colgate University. Right now, she continues to absorb the moment.

“They often say ‘be a sponge,’ ” she said. “I’m learning from the older girls, taking it all in, especially enjoying the experience of being (at) my first World Championship, just helping the team in any way I can. They emphasized to enjoy it and take it all in. Obviously, it’s an experience not many people get to have, so I’m just taking it all day by day.”

The 5-foot-9 Edmonton product played this summer with the National Women’s Development Team in a series against the USA. She also won gold with Canada’s U-18 team in 2019, being named a top-three player on Canada at the tournament, but this is Serdahcny’s debut with the senior national team.

As coach Troy Ryan said, Canada’s brass has been watching Serdachny this season not only at the Rivalry Series but also as captain of Colgate’s women’s hockey team. They regularly viewed her playing against Canada’s only other NCAA player, Princeton’s Sarah Fillier. Ryan praised Serdachny’s opening game – a 4-0 win over Team Switzerland on Wednesday – and the versatility she brings to the lineup.

“We watched her play a lot against Princeton this year, and we thought her and Fillier went head to head a lot, so we knew she had the compete level; we knew she had the skill,” said Ryan. “Right now, she’s playing on the wing…but she’s primarily a center, so the versatility that she gives us and that she can play with is just so valuable. I thought she played a pretty mature game for her first World Championship game.”

As Canada’s only rookie, Serdachny will be counted on to continue the nation’s dominance on the international stage. Her size, skill and competitiveness, along with her personality, have been an immediate hit with Canada’s veterans.

“When you see her (and) the way she carries herself on the ice, she’s a big body, she knows how to play hockey, and she showed it tonight,” said captain Marie-Philip Poulin of Serdachny’s World Championship debut.

“She put on the jersey with a lot of pride. To see a young one come up like that with a lot of confidence and the way she plays – she plays gritty, she plays like she wants to be here – for us as veterans, we want to see that. It’s amazing to see that.”

According to Sarah Nurse, who was a tournament all-star at the 2022 Olympics helping Canada to gold, Serdahcny brings more to Team Canada than her on-ice presence. Canada’s veterans have also noticed the presence Serdachny contributes on the bench and in the dressing room.

“She’s brought such a calming presence and poise, which is very impressive for someone who is at their first World Championship,” said Nurse. “She’s like a little ray of sunshine on the bench. She’s always saying little comments behind the scenes, making the girls laugh. It’s been pretty awesome to have her, and I know she’s going to have a pretty awesome and long career with our team.”

For Serdachny, stepping on the ice with the likes of Poulin and Nurse, the gravity of the moment was not lost. At 21, she’s been watching these Canadian stars for years, and the opportunity to now call them teammates was a “wow” moment.

“It’s pretty unbelievable,” said Serdachny. “I’m at a loss of words sometimes looking around and thinking, ‘Wow, these are the people I’ve looked up to.’ ”

As the youngest member of Team Canada, there may eventually be a new generation of players who will step on the ice with Danielle Serdachny and say the same thing about her.