Hockey Canada announced their 24-player roster that will make up Team Canada for the 2025 U-18 World Championships in Finland.
Hockey Canada announced their 24-player roster that will make up Team Canada for the 2025 U-18 World Championships in Finland.
Hockey Canada today announced their 24-player rorster who will represent Canada at the 2024 IIHF U-18 World Championships in Vantaa, Finland from January 4-12.
Among the 24 players named are five returnees from Canada's 2024 team that took bronze. Those players include Chloe Primerano, Stryker Zablocki, Sara Manness, Marilou Grenier, and Maxine Cimoroni.
The remainder of Canada's roster, aside from one player, suited up at this summer's U-18 Select Series against USA.
“I truly value the opportunity to work with this exceptionally skilled group of young athletes and dedicated staff at the world championship in January, and to compete for a gold medal in Finland,” said head coach Vicky Sunohara. “We have a very competitive group that is proud to represent Canada, and the entire coaching staff is eager to get our group together and continue building the foundation of what it takes to play for Team Canada.”
“This roster represents the building blocks for Canada’s National Women’s Program, and we are excited for these young athletes to proudly represent our country in Finland,” said Cherie Piper, Canada's senior manager of player development and scouting. “Being named to Team Canada represents years of hard work and dedication. We are incredibly proud of their growth and we look forward to watching them progress in their hockey careers.”
That pathway for Chloe Primerano is closer than most as she made her senior national team debut with Canada earlier this year at the Rivalry Series.
Looking at the remainder of Canada's roster, they'll bring a group of players with a year of eligibility remaining to provide the building block for next year's national team including 2008 born players Hayley McDonald, Caileigh Tiller, Anaïs Leprohon, Alida Korte, Kate Viel, Maddie McCullough, Rachel Piggott, and Rosalie Tremblay. It's a larger group of youth than Canada has brought to recent tournaments. The lone position where each of their players is in their final year of eligibility is in the crease where Grenier is joined by fellow 2007 born goalies Amelia Wilkinson and Ava Drabyk. Drabyk is the lone player who did not suit up for Canada this past summer, impressed at the Canadian U-18 national championships this Fall. The remaining 2007 born members of Canada include Riley Sorokan, Danica Maynard, Sydney Sawyer, Alex Therien, Lexie Bertelsen, Ava Wood, Kate Manness, and Dorothy Copetti.
Canada will play the 2025 tournament in Group B with Czechia, Slovakia and Switzerland, while Group A includes Finland, Japan, Sweden and the United States.
The Canadians open the tournament against Slovakia on January 4.