Candidates For Canada: Team Canada Needs Change

A young and revitalized USA roster won gold, while Canada stayed the course with their veterans. Canada, however, needs new faces. Here are the candidates.

Inevitably after a loss, reflection will occur. Few would blame Canada for betting on the same roster that won back-to-back gold at the World Championships, and Olympic Gold in 2022.

After watching Canada's performance at the 2023 World Championships however, it became increasingly evident that an influx of new faces will soon be needed for Canada to continue to challenge year over year for gold.

In the preliminary round, it was blowing a two goal lead to USA in the final minute, and allowing lesser teams to hang around. In the quarterfinals, it was a last second squandered lead to Sweden, followed by a semifinal that saw Canada unable to score for more than half the game against Switzerland. In the gold medal game, Canada's late game collapse after entering the third period up a goal was staggering.

More importantly, at times, Canada looked rusty. They looked out of game shape compared to the American roster, which featured a dozen current NCAA players. Canada's top scorer was NCAA star Sarah Fillier. The coaching staff chose to keep the NCAA's leading scorer Danielle Serdachny buried on the fourth line. 

USA has already undergone a generational shift, handing the reins of the team to Taylor Heise, Caroline Harvey, Tessa Janecke, Hannah Bilka, Aerin Frankel, Cayla Barnes and others. USA employed their older stars complimentary to the young players driving the motor of the team, allowing them to flourish in specified roles. Canada's attempt to go back to the well again, failed. Their 6-3 loss was tied for Canada's largest gold medal defeat in tournament history, equaling their 4-1 loss to USA in 2009.

In total, the average age of Team USA was more than three years younger than Team Canada, who was by far the oldest team in the tournament, sitting more than four years older than Czechia, and five years older than Switzerland, the other two semifinalists.

Unlike Team USA, Canada didn't host a camp, using only the Rivalry Series, which in large part ignored NCAA players, as their tryouts.

When you look at all of this evidence, it's clear something needs to change. Whether it's how Canada selects, or who they select, Canada can't continue deploying the same roster much longer.

It's time Canada looked to new blood to move their program forward. Here's a look at a group of players Canada should seriously consider for their 2024 roster with eyes on the 2026 Olympics.

Looking at USA's roster, they are loaded with former Patty Kazmaier Award winners as the NCAA's best player, including Taylor Heise and Aerin Frankel, winners in 2022 and 2021 respectively. Canada has several recent winners available...just not on their roster. Waiting in the wings as potential forwards are former Patty Kazmaier winners Elizabeth Giguere (2020), Loren Gabel (2019), and Daryl Watts (2018). All three played in the PHF this season, a league Canada's national program largely ignores, while other nations have embraced the league. Of those three, Gabel led the PHF in scoring, Giguere put in perhaps the best all-around season of any player in the league, and Watts signed a record contract before winning an Isobel Cup. Other PHF players that deserve consideration from Team Canada include Kennedy Marchment and Brittany Howard.

Looking at players who were in the NCAA this past season, Jennifer Gardiner was the second highest scoring Canadian (behind Serdachny) in the NCAA. She is a former national champion with Ohio State, going back to the final again this year, and won U-18 gold with Canada. On Ohio State, she outscored Canada's lone other NCAA player Emma Maltais by nine points this season.

Also in the top 10 in NCAA scoring this season were Anne Cerkowski and Gabrielle David from Clarkson, followed closely by Julie Gosling, who is a power forward who has represented Canada multiple times. Add to the conversation Abby Newhook and Sophie Shirley, and NCAA rookies Jade Iginla and Madison Chantler, and there would have been no freebie roster spots for Canada's forwards. The competition itself would have helped prepare Canada for Worlds.

Other Forward Candidates: Victoria Bach, Maggie Connors, Maya Labad, Sarah Paul, Maddie Wheeler, Jenna Buglioni, Amy Potomak.

Sophie Jaques is the reigning Patty Kazmaier winner, a national champion, and led all NCAA defenders in scoring. Second in scoring, 11 points behind Jaques? World Championship best defender Caroline Harvey of the USA. Jaques has never represented Canada in international competition despite the fact she has 107 points in her last 79 NCAA games...from the blueline. For reference, Jaques is only the second defender ever to win the Patty Kazmaier Award, the other is Hockey Hall of Famer Angela Ruggiero. There is no excuse for the omission of Jaques.

Canada's next tier of available blueliners includes NCAA standouts Stephanie Markowski (Clarkson), Megan Carter (Northeastern), Kendall Cooper (Quinnipiac), and Nicole Gosling (Clarkson). PHF defender Allie Munroe also deserves a look. Younger options include Sara Swiderski and Brooke Disher, who both finished rookie seasons in the NCAA, but should be at camps gaining experience.

Other Defence Candidates: Sydney Pederson, Alyssa Regalado, Jenna Bugliano, Maggie MacEachern, Alexie Guay, Kati Tabin.

Looking at other World Championship rosters, a young goaltender was included as the third string, if not playing. Canada brought a veteran contingent, with the youngest being 25-year-old Kristen Campbell. None of Canada's three netminders have faced regular game action in three years. The top goaltenders in the tournament this year were younger netminders including Aerin Frankel, Emma Soderberg, and Sandra Abstreiter. Canada's Ann Renee Desbiens was named top goaltender, but was largely unchallenged in the tournament, and had a disastrous gold medal game.

To help build a path to Canada's crease in the future, bringing in a younger netminder now, should be a priority. 

At the NCAA level, Michelle Pasiechnyk (Clarkson), Kayle Osborne (Colgate), and Hannah Murphy (Colgate) are the leading candidates, while USports player of the year Kendra Woodland (New Brunswick), who represented Canada at the U-18 level, should be in the discussion as well.

PHF goaltender Corrine Schroeder was spectacular this year, running away with rookie and goaltending stats in the league. The Boston Pride goalie chose the PHF to get regular repetitions, and it paid off. Canada can no longer ignore these goaltenders.

Other Goalie Candidates: Eve Gascon, Amanda Leveille, Jessie McPherson