One-On-One: Did Canada's Roster Remake Do Enough To Move The Needle?

Team Canada named their 2026 World Championship roster, and it was a drastic change from the roster that won silver at the 2026 Olympics. In total, only 13 players remain from that roster, while seven players will make their Canadian national team debut at a major international tournament.

The roster ushers out superstars of the program including Brianne Jenner, Sarah Nurse, Jocelyne Larocque, Emerance Maschmeyer, and Natalie Spooner, and ushers in a group of promising new faces including NCAA standouts Rosalie Tremblay and Hayley McDonald, both in their rookie collegiate seasons, as well as Chloe Primerano, Caitlin Kraemer, Eve Gascon, and Sara Manness.

Ian Kennedy: What a change for Canada. It’s exciting to see so many new names, including young talent. It’s also a bit emotional for many Canadian fans to see the stars they’ve known and love exit. I’m wondering what the biggest surprises were here in your mind?

Cee Benwell: The biggest surprise for me is simply the amount of change. Looking at the names, you don’t see the familiar stars, although for different reasons. It might look like a huge ripping off of the bandaid, foregoing Larocque, Jenner, Spooner, etc., but since the team was going to be without Marie-Philip Poulin, Blayre Turnbull, and now Sarah Nurse, it’s as good a time as any to plug in some of the young players and see what they can do. It’s the first year of the new Olympic cycle, and in many ways, it’s the perfect time to do this. Are you in disbelief, or more relief?

IK: Relief. In fact when I see the selections, I almost think they could have gone farther in this process, but I think Canada maintained enough to ensure they aren’t being knocked off by another nation, while still being a better match for USA’s speed and compete level. People often say two steps forward, one step back. This might be two steps back, but it’s clearly setting up a giant leap forward. For the first time in several years, Canada is going to only get better from here on out. That’s exciting. Still, it comes with some incredibly difficult decisions watching long-time national team standouts, players who carried Canada to Olympic and World gold, gone. Along those lines, was there an omission that really stood out to you?

CB: To me, excluding Brianne Jenner has to be the biggest surprise. Not that it in itself is shocking, although she had a fantastic season, with more points than anyone else on this roster, but the motivation to change must have been greater than the inclination to stay with older players who have already proven what they could do. Jenner will be 39 when the next Olympics arrive, and the time has to be now to turn the page. That said, Sauvageau and company added Rebecca Leslie for her first senior team tournament, and went back to (a slower skater) Jessie Eldridge, so it isn’t like the youth is completely taking over yet.

IK: There was actually some debate among staff at Canada’s camp surrounding Eldridge. The belief was she didn’t come to camp in top form, and has work to do on that front before Worlds and before PWHL puck drop. Jenner is a tough choice. I think this was a decision not about the best professional, but around the best match to USA’s speed and skill. And yes, there were a few picks, like Eldridge, who probably don’t align with that, but overall, this is a significantly quicker roster who will check hard, move their feet, and make USA work a little harder for their wins, although in truth, USA remains a heavy favourite. For me the biggest omissions were of course Julia Gosling, who we know missed time in camp, and I still question not bringing Jennifer Gardiner who the last time Canada won gold was a top line player. Seeing how young Canada went, it also makes me even more baffled by the fact Stryker Zablocki was not just absent from camp, but absent from this roster. In the end, none of this matters if these changes move the needle for Canada against Team USA. Do you think they’re closer?

CB: I have to say yes. The simple injection of youth and speed matches what the U.S. has been doing for the last several years. And these newcomers aren’t going to be intimidated by playing against some of their NCAA counterparts. I’m really excited to see Chloe Primerano back and from what Daniele Sauvageau said about Rosalie Tremblay’s improvement even in a matter of months, she’ll be someone to keep an eye on. Sara Manness is an exciting player who can compete with the USA’s pace as well. The results from the past year showed that it almost can’t get any worse, right?

IK: With the new roster in place, it feels a bit like kicking last year’s team while they’re down, but it was an infamously bad season in all ways for Canada. If there’s one aspect of this new lineup that I truly believe moves the needle, it’s the blueline. Nicole Gosling, Chloe Primerano, and Kendall Cooper alone are enough to make this blueline more mobile, more dangerous both on the power play and in transition, and they add an edge. When you look at the last few major tournaments, Canada’s blueline imploded in crucial late moments of games with turnovers, missed coverage, or bad penalties. Even if these younger players make a few mistakes, it will be in the name of growth. I’m not sure this is a more potent offensive roster, but they’ll be a relentless group that will grow into future dominance.

CB: It’s also important for Renata Fast and Ella Shelton to regain their form after a down year for both. Ambrose doesn’t have the luxury of speed but she’ll be a good partner for one of the younger defenders because of her smarts. And while we haven’t discussed the goaltending, it’s safe to say it’s in good hands with Ann-Renée Desbiens for now, and Eve Gascon ready to take the reins very soon.