Rosalie Tremblay And Canada’s Young Elite Shine At Women’s Worlds

Canada had outscored Japan 23–1 over their previous three meetings, so Sunday’s result came as little surprise.

The Canadians scored five times in the third period, including three goals in a 92-second span late in the game, to seal a 9–0 win. But this game will be remembered for more than the score.

To me, Sunday’s win was the game in which Canada’s youth movement, a talking point since training camp, announced its arrival. 

Eleven players on Canada’s roster are 24 or younger, but for me, six stand out as a group I’d call the Young Elite: Rosalie Tremblay, Caitlin Kraemer, Chloe Primerano, Kendall Cooper, Nicole Gosling and Ève Gascon.

Tremblay, 18, Primerano, 19, and Kraemer, 20, all scored their first goals at the Women’s World Championship. Tremblay and Emma Maltais shared the team lead with six shots apiece, while goaltender Gascon, 23, earned her first win and first shutout at the Worlds in her tournament debut.

At just 24, PWHL Las Vegas defender Kendall Cooper posted her second straight two-point game. She has two goals and two assists, tying Jessie Eldridge for the Canadian scoring lead with four points. Cooper leads the tournament with a plus-6 rating and sits just one point behind Caroline Harvey, the player drawing the most attention in Denmark.

PWHL Hamilton defender Nicole Gosling also picked up an assist against Japan and led all Canadian skaters with more than 17 minutes of ice time.

Canada needed this youth movement, and putting younger players on the roster was only the first step. They needed meaningful roles and the ice time to make an impact.

Rosalie Tremblay centres the first line, Caitlin Kraemer centres the second and Chloe Primerano plays on the top defence pair.

The ice time against Japan told the same story. Tremblay played more than Laura Stacey, Kraemer played more than Kristin O’Neill and Kendall Cooper played more than Renata Fast. Canada is trusting its younger players with meaningful minutes, and they’re making the most of them.

Head coach Kori Cheverie also gave Ève Gascon the start against Japan, an opportunity that had eluded her in her first stint with the senior team.

I expect Canada’s wait for gold to stretch beyond the 2030 Olympics. But is this team better than the one we saw in Milano Cortina? Yes. Is it better because of what the younger players bring? Without a doubt.

Two games into the tournament, Danièle Sauvageau, Manon Rhéaume, Mike Hirshfeld, Kori Cheverie, Caroline Ouellette, Kris Sparre and Bruce Cassidy can give themselves a pat on the back. They went young, and they chose well.

Speaking with Rosalie Tremblay after the game, what struck me was how quickly she gave credit to her teammates. That’s been her first instinct every time I’ve interviewed her, going back to when she was 17 and captained Team Quebec to gold at nationals. I usually have to ask a follow-up or two to get her to talk about her own game.

I get the sense she’s a little more comfortable talking about herself than Marie-Philip Poulin is, but that instinct to shine the spotlight on her teammates reminds me of Poulin.

“Honestly, it’s going really well,” Tremblay told me over the phone in an exclusive interview. “I think we have a great group, and it’s a lot of fun to do this together. I think we’ve been playing pretty well as a team so far, and it’s nice to see everyone chipping in.”

See what I mean?

At just 18, Tremblay plays like she’s been with the senior team for five years. She understands what’s expected of her as Canada’s first-line centre, and the poise she shows on the ice comes through just as clearly over the phone.

“I don’t put pressure on myself about it, but producing offensively is part of who I am as a player, and I understand the responsibility that comes with that. So of course I’m happy when my line produces. I think that’s part of my role.”

I then asked her what it meant to score her first goal at the Worlds.

“It’s definitely a dream to score a goal at the World Championship. It’s nice to get one early in the tournament. It gives you a bit of confidence. But to be honest, the net was wide open, so all I really had to do was shoot.”

If you get a chance, go back and watch the goal. The opening was smaller than Tremblay made it sound, and I’ve seen hundreds of players miss that shot.

Give Daryl Watts credit, too. It was a tremendous pass, and the two had already shown plenty of chemistry during power-play drills at training camp.

“I think Daryl is an incredibly smart player with a lot of skill, and the same goes for Jessie. I don’t think I’ve ever played with anyone that smart. It’s definitely an honour to share the ice with them.”

There she goes again, giving her teammates the credit. Yeah, Rosalie Tremblay is a different breed.