Rosalie Tremblay Makes Team Canada History As Youth Movement Begins Ahead Of Women's World Championship

Rosalie Tremblay has achieved what she set out to do.

The 18-year-old forward is among the 25 players selected by Team Canada general manager Danièle Sauvageau for the Women's World Hockey Championship, which will take place from November 6 to 16 in Denmark.

“I got back to university Thursday afternoon, and then I received a call from Kori Cheverie on Friday," Tremblay told The Hockey News over the phone Monday evening. "It was a tremendous honour. I was really happy. Especially hearing it from her, that made it really special.” 

“I've always said that age has never been something that intimidated me, and I think this means a lot, obviously,” she added. “It represents everyone who has supported and guided me. There's so much hard work behind this, and I think it's a huge accomplishment, but also an opportunity. It's great to make the team, but making the team means nothing if we don't win the gold medal. It's a wonderful recognition, but this is just the beginning. We still have to perform at the championship.”

For her part, Sauvageau said she was impressed by Tremblay's confidence and composure, both on and off the ice.

“I didn't see much difference between the way she played last week and the way I saw her play last August at the U22 camp," said Sauvageau during her press conference Modnay afternoon. "From the very first practice, she showed us her willingness to be engaged and to apply what was being taught, particularly during the more individual sessions. And ultimately, she showed her ability to play alongside players who are well established within the Canadian program. So, for us, she's ready mentally and physically, and above all, she's clearly ready to keep learning and applying what she's taught.”

The Tremblays are a close-knit family. So, it should come as no surprise that Rosalie shared the good news with her family first, through the group chat she shares with her parents, brother and sister.

“They've always supported me, no matter where I was, and they all knew that was the day I was expecting the call," Tremblay said. "They were so proud of me. At the beginning of camp, I don't think we really had any expectations, so finding out I had been selected was a really special moment.”

Tremblay becomes the youngest forward to earn a spot on Team Canada since Marie-Philip Poulin in 2009. The goal is not trying to compare the two players, which wouldn't be fair to Tremblay. Still, it's a remarkable accomplishment for the young Sherbrooke native.

“I think Marie-Philip Poulin is the person who has inspired the most people in women's hockey, so it's obviously a tremendous honour. I think there's a new wave coming through Hockey Canada, and I've been given a great opportunity. To do it at the same age as a player like Poulin is definitely special.”

Tremblay has also started receiving messages from her future teammates. Defender Renata Fast was the first to reach out, while Poulin also took the time to congratulate the young Quebecer, showing the class she's known for.

“She congratulated me, told me she was really happy for me and that she was looking forward to following the championship.”

The day after learning she had made the team, even though she still had to keep the news under wraps, Tremblay let her talent do the talking on the ice. Playing for the Wisconsin Badgers, she delivered an outstanding performance, scoring four goals and adding an assist.

“Coming back from camp, I think I brought a different level of confidence onto the ice, but also a lot of what I had learned. I think that really helped me perform with the Badgers.”

Team Canada is embarking on a significant youth movement, marking a sharp contrast with the roster that won silver at the most recent Olympic Games.

With six NCAA players on the roster, this marks the highest representation from the American collegiate ranks on Team Canada since the 2015 World Championship. Back then, eight players were still competing at the college level, including Montreal Victoire’s Marie-Philip Poulin and Ann-Renée Desbiens.

“As we're preparing for this year's World Championship, we're also in a position to build toward 2030. We wanted to see what we had coming up. They earned their spots.”

Including players who were invited to training camp but were unable to participate, 10 Canadians who competed in Milan will not be part of the current roster. Meanwhile, seven players will make their World Championship debuts with Team Canada.

Other than Tremblay, the faces of this youth movement are Eve Gascon (23), Caitlin Kraemer (20), Chloé Primerano (19), Hayley McDonald (18) and Sara Manness (19). They are joined by young PWHL players such as Kendall Cooper (23), Sarah Wozniewicz (23) and Nicole Gosling (24).

Gosling's situation will be worth monitoring after she suffered an injury during training camp, forcing her to miss last Tuesday's practice and Wednesday's game.

Without mentioning Gosling by name, Sauvageau alluded to the situation during her press conference when this writer asked whether Team Canada was still considering bringing additional players for its exhibition games against the Americans at the end of the month.

“We're still evaluating all of that. We're perhaps waiting for reports on certain injuries, let's put it that way," said Sauvageau. "And at the same time, regardless of where things stand, that's when we'll be able to select those players with a little more precision. We wanted to give ourselves a bit more time regarding what you just mentioned. The goal was to name the team quickly so that the players could, first, know they had been selected and, second, get into a preparation mindset as soon as possible.”

The Montréal Victoire lead all PWHL teams with five players named to Canada's roster. Along with Desbiens, the group includes Laura Stacey, Kati Tabin and newcomers Emma Maltais and Jessie Eldridge.

For Eldridge, her arrival in Montréal coincides with a return to the national team, having not been selected since the 2022 World Championship. It's also worth noting that general manager Danièle Sauvageau, head coach Kori Cheverie and assistant coach Caroline Ouellette all hold the same positions with Team Canada as they do with the Montréal Victoire.