Team Canada GM Danièle Sauvageau Talks Speed, Youth and World Championship Roster

On the second day of Team Canada’s training camp in Quebec City on Friday, GM Danièle Sauvageau met with the media between Team White and Team Red’s practices.

Sauvageau offered few details about the players invited to camp who were unable to attend, aside from confirming that Blayre Turnbull is pregnant and Marie-Philip Poulin is continuing her rehabilitation. She noted that players could be absent for a variety of reasons, including injuries.

Asked specifically about Sarah Nurse, who appeared on the initial roster released last week but was absent from the updated version issued on the first day of camp, Sauvageau said, “There may be circumstances that have changed between when we announced the team and now, leading to the replacement.”

Her comments appear consistent with what The Hockey News has been hearing: Nurse initially agreed to attend camp before changing her mind.

The Hockey News was able to confirm through sources that Anne Cherkowski, who was absent but could not attend, is recovering from hip surgery performed over the summer. The procedure is not expected to affect her season, although she may not be ready for training camp with PWHL San Jose. 

The World Championship will be Canada’s first major tournament since Sauvageau was appointed GM. She and her staff have set what she described as “four objectives,” or tasks, for this camp.

“To teach. To develop. We have to prepare the team for the World Championship, and we have to make our selections,” said the 64-year-old executive.

Asked what she was looking for from her players, Sauvageau didn’t answer directly. Instead, she highlighted some of Team USA’s strengths, suggesting those are qualities she wants to see from Canada.

“When you look at the United States, they play with a lot of speed and a strong transition game. And when we talk about speed, we’re not just talking about skating. We’re talking about puck movement, being able to get the puck and move it up the ice very quickly, while trusting your teammates to give you options.”

Sauvageau also addressed the youth movement evident at camp, with 15 of the 48 invitees playing in the NCAA this season.

“I really like what I’m seeing from the young players,” she said. “It’s one thing to watch them play at their own level, but the real question is how that translates to this level.”

Sauvageau confirmed that Canada’s roster for the World Championship will be finalized before the team faces the United States on October 28 in Windsor, Ontario. The decisions will most likely come in the days following the conclusion of training camp in Quebec City on October 14. She added that the team wants to notify players as soon as possible.

A few additional players may accompany the team to Windsor on October 28 and Plymouth, Michigan, on October 30 as potential injury replacements, but Canada’s World Championship roster will already be set.