In readiness for the Milano Cortina Olympics in February, 30 players have been named to the Canadian team roster. In August, they attended an orientation camp in Calgary with the men’s team. Then from August 30 to September 12, they trained together before enjoying two weeks off. At the end of September, another training block started, this time in Toronto. The final training block is now underway, and all 30 athletes are hoping to make the cut. Only 23 athletes will be selected, and if someone shines brightly in PWHL action but was not at camp, they could still make it.
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On Monday, coach Troy Ryan held two practices: one with a 23-player group and another with a seven-player group. The sole reason is that a practice with 30 players is quite crowded. From what we saw in the bigger group, the following lines could be used when Canada takes on the United States in the Rivalry Series in November:
Darryl Watts – Marie-Philip Poulin – Danielle Serdachny
Emma Maltais- Sarah Fillier- Julia Gosling
Hanna Miller- Kristin O’Neil – Jennifer Gardiner
Emily Clark – Blayre Turnbull - Caitlin Kraemer
As for the blueliners, the following pairs were used:
Sophie Jacques – Micah Zandee-Hart
Claire Thompson-Erin Ambrose
Ella Shelton – Renata Fast
Jocelyne Larocque – Chloe Primerano
Ann-Renee Desbiens and Emerance Maschmeyer practiced with the main group and saw plenty of action.
Practice started with a brief faceoff clinic for the centers, before the team was put through its paces by coach Troy Ryan in various drills simulating real-game action. The centers were on the ice by 10:45, and the primary practice ran from 11:00 to 12:00.
The players who took part in the first on-ice session then had to do their strength and conditioning training off the ice. At the same time, the second group, formed of Laura Stacey, Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner, Brianne Jenner, Nicole Gosling, Kati Tabin, and goaltender Kayle Osborne took to the ice.
The goaltenders worked on positioning with the coach, while the six skaters worked on net-front play, shooting from rebounds, and deflecting pucks. It was interesting to see Stacey work on deflecting pucks shot by Gosling, the Montreal Victoire’s first pick at the latest draft. If all goes according to plan in Montreal, it’s something the fans should see a lot of in the coming seasons.
There was also another drill that pitted a forward against a defender, but one of the two players had no stick and had to try to counter their opponent. There was a spirited battle between Stacey and Tabin, teammates with la Victoire, but as soon as the whistle was blown, they were congratulating each other on a hard-fought battle.
Watching both groups work, it’s tough to guess which players could be cut before the Olympics. The Canadian team has many talented veterans, but there are also many great rookies waiting in the wings. The United States is ahead of Canada in the changing of the guard, but one must wonder when that’s likely to happen for the national side. Of course, nobody’s cutting the likes of Poulin, who remains the heart and soul of the team, but Larocque must be feeling Gosling and Primerano breathing down her neck.
The players will be back on the ice on Tuesday and Friday from 11:00 to 13:00, and on Wednesday from 10:00 to 12:00, with Thursday off. As the week goes on, players will rotate in and out of the main group. The sole reason behind the two groups is that 30 players on the ice at once is just not manageable.
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