Troy Ryan has officially been named head coach for Canada's women's hockey team at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy.
“It is always an honour and privilege to be in this leadership position as we set our expectations and goals for the Olympics,” said Ryan. “We have a tremendous coaching staff that is committed to the vision and process, and I am excited for the journey ahead. We know our athletes are motivated to compete and we are eager to begin the work towards achieving something extraordinary in seven months time.”
Ryan will be joined by assistant coaches Kori Cheveri, Caroline Ouellette, and Britni Smith, as well as goaltending coach Brad Kirkwood.
Ryan is currently the head coach of the PWHL's Toronto Sceptres, while Cheverie is the head coach of the PWHL's Montreal Victoire and reigning PWHL Coach of the Year. Ouellette, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, is an associate head coach at Concordia University, and also served as an assistant coach for the Montreal Victoire. Smith is the head coach for Syracuse University in the NCAA, while Kirkwood works with the Toronto Sceptres as the team's goalie coach.
The staff was put together by national team general manager Gina Kingsbury, who also serves as the GM for the Toronto Sceptres.
“We have made a conscious effort to create an environment for our athletes where consistency among our coaches creates trust and accountability in each other,” said Kingsbury. “Our staff are experienced, detail-oriented and passionate as they give our team the confidence to grow, compete and meet the challenges of both short-term and long-term competition. We continue to build something special with our group and we are excited to see it all come together as we compete for a gold medal in Milan.”
Also joining Team Canada's staff for the 2026 season are Cherie Piper (senior manager of player development and scouting), Andrew Boucher (video coach), Vicki Bendus (strength and conditioning coach), Alana Goulden and Blair Smook (equipment managers), Laura Bennion (team physician), Christine Atkins and Danielle McNally (therapists), Meagan Cowell (massage therapist), Judy Riege (performance coach), Dylan Rockwell (senior hockey operations manager), Savannah Newton (hockey operations manager), Cassidy Wait (hockey operations coordinator), and Esther Madziya (media relations manager).
Canada opens their 2026 Olympics against Finland on February 5. Canada is the reigning Olympic gold medalists having defeated USA in 2022 in the gold medal game.