When looking at Canada's pipeline to the national team, no group has been more exciting than their current U-18 national team roster.
When looking at Canada's pipeline to the national team, no group has been more exciting than their current U-18 national team roster.
Canada has incoming talent to the senior national team, but it's uncertain when the next Marie-Philip Poulin, Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford, Caroline Ouellette, or Angela James will step on the ice.
While the current crop of incoming players and NCAA standouts will certainly make their mark with Team Canada, there looks to be a gap ahead when it comes to elite talent. That is, however, until the current crop of U-18 players are ushered into the senior national program.
Canada's current roster includes stars in the making with defender Chloe Primerano and forward Caitlin Kraemer. Primerano is a sublimely skilled blueliner who is certainly the best Canadian prospect in a decade. Kraemer plays a power game and is one of the most dangerous scorers off the rush out there.
Kraemer broke Marie-Philip Poulin's goal scoring records this week as Canada's all-time leader at the U-18 level, and did it in fewer games. Primerano opened her tournament with a five point performance building off the 57 points in only 15 games she's recorded at the club level this year with RINK Academy...as a defender.
Perhaps the most prototypical Team Canada player on the U-18 roster is Abby Stonehouse, who looks like the next Jamie Lee Rattray or Blayre Turnbull.
The group also includes Canadian captain Emma Venusio, who is an offensive defender with a laser shot.
The last U-18 group to graduate a player to Canada's senior national team was the 2019-2020 pre-pandemic roster that included Anne Cherkowski and Nicole Gosling who both made their debut this year with Canada at the Rivalry Series. The year prior the roster included Gosling and Cherkowski, as well as Danielle Serdarchny, Julia Gosling, and Jennifer Gardiner. Ashton Bell, Emma Maltais, and Sarah Fillier will certainly be part of the future, with Fillier's star already arriving as a top line player.
A lot can occur between the U-18 tournament and a chance to play for Canada's top team, but the belief is that Canada wants to fast track Primerano to their top team, and seeing Kraemer continue to pile on the goals, she won't be far behind in their minds.
The importance of this group for Canada is crucial in terms of continuing to compete internationally with the USA. Team USA has ushered in a young core featuring the likes of Caroline Harvey, Taylor Heise, Hannah Bilka, Tessa Janecke, Cayla Barnes, Abbey Murphy, Aerin Frankel, Rory Guilday, Haley Winn, Gabbie Hughes, Lacey Eden, and Britta Curl. The next wave of Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards, Joy Dunne, Sydney Morrow and others is equally impressive. In fact, USA has an abundance of players who could all step in now.
When you look at Canada's coming group beyond the players who have already made their national team debuts this year...it's thin. Serdachny, Julia Gosling and Sara Fillier look like a legitimate trio who can score, while Cherkowski fits as a two-way presence.
Beyond the existing group, perhaps Canada's best hope is to find a breakout star in the PWHL.
But this current group of Canadian U-18 players, even beyond Primerano, Kraemer, Stonehouse, and Venusio, has a plethora of players who have a legitimate shot to continue their upward trajectory.
Sara Manness, Claire Murdoch, Avery Pickering, Gracie Graham, Morgan Jackson, Mackenzie Alexander, Stryker Zablocki, and the list goes on. Even a player like Sienna D'Alessandro who originally wasn't named to Canada's U-18 team plays a heavy style that will appeal to Canada.
We are certainly witnessing key members to Canada's future, but potentially, the current U-18 roster is the core of Canada's next big wave of talent.