Ontario has dominated Canada's U-18 national championships, the province continues to fill Canada's senior national team, and it's the best organized province for girls hockey competition.
Ontario is Canada's most populated province with nearly 16 million people. In women's hockey, Ontario is also the primary force driving Canada's international dominance, with the next largest provinces of Quebec (9 million), British Columbia (5.6 million), and Alberta (4.8 million) providing only a speckling of players.
It's been reflected at all levels including Canada's U-18 national championships where Ontario Red has won 14 of 15 titles all-time, with Ontario Blue winning the only other event. In recent years, Ontario Red has featured the bulk of Canada's U-18 national team, including this year again as 13 of the 25 players named to Canada's roster for the Summer Series against USA are playing for Ontario Red, and 15 players total came from Ontario.
When looking at the 30 players centralizing for Canada's senior national team ahead of the 2026 Olympics, it's clear that Team Canada's success is tied heavily to Ontario's development pathways.
Looking back at the origins of international women's hockey at the first unofficial World Women's Hockey Tournament in 1987, the event not only featured a Team Canada, comprised largely of Ontario players from the national champion Hamilton Golden Hawks, but Canada ended up facing Team Ontario, who stepped in to replace West Germany, in the gold medal game. Team Ontario at that tournament featured future Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Angela James and Geraldine Heaney.
That depth has persisted. Looking at Hockey Canada's national team roster, it would be no stretch to believe a Team Ontario could perennially medal in international competition. From Canada's blueline alone, Renata Fast, Ella Shelton, Erin Ambrose, Sophie Jaques, Claire Thompson, and Nicole Gosling are Ontario products, and that list goes deeper with players not at Canada's current camp including long-time national team member Jaime Bourbonnais and 2025 Canadian national development team captain and PWHL first round pick Kendall Cooper.
Up front, Ontario's impact on Team Canada continues with Daryl Watts, Sarah Fillier, Natalie Spooner, Sarah Nurse, Laura Stacey, Emma Maltais, Caitlin Kraemer, Kristin O'Neill, and Julia Gosling currently competing for Olympic roster spots, and others like Jessie Eldridge, Jamie Lee Rattray, and Loren Gabel holding gold medals and international experience to their names from Ontario.
If there's one position Ontario has lagged behind, it's in net where only Kayle Osborne, who is a long shot to make Team Canada, comes from the province. Elaine Chuli is the only other Ontario born and raised goalie making an impact at the PWHL level as well. Elsewhere in Canada goaltenders including Ann-Renee Desbiens and Eve Gascon (Quebec); Corinne Schroeder, Raygan Kirk, and Kristen Campbell (Manitoba); and Emerance Maschmeyer (Alberta) are dominating the crease.
In total, more than half of Canada's national team pool originates from Ontario. Meanwhile, other provinces lag behind. Ontario is followed by British Columbia (Jennifer Gardiner, Hannah Miller), Micah Zandee-Hart, Chloe Primerano), Quebec (Ann-Renee Desbiens, Eve Gascon, Marie-Philip Poulin), Alberta (Emerance Maschmeyer, Danielle Serdachny), Manitoba (Jocelyne Larocque, Kati Tabin), Saskatchewan (Emily Clark), and the Atlantic provinces (Blayre Turnbull / Nova Scotia).
It's More Than Population Driving Ontario's Dominance
It's much more than population driving Ontario's dominance on the ice, and their contributions to Canada's national team.
Ontario is the only province in Canada with a highly competitive top league. Players in Ontario move from the U-15 or U-18 'AA' level to Ontario OWHL U-22 Elite league. It's the only true Junior hockey league for women in Canada. In Ontario, almost every top player from the province competes in the OWHL. Quebec has a clear path moving from their their U-18 'AAA' league to the QCHL as well, although many of Quebec's top players compete elsewhere including programs like Stanstead College, Bourget College, or the Northwood School.
Moving west the options become more scattered. Every province has a provincial league, but those leagues are on par, at best, with Ontario's U-18 'AA' loop, which is why they remain involved in the Esso Cup each year, Canada's U-18 national championship. Many top players from the west, more recently, have joined sport schools in the CSSHL. In the east, top players most commonly leave Atlantic leagues, which also sit in a similar bracket to Ontario's U-18 loop.
From a top down perspective, Hockey Canada has allowed provinces to guide the development of women's hockey nationally, with no clear plan, tiers, or well defined pathways. Men's hockey it's clear - top players go to 'AAA' hockey, then either directly to the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL, or to a top Junior 'A' league prior to one of those leagues or the NCAA.
In women's hockey, there is no clear pathway outside Ontario.
It's why, at the U-18 national championships, only Team Ontario Red and Team Ontario Blue can boast a unique commonality - every player from both rosters competes in the OWHL U-22 Elite loop. And players from across Canada are taking notice, and beginning to move to Ontario as well. Team Manitoba features four players who have moved to the OWHL, two from British Columbia, five from Team Atlantic, and one from Team Alberta.
While CSSHL programs are where most elite players are now heading in the west, the programs remain costly, and at the moment, the division of elite players is only watering down the competition more in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.
For example, Team Alberta features nine players competing in the Alberta Female Hockey League, a loop on par with Ontario's U-18 'AA' league. Nine others are competing with CSSHL programs, while one is in Ontario's OWHL, and one is in the USA playing for Shattuck St. Mary's. Directing all of these players to a single pathway like Ontario does would significantly increase the calibre of competition athletes are training with, and competing against.
Manitoba is in a similar predicament with seven players competing in their Manitoba Female Hockey League, nine in the CSSHL, and four in Ontario.
For the first time in years, British Columbia's roster is almost exclusively players from the CSSHL, dominated by players from Delta Hockey Academy and RHA Kelowna, with their only out of province players competing in the OWHL. Most of Saskatchewan's roster competes in their U-18 loop, but the province still has four players in the CSSHL.
Things are even more bleak in the Atlantic provinces, where there is no single league able to drive development.
With the expansion of the PWHL west, the focus on girls hockey development is likely to become a more pressing issue, but from a top-down perspective, the scatter of players outside of Ontario reducing the calibre of play in other provinces, is an issue to be resolved if Canada hopes to shift their reliance from Ontario in the development of elite players to continue powering Team Canada toward international gold.