The 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina will be significant for women's hockey in a number of ways. First, it will be the final Olympics for many superstars of the game including USA's Hilary Knight, who formally announced 2026 will be her final Olympics. Second, it's the first Olympic Games of the PWHL era.
For Canada, Melodie Daoust and Rebecca Johnston have hung up their skates since the 2022 Olympics, but the majority of their 2022 roster remains eligible to return. It could however, mark the final Olympics for many Canadian stars including Jocelyne Larocque, Ann-Renee Desbiens, Brianne Jenner, Natalie Spooner, and Marie-Philip Poulin, among others. Even if some return, 2026 will mark a changing of the guard for Canada and other nations.
Who will be in net in 2026?
Given her play in the PWHL and internationally in 2024-25, it's hard not to see Ann-Renee Desbiens remaining Canada's goaltender of the present. She was a star for the Montreal Victoire and was again counted upon as Canada's starter at the 2025 Worlds in Czechia. Beyond Desbiens however, Canada's crease is filled with question marks. Canada will hope Emerance Maschmeyer bounced back from her season ending injury and finds her form. Canada might give a longer look at Eve Gascon, their third goalie at the 2025 Worlds who continues to rack up the accolades in net with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. There's nothing suggesting Gascon couldn't step into Canada's crease and play immediately, and Canada will likely want to give her the Olympic experience as one of their goalies of the future, even if it's as a third. If not Maschmeyer and Gascon, Canada has other options. It would not be surprising to see Canada move on from Kristen Campbell no matter how strong of a start she has in the PWHL.
If Canada leaves behind either Campbell or Maschmeyer, their best remaining options include Corinne Schroeder, Raygan Kirk, Kayle Osborne, and Hannah Murphy. Canada's next wave of standout goalies is a few years away following Gascon as they wait to watch the development of young netminders like Rhyah Stewart, Hannah Clark, and Marilou Grenier.
The Picks: Ann-Renee Desbiens, Emerance Maschmeyer, Eve Gascon
Patrolling the blueline for Canada...
Let's get the sure-things out of the way first. Barring injury, there is no world that Renata Fast, Ella Shelton, Erin Ambrose, and Claire Thompson don't return to Canada. If Jocelyne Larocque can continue her renaissance in the PWHL, Canada might lean into her experience one final time even in a depth role. The Olympics after all, are about winning now, not planning four years into the future. With that in mind, it would be surprising to see Canada leave out Sophie Jaques, who continues to emerge as one of the best offensive defenders in pro hockey.
The biggest question marks for Canada is what they'll do with their final spot(s). Nicole Gosling is set to step into the PWHL as a rookie after being left off Canada's 2025 World roster despite helping the team win gold in 2024. The other wildcard is Chloe Primerano. She was stellar in her rookie season in the NCAA with Minnesota, and if she can take another step forward to begin next season, it could be her spot to lose. Finally, Micah Zandee-Hart is likely the other defender still in the mix, but at the moment is on the outside looking in.
The Picks: Renata Fast, Erin Ambrose, Ella Shelton, Claire Thompson, Sophie Jaques, Jocelyne Larocque, Chloe Primerano, Nicole Gosling.
Who will do the scoring for Canada?
Captain Clutch, Marie-Philip Poulin will remain Canada's centerpiece in 2026, and Canada will likely attempt to keep their top producing line of Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Jennifer Gardiner from 2025 together again. Daryl Watts was consistently Canada's top threat in 2025 and is a lock for 2026, as is PWHL Rookie of the Year Sarah Fillier. It would be shocking to see Canada stray from Sarah Nurse and Emily Clark, but beyond this, there are a lot of players swirling around the same pool that will need to find a way to stand out.
For better or worse, Canada has been faithful to their aging core aside from a departure from Jamie Lee Rattray ahead of 2025. It's highly likely Troy Ryan and Gina Kingsbury bring back Blayre Turnbull and Brianne Jenner for one more kick at the can. If eligible, this could be the moment we see Hannah Miller make her Canadian senior national team debut. Emma Maltais is another likely pick to provide depth checking. That leaves a maximum of one active roster spot and three positions overall for Canada to fill. Those spots will be fought for among Danielle Serdachny, Julia Gosling, and Kristin O'Neill as returning veterans, as well as up and coming players like Jocelyne Amos, Anne Cherkowski, Jenna Buglioni, Sarah Paul, Caitlin Kraemer, and Emalee Pais. There are others Canada should be considering, but they're unlikely to reach outside their existing pool.
Serdachny has the obvious edge as a player who has scored in the last two gold medal games and has the most offensive upside of the bunch, followed by Gosling. It's high time Canada's brass gives a shot to another NCAA forward, and Amos is the obvious pick.
The Picks: Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, Jennifer Gardiner, Daryl Watts, Sarah Nurse, Sarah Fillier, Emily Clark, Blayre Turnbull, Brianne Jenner, Hannah Miller, Emma Maltais, Danielle Serdachny, Julia Gosling, Jocelyn Amos.
A Look At Canada's Projected 2026 Olympic Women's Hockey Roster
Forwards:
Gardiner - Poulin - Stacey
Nurse - Fillier - Watts
Clark - Miller - Serdachny
Maltais - Turnbull - Jenner
Amos - Gosling
Defenders:
Fast - Shelton
Ambrose - Thompson
Jaques - Larocque
Primerano
Gosling
Goaltenders:
Ann-Renee Desbiens, Emerance Maschmeyer, Eve Gascon