Evaluating players at Canada's training blocks and Rivalry Series games will be useful, but ultimately Canada's brass will be as focused on performance in the PWHL this season as any other evaluation tool.
Not only did the creation of the PWHL change the way Team Canada trains, but it could also change the way the team is built.
Presently, 30 players were invited to the three training blocks in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal over the past few months.
The next step is the PWHL international break from December 8 to December 15. Two Rivalry Series games will be held in Edmonton while Team Canada will spend the week there training.
But this is not when and where the final cuts will be made.
“There will still be a lot of PWHL games to evaluate our players,” explained Team Canada GM Gina Kingsbury, after the team’s practice in Montreal on Wednesday.
“We love the fact that we’ve got a platform of watching our athletes compete in a pro league and really measure up on how are they doing and see who’s peaking at the right time, who’s doing the things that we are teaching at those camps and who’s going to help us win an Olympic gold medal. So, we have a lot of opportunities after that event to continue to measure our athletes before a decision is going to be made.”
Before the two games in Edmonton, Team Canada will play the United States in Cleveland and Buffalo next week. But the Rivalry Series games are not a be-all and end-all situations for those players.
“The next two games against the US are just a measuring stick, there’s nothing, there’s no pressure on it,” added Kingsbury. “It’s just to try and build the puzzle. I think the games in the PWHL and in the NCAA are equally important. We’re not putting pressure on what next week will look like.”
The PWHL Will Be Impactful
The impact of the PWHL and especially the first few weeks of the season will be important for players to make their mark. And according to Kingsbury, even though some players weren’t invited to the training blocks, their performance in the PWHL could make the coaching staff consider them.
“It’s been said to them, to our team. We want to win an Olympic gold medal. So, if someone increases our odds of winning an Olympic gold medal, we will make the decision that allows us to win an Olympic gold medal. Again, I think we’ve got a great group together here. We’re confident in the group that we have, that we have all the pieces that we need. But if there’s a piece of the puzzle that comes through in league play that we believe is going to help us win an Olympic gold medal, we’re going to make the decision that we need to make.”
Adds Team Canada’s head coach Troy Ryan:
“With a deep Canadian roster, the PWHL lines and combinations will be huge,” he said. “If the PWHL wasn't active and we were in the old system, these practices, these games would mean so much more. It would be the only opportunity to have meaningful games to kind of form those opinions. Now, it's almost like the start of our scouting process because the PWHL is just getting going and we don't know what's going to unfold in the league. So, if a goalie plays in the PWHL and is outstanding, we’d be crazy not to consider that, you know, to have a hot goalie at that point. Also, if some line combinations form in the next month, we have to be able to tap into that. So, it's really hard to have your opinions, but also be open to what unfolds. And I think the PWHL is so valuable for that. Like we're going to see some things that maybe we never thought of and we're crazy if we don't capitalize off that.”
Final Cuts in 2026
That said, when those final cuts can be expected then?
“Probably early January,” said Kingsbury. “First week of January is what we said to our athletes internally, we’ll let them know. For many reasons. Obviously, we’d love to make that decision the last day possible, just before going to Milan. But, as you know, it’s a big moment in these athletes’ lives, for them to wrap their minds about making the team, getting their families organized to go to games, all of those things we try to consider to make sure we’re getting them enough heads up so that they can be at their best in February.”
With the PWHL season only stopping on January 29, there won’t be another occasion for Team Canada to get together prior to the Olympics. But other things are in place so the bond between them keeps its course.
“We won’t get together. But the connection pieces, some will be formally on some ways, on Zoom call, just an opportunity to talk hockey and connect,” explained Kingsbury. “And some will be done casually, and kind of organically through our leadership group. And though our athletes. This group is so tight on and off the ice and I think they understand the mandate here going into games is that we don’t disconnect because we’re playing against each other in the PWHL. Just making sure that we stay connected because it’s one of our strengths.”