Canada unveils women’s hockey roster for 2026 Winter Olympics

One of hockey’s greatest supernations looks to get back on top on the grandest stage in sports.

On Friday, Hockey Canada released its women’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 23-player roster is littered with familiar names, featuring rising stars and future Hall of Famers, all with the same goal in mind, another gold medal.

There’s certainly a familiar feel to this year’s roster, as all but two of the 25 players who played for Canada at last year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship are on this year’s roster. Headlined by Captain Clutch herself, Marie-Philip Poulin, Team Canada has loads of championship experience, both internationally and domestically. There’s a massive contingent that remains from the gold-medal-winning squad from Beijing four years ago, giving the team a greater intangible compared to other teams in the tournament.

I’m excited to see what Daryl Watts will be able to do on the Olympic stage, as she has used the PWHL to catapult herself into stardom over the past couple of years. She’s one of a few first-time Olympians on this roster, including defender Sophie Jaques, who has become one of the country’s best blueliners in recent years. Kati Tabin has been a solid defender with the Montreal Victoire, and his gearing up for her first shot on the world stage.

Goaltending is the same as it has been for a half-decade, as Ann-Renee Desbiens and Emerance Maschmeyer are back as the team’s tandem. It was broken up last spring in Czechia with Maschmeyer out due to injury. Both veterans will be heading into Italy with a chip on their shoulders.

Here’s the roster general manager Gina Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan have picked for next month’s event:

Forwards: Emily Clark, Sarah Fillier, Jenn Gardiner, Julia Gosling, Brianne Jenner, Emma Maltais, Sarah Nurse, Kristin O’Neill, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Laura Stacey, Blayre Turnbull, Daryl Watts

Defenders: Erin Ambrose, Renata Fast, Sophie Jaques, Jocelyne Larocque, Ella Shelton, Kati Tabin, Claire Thompson

Goaltenders: Ann-Renee Desbiens, Emerance Maschmeyer, Kayle Osborne

Canada is unquestionably the most successful team in women’s hockey history, including at the Olympics. Despite falling to the U.S. in the inaugural tournament in 1998, the Canadians have won gold five times, making it to the championship game every time. This year’s team will have some pressure on it. Not only did the team lose to the Americans in the final of last year’s Women’s Worlds, but they were convincingly swept by its southern rivals in the Rivalry Series, marking six straight losses to the U.S. heading into the Olympics.

Here is Canada’s schedule for its group stage games:

• Thursday, Feb. 5: Finland vs. Canada, 3:10 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Feb. 7: Switzerland vs. Canada, 3:10 p.m. ET
• Monday, Feb. 9: Canada vs. Czechia, 3:10 p.m. ET
  Tuesday, Feb. 10: Canada vs. USA, 2:10 p.m. ET

The quarterfinals will begin on Feb. 13 and conclude the following day. Both semifinals are taking place on Feb. 16. The tournament will wrap up on Feb. 19 with both the gold and bronze medal games.

Read more women’s hockey stories at DFO