Team Canada is bringing six new members of their senior national team to the 2025 IIHF World Championships. Their roster will certainly look different after winning gold in 2024, but is it better?
Newcomers to Canada’s roster include goaltender Eve Gascon and defender Chloe Primerano, the lone current NCAA players on Team Canada. Canada also added PWHL players Sophie Jaques, Daryl Watts, Hannah Miller, and Jennifer Gardiner. Miller played for China at the 2022 Olympic Games, and had to apply to the IIHF to shift her eligibility. The North Vancouver product played for Canada’s U-18 national team, but will not make her senior national team debut.
Not only is Canada bringing six new players, they also brought back Micah Zandee-Hart and Claire Thompson to their blueline.
Canada’s Blueline Gets A Makeover
It was a bit surprising to see Jocelyne Larocque maintain her spot on Team Canada, particularly in favour of top PWHL prospect Nicole Gosling. Larocque’s game has seen an uptick since her trade to the Ottawa Charge, but stylistically, her game doesn’t match well with the ever evolving level of international play. Ashton Bell has faced injuries, and struggled to produce in Ottawa, while Jaime Bourbonnais has seen her stock decline in the PWHL.
With all that said, the additions of Claire Thompson, Sophie Jaques, Chloe Primerano, and Micah Zandee-Hart to Canada’s blue adds skill, offensive ability from the back end, and in Zandee-Hart, another hard checking shutdown blueliner.
Overall, Troy Ryan and Gina Kingsbury managed to improve their blueline ahead of the 2025 World Championships. There’s no doubt the dynamic group they’ve brought in will not only be an upgrade this year, but into the 2026 Olympics as well. It would not be surprising to see Gosling play her way back to Team Canada in time for the Olympics.
When you consider adding these players to the heart of Canada’s blueline, a trio including Renata Fast, Erin Ambrose, and Ella Shelton, and Canada brings a mix of skill, dynamism, and experience.
The Biggest Question Is In Net
If Ann-Renee Desbiens is 100% healthy, there’s little to worry about for Canada. If she’s not, it’s time to wave the red flags. Without Desbiens, Canada could be tempted to put in NCAA netminder Eve Gascon. Gascon was the WCHA Goaltender of the Year with Minnesota-Duluth, and played for Canada’s development team at the Six Nations stop of the Euro Women’s Hockey Tour.
Campbell is the reigning PWHL goaltender of the year, but struggled to start this year. She’s been inconsistent, and in her international auditions at Canada’s camp and the Rivalry Series has been downright porous. The decision to omit Corinne Schroeder, who has been Canada most consistent goaltender in the PWHL the past two years could haunt Canada.
New Layers Of Offense Unlocked
Daryl Watts is a player opponents will not be able to ignore. She can break games with her agility, and deceptive hands. Canada’s been waiting for their next offensive star, and they’ve got her in Watts. The late addition of Hannah Miller, who needed to await approval from the IIHF after playing for China at the 2022 Olympics, is another boom for Canada. With Miller, they add another big bodied power forward who can play a two-way game, and score big moment goals.
Canada left behind long time national team member Jamie Lee Rattray. Once considered a secret weapon for Canada who could produce in limited minutes, Rattray has seen herself surpassed in the PWHL by others. The decision to not bring Julia Gosling was less clear. Gosling and Danielle Serdachny were quiet leaders for Canada in 2024. When the veterans couldn’t break through, Canada’s young players stepped on the ice, changed the pace of the game, and got things going again. Gosling hasn’t produced with Toronto, but it’s not for a lack of chances.
Looking at Canada’s roster, the biggest question mark up front, who will for the first time since she joined Team Canada in 2012 is Brianne Jenner. Jenner has been nearly invisible with the Ottawa Charge this season. She simply has not been able to positively impact Ottawa’s attack or two-way game. While some PWHL veterans like Hilary Knight found ways to revitalize their game and take a step forward later in their career, Jenner has gone the other way this year. Troy Ryan moved Jenner to the wing at recent tournaments to prolong her national team career. There’s nowhere left to shift Jenner to if she can’t find her game. Ottawa will hope a visit to Team Canada can help their struggling captain as well.
