Predicting Canada's 2026 Olympic Women's Hockey Roster

Canada will likely bring a very similar group to the 2026 Olympics in Italy to the one that won gold at the 2024 World Championships. Only a few young players will be ready to take spots by that point, and Canada's veterans are going to push for one final kick at the can. It is likely the last Olympics for a number of Canadian veterans from Ann-Renee Desbiens, to Jocelyne Larocque, Natalie Spooner, and Brianne Jenner. And yes, it could be Marie-Philip Poulin's final Olympic Games as well.

Here's a look at how Canada's 2026 women's hockey Olympic roster could play out:

Goaltenders

The options in net for Canada represent one of the nation's deepest pools. Ann-Renee Desbiens remains the national team rock, but she's been outplayed in the PWHL by others, and it could spark Canada to begin giving looks to other netminders. That will likely extend beyond Emerance Maschmeyer to Kristen Campbell after she was named the PWHL Goaltender of the Year, and finalist for the award Corinne Schroeder. Depending on their continued play, Kayle Osborne, Raygan Kirk, and Eve Gascon could also find themselves in this conversation for a third goalie spot. Michelle Pasiechnyk hasn't received much love from Hockey Canada, but it's hard to ignore the NCAA Goaltender of the Year.

The Picks:

Defenders

This is perhaps the most difficult position to predict as Canada has seen some fluctuation in the reliability of their blueline. While she remains a strong defender today, Jocelyne Larocque will either be in her final Olympics for Canada, or already on the outs. At the other end of the spectrum, could a young blueliner like Chloe Primerano be ready for the Olympics? The answer is yes, if Canada gives her a chance to develop in Rivalry Series, Collegiate Showcase, and World Championship action. Beyond this pairing, it would not be surprising to see more changes to the depth with players like Jaimie Bourbonnais fighting to hold their spot.  Megan Carter is another realistic option for Canada on the point.

The Picks:

Forwards

Canada's depth up front runs dry after their top five lines. There are players out there who could compete in depth roles, but not to the level of this group. Next in from this group is certainly Anne Cherkowski who can play a strong two-way game. If Natalie Spooner, who we only placed low due to uncertainty around her future health, or Brianne Jenner aren't ready to go at that time, Cherkowski would be next in down the right side. Daryl Watts is the offensive wild card, but given her move to Toronto looks like a good bet to finally join Canada's national team. The best upcoming offensive player is Abby Hustler, who Canada will need to make some space for in the coming seasons, otherwise succession could be painful for Canada as their veterans age out. Beyond this group, there's hope youngster Caitlin Kraemer becomes Canada's next big goal scorer, and a player like Abby Stonehouse takes over a checking line role, but at the moment, they're likely just outside of this Olympic cycle. Canada will certainly make some moves on their forward group before 2026, and it will likely come in the form of depth veterans like Jamie Lee Rattray or Kristin O'Neill, although O'Neill had a very strong 2024 World Championships.

The Picks:

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