JENNA HELLSTROM

Age: 24
Hometown: Sudbury, Ont.
Position: Forward/Fullback
Club: KIF Örebro (Damallsvenskan)

Jenna Hellstrom is entering her first major tournament at any level on the international stage. The 24-year-old has had a unique journey to the national team. 

A native of Sudbury, Ont., she moved to Toronto when she was 15 in an effort to earn a spot in the starting 11 for Ontario’s provincial team. She was part of Canada’s Under-15 camp in 2010, but when she was 16, she tore her right ACL. 

Hellstrom did recover and had a very successful stint at Kent State University, becoming the school’s all-time leader in goals (37), assists (33) and points (107). However, Hellstrom didn’t participate in a single Canadian youth camp after 2010. 

But Hellstrom made the national team take notice after signing her first professional contract with Swedish club FC Rosengård in early 2017.  Roughly six months later, she got a call from then-head coach John Herdman and was invited to her first senior camp.

Hellstrom, then 22, said it was a nerve-wracking experience. Fortunately, she did know players like Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence and Nichelle Prince from the Ontario provincial level, which helped the transition.

She made her national team debut four months later, when new coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller gave her the start against South Korea in the Algarve Cup on Mar. 5, 2018.

After that introduction, Hellstrom didn’t make another appearance for the national team in 2018, although she was named to the provisional roster for the squad that qualified for the World Cup last October.

But this year she has made regular appearances for the national team. Although she is listed as both a fullback and forward, she has been used mainly in an attacking role for Canada, and with her explosive speed, she has been a force off the bench.

In a friendly against Norway in January, she entered the game in the 61st minute, and five minutes later, she set up Christine Sinclair for the lone goal of the game.