Hockey Canada rounds out Women's Olympic Team staff
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Troy Ryan's full staff for the 2026 Winter Olympics was confirmed by Hockey Canada on Thursday.
Joining the Toronto Sceptres head coach on the women's senior team are Kori Cheverie, Hockey Hall of Famer Caroline Ouellette, Britni Smith and Brad Kirkwood.
Ryan, 53, coached Canada to a gold medal in Beijing in 2022.
“It is always an honour and privilege to be in this leadership position as we set our expectations and goals for the Olympics,” Ryan said in a statement. “We have a tremendous coaching staff that is committed to the vision and process, and I am excited for the journey ahead. We know our athletes are motivated to compete and we are eager to begin the work towards achieving something extraordinary in seven months time.”
Cheverie, 38, is a holdover from Ryan's staff from Beijing. The native of New Glasgow, NS coached the Montreal Victoire to the best regular season record in the PWHL this past season, earning PWHL Coach of the Year honours. Cheverie has been an assistant on the senior women's team since 2021.
Ouellette, 46, is a legend of the sport. As a player, she won four Olympic gold medals and six world championships. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023. A native of Montreal, Ouellette served as an assistant under Cheverie with the Victoire this past season. She also coaches at Concordia. Ouellette has been an assistant with the national team since the 2022 worlds.
Smith, 36, is the head coach at Syracuse. The Port Perry, Ont. native served as an assistant under Ryan at the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship where Canada won a silver medal.
Kirkwood, 52, has served as goaltending coach with the women's national team since 2015 and coached at a pair of Olympics. He serves in the same capacity for the Sceptres under Ryan.
Canada opens its Olympics campaign on Feb. 5 in Milan against Finland. Canada will also play Switzerland, Czechia and the United States in round-robin play.