Team Canada players embracing change on the road to Milan Olympics

CALGARY – Canada’s national women’s team is embracing a new pre-Olympic format brought on by the establishment of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).

The 2026 Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy, will be the first since the PWHL was began play in 2023. Previously, Hockey Canada would have all players in contention for rosters spots in a central location like Calgary, where they would practise, train, and compete in the six months leading up to the Olympic Games. 

The team will still spend plenty of time together – a total of about 50 days, according to Hockey Canada vice-president of hockey operations Scott Salmond – but in distinct training blocks before the PWHL season begins.

The first block is this week in Calgary at the national teams’ orientation camp. The second training block is in Toronto in September, and the last one is in Montreal in October. Those sessions will include on- and off- ice components. 

The team will also be together for the Rivalry Series versus the United States, which will take place in November and December.

All but three of the 30 women’s players in Calgary this week are from the PWHL. Goalie Eve Gascon, blueliner Chloe Primerano, and forward Caitlin Kraemer all play in the NCAA.

The Team Canada veterans who spoke to the media on Wednesday have been through centralization, but are confident that this new format of spending the buildup competing in best-on-best hockey in the PWHL will put the team in good position to defend its Olympic gold medal.

“I do think it’ll impact in many different ways,” PWHL Vancouver forward Sarah Nurse said. “The last three or four years, every season has been completely different…we used to play probably seven games against Team USA and then play games in the boys’ junior leagues. It’s not as many games; it’s not as intense games as you get in the PWHL. When we play in the PWHL, we say it’s like playing Team Canada-Team USA every night. That intensity on the ice every single night, that brings a whole [new] level of each individual’s game.”

National team captain and Montréal Victoire forward Marie-Philip Poulin called the new schedule “exciting.” Poulin is one of the most-decorated hockey players in Canadian history, with 19 medals in international competition, including three Olympic golds.

“We’re going to stay here [in Calgary], practise together, train together, that’s the best part of it,” she said. “You want to train with the best, and that’s what this group is all about.”

Like Nurse, the 34-year-old Poulin feels that the increased competition of the PWHL schedule will raise everyone’s standard.

“When you play in the league against each other, you want to win that faceoff,” Poulin said. “You want to go hard against each other to make sure we get ready. That’s how we’re going to benefit.”

Sarah Fillier, the 2024 first-overall pick of the New York Sirens and reigning PWHL Rookie of the Year, echoed the captain.

“Having this league overall has just elevated the game with how many players we have playing at the highest level,” she said. “A lot more players are in the spotlight now, especially in an Olympic year and everyone’s thinking about it. There’s groups of national team players on every team, so it’s definitely on the forefront of everyone’s mind…it’s just going to elevate the game in a different sense because we’re playing best-on-best hockey in a real league instead of centralizing per country and not playing as many games.”

Fillier, who has played for Canada at one Olympics and five world championships, mentioned another positive.

“Going back to your team and playing in a league, it makes you more excited to come back to this group,” she said.

One of the toughest parts of the new setup will be building team chemistry when they’re not together as a group nearly as often. Poulin said that Zoom sessions could be a possibility to foster that camaraderie.

“I think this group is quite close,” she said. “Having the trust that [everyone] is going to do the work on their side and…knowing that we’re going to play against each other, we’re going to push each other to be better.”

Poulin said she is positive that the new format will enable the Canadian women to continue their Olympic dominance in best-on-best.

Canada has five gold and two silver medals in the seven women’s Olympic ice hockey tournaments. Canada also has won three of the past five world championships. 

“It is a change, but in a good way,” she said. “Everybody had a great summer individually, but coming here, we’re just excited to be here and connect together.”

The orientation camp wraps up on Thursday.