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Yes, there’s the patriotism of cheering for your country, and yes, there’s the Canada/U.S. rivalry, but those aren’t the only reasons to watch Team Canada in the IIHF Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship.
Canada dominated Sweden 5-1 in its world women’s hockey championship opener Friday to kick off the 11-day, 10-nation tournament in Denmark. Their next game is Sunday, when they face Japan.
The U.S. and Canada are the tournament favourites, continuing a long-standing cross-border rivalry. Canada has won 13 world titles followed by the U.S. with 11 spanning the previous 24 championships.
But this year, there are even more reasons it’s worth paying attention to the Canadian team. Here are a few of them:
Jesse Eldridge scored two goals and added an assist as Canada won it’s first game in group play, at the 2026 IIHF women’s world championships. Canada defeated Sweden 5-1, on the strength of three powerplay goals. Canada will face Japan on Sunday in Group B play.
1. The youngest lineup in decades
To quote Hockey Canada’s Women’s Worlds preview, “the kids have arrived.”
The average age of this roster is 26 years, two months and 22 days — the youngest roster Canada has played at the Women’s Worlds since 2013, Hockey Canada notes. Three of the youngest players are debuting in Denmark: Rosalie Tremblay (age 18), Hayley McDonald (age 18), and Sara Manness (age 19).
Three other collegiate players, 19-year-old Chloe Primerano (University of Minnesota), 20-year-old Caitlin Kraemer (University of Minnesota Duluth) and 23-year-old Ève Gascon (University of Minnesota Duluth) return for their second world championship.
The oldest player is goaltender Ann-Renée Desbien, who is 32.
Canada’s goalkeeper Ann-Renée Desbien makes a save during the IIHF Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship Group B game between Sweden and Canada in Herning, Denmark on Friday. (Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix/The Associated Press)
2. Poulin is out
Hockey icon Marie-Philip Poulin has been sidelined due to knee surgery after tearing her ACL last spring, leaving the Canadian team without its captain for the first time in more than a decade.
Poulin is widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s hockey players of all time. She’s won three Olympic gold medals, scoring the winning goal in all three of those gold-medal games to earn the nickname “Captain Clutch.”
A five-time Olympian, Poulin is also the all-time leading goal scorer for the Canadian women’s team at the Winter Games with 20. With her out, Canada is playing in its first international tournament without Poulin on the roster since she made her national team debut in 2009.
Defender Renata Fast and forward Laura Stacey are sharing Canada’s captaincy in Denmark.
Three-time Olympic gold medal winner and Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin is meeting with reporters to provide an update about her health.
3. New head coach and management
The Canadians ended last season with a heartbreaking loss in the Olympic gold-medal game against the Americans. Since then, there’s been change at all levels for Canada.
The group has new leadership, starting with Hockey Hall of Famer Danièle Sauvageau, who returns to the Hockey Canada fold as GM of the senior national team. Ottawa Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld and PWHL Detroit GM Manon Rhéaume are serving as assistant GMs.
There’s also a new head coach: Kori Cheverie, who led Sauvageau’s Victoire to a Walter Cup in the spring. Cheverie has been an assistant with the national team since before the 2022 Olympic gold-medal win.
Montreal Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie hoists the Walter Cup alongside general manager Daniele Sauvageau during the Montreal Victoire’s victory celebration in Montreal in May. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)
4. Coming off some big losses
The Americans have won 10 of the past 14 worlds and claimed the 2025 title in the Czech Republic and the Olympic gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Games in February, beating Canada in overtime in both finals.
Canada was also swept in the Canada/U.S. Rivalry Series that concluded last December. So now, with a fresh roster and without its greatest star, Canada is looking to reclaim the championship.
The final is set for Nov. 16. While it’s not necessarily guaranteed that Team Canada will make it, it’s been Canada vs. the U.S. in 23 out of the last 24 finals. The lone exception came in 2019, when host Finland shocked the Canadians in the semis before losing a controversial final against the States.
