After Olympic Setback, Canadian Women's Team Looks to Future with Collegiate Series

Across an eight-game losing streak to the United States, dating back to the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championships, it has become increasingly evident Canada’s golden generation that delivered four straight Olympic golds is in desperate need of a youth infusion to compete with the neighbors to the south. A problem that flew relatively under the radar came to a head at the Olympics as the Canadians did not select a collegiate player to the roster before being thrashed 5-0 in preliminaries and losing in the gold medal game against a United States roster that featured seven college players and was nearly four years younger on average.

On Monday, Canada announced the 22-women roster for the National Development Team, with every player either having NCAA experience or committed to play for an NCAA program in the 2026-27 season. The search for the next generation is on as Canada looks to seize control back from the United States and build towards the 2030 Olympics.

The group is highlighted by a trio of players who were among the last cuts from the 2026 Olympic roster and look to start to build their case to avoid the same fate for future tournaments. A pair of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are among the group, Netminder Ève Gascon and Caitlin Kramer, as well as Minnesota’s Chloe Primerano.

Gascon is expected to be the starting goaltender for the Collegiate Series after being named a second-team All-American for Minnesota Duluth during her junior season and her teammate Kramer has been long seen as one of the top young prospects in hockey after she was the consensus Player of the Year in the 2024-25. Primerano was a shock omission from the roster after competing at the 2025 World Championships and was the MVP of the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championships after posting 16 points, the most ever by a defensewoman.

Ohio State sends a contingent of three forwards to compete for Team Canada, Jocelyn Amos, Jordan Baxter, and Maxine Cimoroni. Amos and Cimoroni were key to Ohio State’s run to a national championship appearance, as the duo combined for 83 points.

Defending champions Wisconsin is represented by defenders Ava Murphy and Emma Venusio. The pair brings valuable experience and a championship pedigree to a young roster, combining to play in five national championship games, winning two apiece.

The ECAC is represented by five players across three programs, with a pair from both Clarkson and Colgate and Makayla Watson from Quinnipiac. The Golden Knights are represented by sisters Kate Manness and Sara Manness while the Raiders send Piper Grober and Emma Pais. Four of the players were selected to all-conference teams as the Manness sisters were selected to the ECAC first team and Grober and Watson were the second-team blueliners.

Hockey East sees four players, including three that competed in the conference championship game, make the roster as Northeastern’s Éloïse Caron and Stryker Zablocki are joined by Connecticut's Claire Murdoch. Zablocki was one of the top freshmen in the country during the 2025-26 season, leading Hockey East in scoring and capturing the Cammi Granato Award, given to Hockey East’s top player. Boston University’s Mari Pietersen is one of the two goaltenders to make the roster and will likely back up Gascon.

After advancing to the Frozen Four, Penn State sends a pair of forwards as Grace Outwater and Abby Stonehouse are the only players from the AHA to be among the 22 players chosen. Outwater was selected as an AHA first-team all-star and will be the main focus of the Nittany Lion attack after Tessa Janecke departed for the PWHL.

Three skaters on the roster are incoming freshman, Ohio State pledge Hayley McDonald, Quinnipiac commit Rosalie Breton, and future Wisconsin Badger Rosalie Tremblay. Tremblay is considered one of the top players in the incoming class and stood out both for her school, winning the JWHL MVP award for Stanstead College, and her country, being selected as one of Canada’s top three players at the U18 World Championships.

Canada 2026 National Women's Development Team

Number, Name, Position, Hometown/Current Team
1                Ève Gascon, G, Laval, QC/Minnesota Duluth
2                Hayley McDonald, F, East St. Paul, MB/RHA Kelowna
3                Sara Manness, F, La Salle, MB, Clarkson
4                Maxine Cimoroni, F, Toronto, Ont./Ohio State
5                Piper Grober, D, Toronto, Ont./Cornell
6                Rosalie Breton, D, Saint-Bernard, QC/Limoilou
8                Chloe Primerano, D, North Vancouver, BC/Minnesota
9                Claire Murdoch, F, Toronto, Ont./Connecticut
11              Caitlin Kraemer, F, Waterloo, Ont./Minnesota Duluth
12              Jocelyn Amos, F, Ailsa Craig, Ont./Ohio State
14              Emma Pais, F, Kenora, Ont./Colgate
15              Ava Murphy, D, Kitchener, Ont./Wisconsin
16              Grace Outwater, F, Picton, Ont./Penn State
17              Abby Stonehouse, F, Blenheim, Ont./Penn State
19              Éloïse Caron, F, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC/Northeastern
21              Emma Venusio, D, Toronto, Ont./Wisconsin
22              Makayla Watson, D, Calgary, AB/Quinnipiac
24              Kate Manness, D, La Salle, MB/Clarkson
26              Stryker Zablocki, F, Prince Albert, SK/Northeastern
27              Jordan Baxter, F, New Westminster, BC/Ohio State
28              Rosalie Tremblay, F, Sherbrooke, QC/Stanstead College
30              Mari Pietersen, G, Markham, Ont./Boston University

Canada has home ice advantage for the 2026 Collegiate Series, with three games scheduled against the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team Selection in Richmond, B.C. The first game of the series is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 12, with game two scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on August 13 and the finale at 7 p.m. on August 14. In last year’s Collegiate Series, Canada dropped the first two games before winning the finale in a shootout.

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