2024 Worlds Preview: Canada

A gold medal. That is the one and only goal in mind for Team Canada at this year’s World Championships. The Canadians come into Utica following a disappointing Silver Medal finish after they fell to Team USA on home soil last year.

Full Roster

Forwards
Laura Stacey
Sarah Fillier
Brianne Jenner
Sarah Nurse
Natalie Spooner
Emily Clark
Emma Maltais
Marie-Philip Poulin
Blayre Turnbull
Kristin O’Neill
Jamie Lee Rattray
Julia Gosling
Danielle Serdachny

Defenders
Jocelyne Larocque
Renata Fast
Ella Shelton
Ashton Bell
Erin Ambrose
Jaime Bourbonnais
Nicole Gosling

Goalies
Ann-Renée Desbiens
Emerance Maschmeyer
Kristen Campbell

Schedule/How to Watch

Canadian Hockey on TSN National Broadcast Schedule | TSN

Check out TSN’s national broadcast schedule, with more tournament coverage to follow.

TSN

Group Stage
Thursday April 4: Finland vs. Canada | 7pm ET (TSN, ESPN+)
Friday, April 5: Canada vs. Switzerland | 3pm ET (TSN, ESPN+)
Sunday, April 7: Czechia vs. Canada | 3pm ET (TSN, NHL Network)
Monday, April 8: Canada vs. United States | 7pm ET (TSN, NHL Network)

Who to Watch
Natalie Spooner has found a new level of success this season with PWHL Toronto. Game in and game out, the 33 year old has been dominant for the league’s top team, leading the PWHL in goals (15) and points (20). Natalie Spooner heads into this year’s World Championships as arguably one of the best hockey players on the face of the planet.

Spooner made her return to hockey at the 2023 World Championships following the birth of her son, Rory where she had six points in seven games. Natalie Spooner will play a massive role for Team Canada as they look to leave Utica with a gold medal around their neck.

Sarah Fillier and Danielle Serdachny join a veteran filled Team Canada roster as two of the youngest players. The two were both Patty Kazmaier finalists during the NCAA season and if used correctly, will make a massive impact. 

Since Sarah Fillier made her Olympic debut back in 2020, she has shown the world why she’s one of the best young forwards in the game. The Princeton product had a career high in goals this past season with 30 goals. Fillier has a nasty release and high hockey IQ.

Danielle Serdachny has been a player to keep an eye on for the last two seasons. With stints on the Rivalry Series rosters, and last year’s World Championship team. If the Colgate star can receive some extra ice time in Utica, it might be hard to keep her off the ice if you're the Canada coaching staff. Serdachny is an elite playmaker who finds space on both ends of the ice.

What to Watch For

Canada is icing one of the oldest rosters at this year’s World Championships. One thing that worries me the most with that is their speed. Will the top pair of Renata Fast and Jocelyne Larocque be capable of keeping up with the young and speedy Americans or even the up and coming Czech and Finnish squads? 

Will Ella Shelton finally earn top pairing minutes? Ella Shelton has exceeded all expectations set for her during PWHL New York’s season so far. Shelton can truly do it all and will only get better from here on out. Shelton plays big time minutes in New York and has thrived for a team that has struggled. I’d love to see her be able to take some of the pressure off that top pairing, especially if they show struggles.

Is Marie-Philip Poulin okay? And if not, can she borrow my knee?

Good news Canada, it seems that Poulin is indeed okay. As reported on April 1st (Not an April Fools joke I promise), Captain Canada seems to be all set to go for the start of the tournament this week. Previously injured in a PWHL Toronto vs. Montreal game back on March 8, Poulin has been sidelined ever since and didn’t even dress for Canada’s pre-tournament game against Finland. Marie-Philip Poulin’s health will be a huge factor heading into Utica. When Poulin is healthy, she’s the best there is. When she’s not, Canada seems to struggle without her. After some good news earlier this week, hopefully all truly is good to go with Canada’s Captain.

Group Stage Showdown

I’d be silly not to pick the obvious answer here, right? There is no matchup better than a good old Canada vs. United States rivalry. It’s fast, hard, physical, and extremely stressful. After coming off a second-straight reverse sweep, Canada will look to bring that success to Utica. The only problem with that could be the roster Team USA has put together. A loaded young and fast roster for the red, white, and blue could come as an issue for Canada. During the Rivalry Series USA played their best hockey against Canada with their NCAA players on the roster. Strong goaltending, staying out of the box, and capitalizing on young players' mistakes might be the key to success for Canada when it comes to facing off against their long historic rival.

Prediction

Last year Canada was the host in Brampton and Team USA played spoiler. This season, you know Canada would love to do the same in Utica. With the momentum and youth movement on their side, I really like what Team USA has put together this year and I think they will be a hard team to beat. Canada has the success, history, and talent on their roster. But will that be enough to stop the speed and guts the USA has? 

As a Canadian myself I hope I’m wrong here, but this Canada squad has a silver medal written all over it. *ducks and hides*.