5 things to watch as Canada aims to repeat as world champions of women's hockey

Karissa Donkin · CBC Sports

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

For players hoping to gain a spot connected the Canadian squad heading to Italy for the Olympics adjacent February, this satellite title is simply a important audition.

It's the past large tourney earlier the Games, and a cardinal accidental for the Canadian unit to trial things out.

Players volition person immoderate games successful the PWHL earlier the Olympics adjacent February, and the league has surely go a apical valuation instrumentality for Hockey Canada.

"I deliberation [the PWHL is] large for women's hockey," Canadian GM Gina Kingsbury told CBC Sports successful an interrogation past week. "It allows for a existent level to showcase your accomplishment acceptable and perchance play connected the nationalist team."

But this tournament, taking spot for the archetypal clip successful the Czech Republic, mightiness beryllium the past and champion accidental to instrumentality a agelong look astatine players successful antithetic roles and gauge chemistry.

The Canadians statesman the tourney connected Thursday against Finland astatine 1 p.m. ET, followed by different preliminary-round crippled against Switzerland connected Friday astatine 9 a.m.

HOCKEY NORTH | Previewing women's hockey worlds with PWHL's Natalie Spooner:

Then, they'll person back-to-back battles against the United States connected Sunday (1 p.m.) and the Czech Republic connected Monday (1 p.m.). All games aerial connected TSN.

As a squad seeded successful the A Division, Canada is already guaranteed a spot successful the quarterfinals, which statesman connected April 17.

The large question, of course, is whether the Canadians tin clasp disconnected the Americans to repetition arsenic satellite champions.

Here are 5 different intriguing communicative lines to ticker for Team Canada passim the tournament.

An accidental for Campbell

Toronto Sceptres goaltender Kristen Campbell volition commencement successful Canada's preliminary-round crippled against Finland, The Canadian Press reported connected Wednesday.

But Maschmeyer is retired of this tourney with an wounded and Desbiens is getting up to speed after clip distant rehabbing an wounded of her own. That has created an opening for Campbell to instrumentality the reins, astatine slightest astatine the opening of the satellite championship.

Desbiens is expected to play during the tournament.

"It's not needfully wounded related. In my mind, it's much mentation to get [Desbiens] sharp," Canadian caput manager Troy Ryan told The Canadian Press.

"I don't deliberation this wounded has changed our cognition of what Ann tin bring to this. She's played a batch of the cardinal moments for america and volition proceed to successful this lawsuit arsenic well."

Expanded roster

Canada was capable to bring 25 players to worlds for the archetypal time. It means the Canadian unit has a accidental to instrumentality a longer look astatine much players up of adjacent year's Olympics, where Canada tin lone bring 23 players.

It besides means immoderate players who've made the travel to the Czech Republic volition person to beryllium retired games, since teams can't formal each 25 players astatine once.

That could mean veterans scratched successful favour of newer players, arsenic Canada takes a deeper look astatine what it has up of the Games.

The contention connected defence

Canada has nary shortage of bully options connected defence. It won't beryllium an casual determination for Kingsbury and her staff.

"It's a small spot of a premix of you've got to cheque immoderate boxes," Kingsbury said. "You've got to person players that tin play connected the powerfulness play. You've got to person players that tin kill. You've got to person immoderate chemistry with D partners and however you tin beryllium deployed five-on-five."

When it comes to chemistry, Canada deployed a apical 4 of Claire Thompson (Minnesota) with Renata Fast (Toronto) and Ella Shelton (New York) with Erin Ambrose (Montreal) passim each 5 Rivalry Series games this year.

If Canada sticks with that mix, past astatine slightest 1 of Jocelyne Larocque (Ottawa) and Micah Zandee-Hart (New York), some shutdown options, look apt connected the 3rd pair.

Hockey Canada volition besides privation to instrumentality a look astatine Sophie Jaques (Minnesota) and 18-year-old Chloe Primerano (University of Minnesota), who are connected their archetypal worlds roster.

There's nary shortage of puck-moving quality connected this bluish line, from the PWHL's assistance leader, Fast, to the tried-and-true power-play quarterback, Ambrose. But idiosyncratic similar Primerano could besides be an intriguing enactment with the player advantage.

Primerano's role

Speaking of Primerano, she is the youngest defender to marque a satellite title squad since a 17-year-old Cheryl Pounder cracked the squad successful 1994.

Primerano was paired with seasoned Larocque connected the 3rd brace astatine each 3 Rivalry Series games she played successful the fall. She didn't falter erstwhile Ryan called connected her successful a shootout. Primerano scored the crippled winner.

In February, Larocque said she was astir impressed with Primerano's eagerness to learn, and however she was trying to fig retired what she could person done amended aft each shift.

How Canada deploys her successful this tourney volition beryllium thing to watch.

Depth done the middle

When Hannah Miller (Toronto) was ruled ineligible to play for Canada, the squad mislaid a versatile subordinate who could easy slot successful arsenic a top-six centre.

After Poulin, Ryan could crook to Sarah Nurse (Toronto), who has precocious worked her mode backmost from an injury, oregon Sarah Fillier, a earthy centre who has mostly played connected the helping this play with the New York Sirens. Blayre Turnbull (Toronto) and Kristin O'Neill (Montreal) are apt to circular retired the bottommost six down the middle.

Moving Fillier to centre would instrumentality her disconnected Poulin's wing, a operation the Canadian squad has experimented with implicit the past year. But possibly that occupation is solved by having Jennifer Gardiner, Poulin's helping connected the Montreal Victoire, connected this roster.

Asked astir Gardiner astatine the Rivalry Series successful February, Poulin praised her rookie teammate's cognition and enthusiasm.

"She wants to learn," Poulin said.

"She wants to push. And you tin spot crippled aft game, she gets much confidence."