PWHL standout Hannah Miller barred from playing for Canada at upcoming world tourney

Karissa Donkin · CBC Sports

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 6:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

After a standout play successful the Professional Women's Hockey League, Toronto Sceptres guardant Hannah Miller won't beryllium suiting up for Team Canada astatine the satellite title successful April aft all.

Miller was named to the 25-player roster aft putting up 1 of the champion performances successful the PWHL this season. The 29-year-old from North Vancouver has posted 24 points successful 26 games successful her 2nd play with the Sceptres, helping the squad ascent from the league basement into playoff position.

But Miller antecedently competed for the Chinese team, and was ruled ineligible to play for Canada by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Hockey Canada said successful a connection connected Monday.

"The IIHF stipulates a two-year timeline from erstwhile Miller past played overseas successful bid for her to beryllium eligible to play for Canada," the connection says.

Team Canada wide manager Gina Kingsbury said the determination was disappointing.

"We remained optimistic and believed she had met each the conditions outlined by the IIHF to correspond her country, including the two-year timeline astir the transportation portal," Kingsbury said. "Hannah has worked hard this season, earned a spot connected our roster and we volition look guardant to aboriginal opportunities for her to deterioration the Maple Leaf."

Played for China astatine 2022 Olympics

Miller played for Canada astatine the Under-18 satellite championships successful some 2013 and 2014, earning back-to-back golden medals.

She signed with the Kunlun Red Star (KRS) Vanke Rays successful 2018, a Chinese team that utilized to vie successful the Canadian Women's Hockey League. The Chinese nationalist squad recruited North Americans up of the 2022 Olympics to effort to bolster its roster up of a Games connected location soil.

Miller played for China astatine the 2022 Olympics and that year's Division B satellite championship, a tier beneath the apical tournament. She led China to a title astatine that tournament, and was named apical forward.

She spent 5 seasons playing for the Vanke Rays, which moved implicit to the women's league successful Russia erstwhile the CWHL folded successful 2019. She besides spent a play successful the Swedish Women's Hockey League. 

Miller returned to North America past season, aft the Sceptres drafted her 74th wide successful the 2023 PWHL draft.

She volition beryllium replaced connected Team Canada by Sceptres teammate Julia Gosling, who won golden with Canada astatine past year's satellite title successful Utica, N.Y.

Gosling has registered 10 points successful 27 games successful her archetypal play successful the PWHL. She's earned a relation connected the apical powerfulness play successful the league, spending clip connected some Toronto's first and 2nd power-play units.

Canada opens against Finland 

But the Canadian squad has mislaid a imaginable top-six centre enactment successful Miller.

Canada volition besides beryllium without backup goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, who was wounded successful a crippled with the Ottawa Charge earlier this month.

Starting goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens was placed connected the semipermanent injured reserve successful the PWHL connected Monday arsenic she besides battles injury, but Desbiens remains connected the Canadian roster.

The satellite title runs April 9 to 20 in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. It'll beryllium Canada's past large tourney earlier the 2026 Olympics adjacent February.

Canada volition open against Finland connected April 10, look Switzerland the pursuing day, the United States  April 13 and decorativeness round-robin play against the big Czechs connected April 14.

The gold-medal crippled is scheduled for April 20.