Projecting the Canadian women's hockey roster looking to defend gold at 2026 Games

In a year's time, the Canadian women's national team will be in Italy and looking to defend Olympic gold.

A lot has changed since the Canadians defeated the Americans in Beijing in 2022, including the creation of the PWHL.

The league has the potential to change international women's hockey, from growing talent outside North America, to giving players a big platform to audition for their national team. It's the first time the best players in the world have all competed under the same umbrella.

It will also change the way the Canadian Olympic team is chosen. Gone are the days when Olympic hopefuls would move to Calgary for months to compete for a spot. Instead, players will be preparing primarily by competing with their PWHL teams.

Canadian GM Gina Kingsbury said the team will also have training blocks before and during the PWHL season. They may not always include games, but will give Hockey Canada a chance to evaluate players and have them train and bond together leading up to the Olympics.

While more change is on the horizon as the PWHL grows, the Canadian team that will compete in Milan-Cortina in 2026 should look quite similar to the team that won gold in 2022.

The American team has been overhauled since the last Olympics. Much of the U.S. roster comes from the NCAA ranks.

The Canadian entry is likely to be a bit older. It's built around a core that developed a winning culture during the dark days of the pandemic. That group has led Canada not just to Olympic gold, but also three world championships over the last few years.

Part of that came from getting to know each other more deeply during the pandemic. But it's also been about making sure young players aren't afraid to make mistakes and can navigate the nerves that