Canada aims to recover its game legs quickly in its quest for gold at the women’s world hockey championship.
The world championship in Herning and Esbjerg, Denmark, is the first to
The world championship in Herning and Esbjerg, Denmark, is the first to be held in November.
Canadian defender Renata Fast made that observation as Canada prepares to open the 10-country tournament against Sweden, whose domestic women’s league season started in September.
Three-quarters of Canada’s roster are Professional Women’s Hockey League players, but the PWHL’s fourth season does not start until December.
Canadian head coach Kori Cheverie said
Canadian head coach Kori Cheverie said. Day by day, she noted, the group is getting faster, increasing its execution level, and expecting high standards.
The International Ice Hockey Federation shifted the women’s tournament from its standard April time slot to November to avoid conflict with the PWHL and its training camps that start in November just after the world championship final.
Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and Czechia have already played in three international tournaments in the Euro Hockey Tour. Women’s leagues in Germany, Switzerland, and Finland were also well underway before the world championship, meaning players from those leagues or the NCAA arrived in Denmark with more game reps under their belts than the PWHL contingent.
Canada split a pair of pre-tournament games with the United States in
Canada split a pair of pre-tournament games with the United States in October. Fast said October’s selection camp and practices heading into the world championship were hard and fast-paced to mimic game conditions.
They ramped things up earlier than they typically would in the off-season, coming into training camp with a high level of intensity to force a quick return to form.
The 2026 women’s championship reverts to snake seeding in pools, meaning archrivals Canada and the United States will not meet in a preliminary-round game for the first time in 15 years. In an attempt to reduce lopsided scores, the IIHF had previously seeded the top world countries in the same pool and lower seeds in the other after 2011. The top four countries in each pool in Denmark advance to quarter-finals. Canada, Finland, Sweden, Japan, and host Denmark comprise Pool B, while the defending champion United States, Czechia, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria are in Pool A.
Cheverie said Canadian forward Sarah Fillier’s status was day-to-day
Cheverie said Canadian forward Sarah Fillier’s status was day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. College forward Alexia Aubin travelled with the 25-player team to Denmark as insurance while medical staff work to get Fillier back to playing condition.
Canada’s team in Denmark is younger than the side that earned Olympic silver in February, with an average age lower by over three years. The leadership group has also altered due to the absence of longtime captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who has a knee injury, alternates Brianne Jenner and Jocelyne Larocque, who were not named to the team, and Blayre Turnbull, who is pregnant.
Fast, the only player on the world roster who wore a letter in the Olympic Games, will co-captain Canada with Laura Stacey, while Kristin O’Neill serves as an alternate.
Fast said, adding that the national team is always made up of leaders
Fast said, adding that the national team is always made up of leaders because players cannot reach this level without being leaders at some level.
O’Neill, who will play for expansion San Jose in the PWHL, views a November championship as a launching pad back into the club season.
Canada faces Japan on Sunday, host Denmark on Monday, and Finland on Wednesday to conclude pool play. Canada has won 13 gold medals in 24 women’s world championships, with the most recent coming in 2024. The 2027 women’s championship will be held in Quebec City.
