Canadian women’s hockey team hopefuls to congregate at Calgary camp

CALGARY – Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Meaghan Mikkelson and Hayley Wickenheiser are among the top 44 players invited to attend the Canadian women’s hockey team camp starting Sunday in Calgary.

The annual fall camp is a key element of the season in non-Olympic years as it’s one of the few times the best players in the country are together outside of the world championship and Four Nations Cup.

The women will play eight intra-squad games at the Markin MacPhail Centre over seven days.

Toronto’s Laura Schuler, recently named head coach of the team for a second season, will oversee the camp alongside general manager Melody Davidson and assistant coaches Dwayne Gylywoychuk of Winnipeg, Troy Ryan of Springfield, N.S., and goaltending coach Brad Kirkwood of Calgary.

Invitees include 22 players who were on the team that dropped a 1-0 overtime decision to the U.S. in the final of this year’s world championship in Kamloops, B.C.

The Canadian women’s team will compete in November’s Four Nations Cup in Vierumaki, Finland and the 2017 women’s world championship March 31-April 7 in Plymouth, Mich.

Players invited to try out for Canada’s Olympic team in 2017-’18 are expected to be named shortly after the world championship.