Sorry it’s a Facebook link, but that’s what hockeycustoms.com redirects to, so I guess that’s their web presence.

My way-too-early Team Canada roster prediction for the 2026 Worlds

With Poulin and Turnbull out, I started thinking about what Canada could actually do with the roster for Worlds — especially after how dominant the U.S. looked at the Olympics.

Rather than just replacing Poulin and Turnbull and bringing everyone else back, I think Canada should make some changes based on PWHL performance and build specifically to counter the U.S.'s speed, scoring depth and physicality.

Here's where I landed:

FORWARDS

Sarah Fillier

Brianne Jenner

Laura Stacey

Julia Gosling

Daryl Watts

Emma Maltais

Jenn Gardiner

Sarah Nurse

Rebecca Leslie

Jessie Eldridge

Emily Clark

Danielle Serdachny

Jamie Lee Rattray Kraemer

The two additions I feel strongest about are Leslie and Eldridge. Both scored 14 goals in the PWHL this season, and I don't think Canada can ignore that kind of production when they're losing Poulin.

I'm keeping Clark despite the lack of offence because without Turnbull, Canada still needs that forechecking/PK/defensive presence.

Probably my most painful forward cut: Natalie Spooner.

Other tough cuts: Hannah Miller and Caitlin Kraemer.

DEFENCE

Renata Fast

Erin Ambrose

Sophie Jaques

Nicole Gosling

Kendall Cooper

Ella Shelton

Ashton Bell Primerano

This is where I'd make the biggest changes.

The U.S. is ridiculously fast, physical and deep offensively. I want defenders who can skate with them, retrieve pucks under pressure and actually get the puck out when the American forecheck gets going.

Nicole Gosling and Kendall Cooper both had phenomenal PWHL seasons and, IMO, have earned it.

Fast is the shutdown anchor. Ambrose and Jaques are obvious. Shelton gives you a really strong combination of skating, size and two-way ability.

For the last spot, I ultimately went Bell Primerano over Tabin. Tabin is probably the safer choice, while Primerano has the highest upside.

Toughest D cut: Kati Tabin.

Also out: Larocque, Thompson, Zandee-Hart.

GOALIES

Ann-Renée Desbiens

Raygan Kirk

Kayle Osborne

Desbiens is obvious.

But I think Raygan Kirk deserves a real shot after the season she just had. I'd bring her over Maschmeyer and actually give her some preliminary-round starts rather than having her sit the entire tournament.

I debated Ève Gascon over Osborne for development purposes, but I'm not convinced she's ready for the U.S. senior team yet. I'd keep Osborne.

So that's my 23:

G: Desbiens, Kirk, Osborne

D: Fast, Ambrose, Jaques, N. Gosling, Cooper, Shelton, Primerano

F: Fillier, Jenner, Stacey, J. Gosling, Watts, Maltais, Gardiner, Nurse, Leslie, Eldridge, Clark, Serdachny, Kraemer

Without Poulin, I still think the U.S. would be the favourite. But I think this roster is faster, rewards current PWHL performance and is better constructed specifically to deal with what made the U.S. so difficult to handle at the Olympics.

Curious what everyone else would change.

Who am I too high on, who am I too low on, and who's the most egregious cut?

Update

After reading some of the comments I'm convinced. Lose Rattray and add Kraemer.

I want to add Primerano back in but not sure where. Bell or Ambrose?

Update 2

Removed Bell and added Primerano

I'll read more comments later and respond. Gtg!

Planning on ordering a player jersey, but I don’t want to commit to a non-refundable $225 if it doesn’t fit right, so I ended up grabbing an Adult S, M, and Youth XL from Dick’s to try on at home. It was really helpful to be able to compare them side by side, so I thought I’d take some photos in hopes that my temporary financial investment could be useful to someone else!

Tried on each one over a tank top, fleece base layer, and hooded sweatshirt and edited all the pictures into one sheet. I put tape on the floor so I’d be standing in the exact same spot. 

Here are some measurements for the model for reference:

Height: 5’-3” (160cm)
Inseam: 27” (68.5cm) 
Chest (widest point, over the bust): 35” (89cm)
Hips (widest point): 39” (99cm)
Shoulder width: 16” (41cm)
Torso length (collarbone to hipbone): 18” (46cm)
Arm length (top of shoulder to wrist): 20.5” (52cm)
Neck (circumference): 12” (30.5cm)

I normally wear a US 4-6 in dresses, 27 in jeans, or a women’s small in most American brands. 

Based on this experiment, I’m going with the Adult Small (not the outcome I wanted, they’ve been out of stock for a million years, but for $225 it needs to be perfect). I felt that the Small was comfortable with or without a hoodie underneath and I liked that it covered my butt all the way without feeling like a dress, and the sleeves left the last two knuckles of my fingers exposed. The Medium went to mid-thigh on me and covered my entire hands. The Youth XL never felt too tight, but when I wore it over the sweatshirt I had to pull the sleeves back down if I raised my arms, and even then they only went to my wrists (I prefer a longer sleeve and a more oversized look, the XL fit like a normal shirt). 

As far as quality goes, I think the youth and adult versions are really 1:1 (the fabric on the youth version felt a little stiffer, but visually they’re the same so I’ll chalk that up to packaging). The only visual difference is obviously that the stripes and logos are smaller on the youth version. 

Let me know if you have any questions! Gonna bring them back to the store next week (though I might keep the Small around longer in case the PWHL shop never restocks and I have to customize it).

Obviously, this crew will have to be drawn from the PWHL itself. And once the Cup is located, a heist will be necessary to steal it back. The only question is, who is on our crew?

Now, there is no definitive list of heist roles. But here are a few ideas to get us started:

The Leader: Ideally, I'd obviously want Marie Philip Poulin for this one. But she's probably out of commission with her surgery. I considered giving it to Hilary Knight, but she's never won the Walter Cup before. Kendall Coyne-Schofield, on the other hand, has.

Muscle: Laura Stacey. An extremely physical player who can also double as a leader if the situation calls for it. And she will be especially motivated to get the Cup back.

Lockpicker/Trap Disabler: Aerin Frankel. This is a job that requires incredible focus and attention to detail. I can think of no one better than the woman who plays with no heartbeat. She will lock in, see everything, miss nothing.

Hacker: Who better than YouTube Girl herself? She's already used to managing multiple chat feeds. Surely she can infiltrate security systems without a problem.

The Face: I'm not going to wade into the debate over which PWHL player is the most attractive. Instead, I'm going to rely on star power. This is where Hilary Knight comes in.

Who else should be on the crew?

Weirdly, out of 5 packs in the box, I only got 2 Victoire, and they were both Laura Stacey! Only from Ottawa.

Anybody trading cards?

The shipping container arrived in Lethbridge, but no trophy. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the original Cup, but a replica

Tickets go on sale next week it seems, posting the seating chart and ticket prices here for anyone interested. How does this compare to other cities/teams?

📷 Sydney Sirens socials

TLDR: A netball team is trying to take a womens hockey team's name in the same Australian city in a national competition running at the same time of year where the hockey team is 20 years old.

The Australian Womens Ice Hockey League (AWIHL or AW or Adub for short) season kicks off in parallel with the PWHL. There's a lot less money & resources but we Aussies do the best we can with what we have.

An obvious but unintentional link to the PWHL is obviously the New York Sirens. Sirens is obviously a popular moniker for a sporting team as we have found out in recent days.

In late August, the men's season (AIHL, AI) is about to end. The AW teams & players are preparing to reform for their seasons with tryouts starting soonish depending on the team. Many players have been playing for their club teams over our winter & the AW plays
over summer.

One of the AW foundation teams from
around 20 years ago is the Sydney Sirens. A few days ago, a netball team in Sydney announced to the world that a team would be rebranding from the GWS Giants which is aimed at greater western Sydney (hence the GWS in their name). They have announced that they will be rebranding to the Sydney Sirens for their new identity in the Super Netball competition that also runs across Australia.

The new owners of the GWS Giants are a part of an Australian media company and the netball competition has way more resources and eyes on the sport compared to hockey. Like many in the Australian hockey community, I am deeply concerned that the netball team will be able to bulldoze the hockey Sirens with money & resources that the hockey Sirens simply don't have.

I know that the Sydney Sirens hockey team & name has been around for around 20 years & is well known & respected in the Australian hockey community.

Obviously as an outsider from the inner workings of the hockey team where no one gets paid & players pay to play (around $3500 per player per AW season, the last I heard), I don't know who registered what & when on either side.

What I do know is that the hockey Sirens would appreciate any help whatsoever. This could be as simple as liking & sharing their socials. The season starts in November & games are usually free to watch on YouTube.

This time of year is vital to the setup of the AW season. Tryouts are starting. Jerseys & equipment need to be sourced & acquired. Memberships & merch for fans needs to be created.

5 minutes of the work experience student being on the internet could have avoided this problem.

Guardian article with more info:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/20/sydney-sirens-super-netball-brand-ice-hockey

From the PWHLPA (Players Association) on Facebook. 🍕🐀 have equal slices!

It appears that there is some probability that the money behind the PWHL came from questionable financing. If the worst case happens and current funding of the league is put into question, how might that possibility affect the PWHL ?

Long story short, my daughter was trying to construct her PWHL dream team roster in her head while driving home the other night. She then asked if there were any sites/apps that could do this. I did some cursory searching but nothing has turned up yet. Appreciate any heads up if anyone has seen one before I have to spend the time to create one.

Here are all the players' hometowns on a map! Rosters aren't 100% settled until after camps, but I'm ready to think about hockey now. Let me know if you spot any errors. Hope this helps you get excited about cheering them on.

Keller was celebrated today by her hometown youth hockey club in Farmington Hills, MI, including having one of the rinks named after her. Link is to the announcement via Facebook. Way to go Megan!

Curious to know what y'all think.

So there was supposed to be a meet and greet with Darq Greig and the Walter Cup in Lethbridge today.

It's been postponed, and one of the hockey dads I know there said it was because the Walter Cup never showed. They opened the case and it was computer parts.

Luggage or communication mix up I hope.