TORONTO – Canada’s national women’s team roster for the 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship, scheduled for April 16-25 in Zurich and Winterthur, Switzerland, was announced on Wednesday. The team was named following a selection camp in Toronto, which ran from Saturday to Tuesday.

Canada’s roster includes three goaltenders, six defencemen and 12 forwards. 16 players were part of the roster that won the gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and 16 played at the 2009 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Hämeenlinna, Finland, winning a silver medal.

Canada’s National Women’s Team will hold a camp from April 6-9 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, including two exhibition games against the United States at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, before departing for Europe on April 9.

Canada will attempt to win its 10th gold medal all-time at the IIHF World Women’s Championship, having previously won gold in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2007. Canada’s National Women’s Team has appeared in every gold medal game since the first IIHF World Women’s Championship in Ottawa, Ont., in 1990, winning silver in 2005, 2008 and 2009, in addition to its nine gold medals.

Canada opens the 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship on April 16 against Switzerland, and will also face Kazakhstan and Finland in preliminary round play.

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcasters, will air three games from Switzerland – Canada’s final preliminary round game versus Finland on April 19, a semifinal on April 23 and the gold medal game on April 25 (check your local listings).

Click here for the schedule.

Canada’s World Women’s Championship roster

Goalkeepers
Shannon Szabados, Grant MacEwan (ACAC)
Charline Labonté, McGill University (CIS)
Kim St-Pierre, Montreal (CWHL)

Defencemen
Jocelyne Larocque, University of Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)
Meaghan Mikkelson, Edmonton (WWHL)
Bobbi Jo Slusar, Strathmore (WWHL)
Tara Watchorn, Boston University (HE)
Catherine Ward, Boston University (HE)
Tessa Bonhomme, Toronto (CWHL)

Forwards
Meghan Agosta, Mercyhurst College (CHA)
Rebecca Johnston, Cornell University (ECAC)
Cherie Piper, Brampton (CWHL)
Gillian Apps, Brampton (CWHL)
Caroline Ouellette, Montreal (CWHL)
Jayna Hefford, Brampton (CWHL)
Jennifer Wakefield, Boston University (HE)
Haley Irwin, University of Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)
Hayley Wickenheiser, University of Calgary (CIS)
Natalie Spooner, Ohio State University (WCHA)
Sarah Vaillancourt, Montreal (CWHL)
Marie-Philip Poulin, Boston University (HE)

In order to finalize the roster, 15 players were released from Canada’s National Women’s Team selection camp:  

Goaltender Liz Knox (Wilfrid Laurier University, CIS); defencemen Courtney Birchard (University of New Hampshire HE), Delaney Collins (Brampton, CWHL), Laura Fortino (Cornell University, ECAC), Stefanie McKeough (University of Wisconsin, WCHA), Lauriane Rougeau (Cornell University, ECAC) and Britni Smith (Toronto, CWHL); forwards Vicki Bendus (Mercyhurst College, CHA), Ann-Sophie Bettez (McGill University, CIS), Emmanuelle Blais (Montreal, CWHL), Bailey Bram (Mercyhurst College, CHA), Mallory Deluce (University of Wisconsin, WCHA), Brianne Jenner (Cornell University, ECAC), Noémie Marin (Montreal, CWHL) and Jesse Scanzano (Mercyhurst College, CHA).