CALGARY – Hockey Canada announced the roster for the National Women’s Team selection camp, scheduled for April 2-5 in Toronto. This marks the first time that Canada’s National Women’s Team has held a selection camp prior to the IIHF World Women’s Championship since the 1997-98 season.

At the conclusion of the selection camp, 21 players will be chosen to represent Canada at the 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship, which will be held April 16-25 in Zurich and Winterthur, Switzerland. Once the final roster is chosen, 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, before the team departs from Europe.

“It’s going to be an exciting camp, with Canada’s top women’s talent on the ice in Toronto,” said Melody Davidson, Hockey Canada’s head scout of national women’s team programs. “We are confident that the players we’ve selected for camp will represent Canada proudly at the world championship, regardless of which 21 players are selected.”

“With the depth we currently have in women’s hockey in Canada, we felt it was necessary to hold a selection camp to ensure we select the best players possible for the world championship,” said Kalli Quinn, Hockey Canada’s director of female national teams. “It should be a very competitive four days in Toronto.”

Canada’s selection camp roster includes four goaltenders, 12 defencemen and 21 forwards. Of the 37 players invited, 21 helped Canada win gold at the 2010 4 Nations Cup last November in St. John’s N.L., 17  were part of the roster that won the gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and 16 players competed at the 2009 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Hämeenlinna, Finland, winning a silver medal.

Players and staff will depart Canada on April 9 for Zurich, Switzerland, where the team will hold a pre-competition camp from April 10-14, including a game against Switzerland on April 14.

Canada will attempt to win its 10th gold medal all-time at the 2011 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, 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. The 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship includes two groups of four teams, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the medal round, which starts on April 23.

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcasters, will broadcast three games from Switzerland – Canada’s final preliminary round game vs. Finland on April 19, a semi-final on April 23 and the gold medal game on April 25.

Canada's selection camp roster

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

Defencemen
Courtney Birchard, University of New Hampshire (HE)
Tessa Bonhomme, Toronto (CWHL)
Delaney Collins, Brampton (CWHL)
Laura Fortino, Cornell University (ECAC)
Jocelyne Larocque, University of Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)
Stefanie McKeough, University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
Meaghan Mikkelson, Edmonton (WWHL)
Lauriane Rougeau, Cornell University (ECAC)
Bobbi-Jo Slusar, Strathmore (WWHL)
Britni Smith, Toronto (CWHL)
Catherine Ward, Boston University (HE)
Tara Watchorn, Boston University (HE)

Forwards
Meghan Agosta, Mercyhurst College (CHA)
Gillian Apps, Brampton (CWHL)
Vicki Bendus, Mercyhurst College (CHA)
Ann-Sophie Bettez, McGill University (CIS)
Emmanuelle Blais, Montreal (CWHL)
Jennifer Botterill, Toronto (CWHL)
Bailey Bram, Mercyhurst College (CHA)
Mallory Deluce, University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
Jayna Hefford, Brampton (CWHL)
Haley Irwin, University of Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)
Brianne Jenner, Cornell University (ECAC)
Rebecca Johnston, Cornell University (ECAC)
Noémie Marin, Montreal (CWHL)
Caroline Ouellette, Montreal (CWHL)
Cherie Piper, Brampton (CWHL)
Marie-Philip Poulin, Boston University (HE)
Jesse Scanzano, Mercyhurst College (CHA)
Natalie Spooner, Ohio State University (WCHA)
Sarah Vaillancourt, Montreal (CWHL)
Jennifer Wakefield, Boston University (HE)
Hayley Wickenheiser, University of Calgary (CIS)