Team Canada’s Future on Display at U18 Canadian Women’s National Championship
While the Rivalry Series was deciding the future of the 2026 Olympic rosters, the fight for spots in the 2030 and 2034 Olympic rosters was already starting in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Part One: The Tournament
Nearly everyone’s eyes were on Team Canada and Team USA going at it in the Rivalry Series in Cleveland, OH, and Buffalo, NY, to prepare for the 2026 Olympics in Italy. But while that was happening, Team Canada’s future was showing off in the Newfoundland and Labrador cities of South Conception Bay and Mount Pearl, with a combined population of nearly 50,000 people. The annual U18 Canadian Women’s National Championship is the last step for Team Canada in deciding its roster for the upcoming 2026 U18 World Championships.
That’s the short-term goal of the tournament, anyways. Long term, these are players who'll be fighting for spots for the 2030 Olympics and who'll be the main core of the 2034 Olympics team. I know 2030 seems rather soon for now-U18 players to be vying for spots, but if we look back at the 2023 U18 Nationals (which was only two years ago), we see Caitlin Kraemer and Chloe Primerano having played in that tournament now looking to make the 2026 Olympic team. As for these players making up the core of a team eight years from now? The proof is already in the pudding.
