Canada is absolutely annihilating the competition at Women's World Hockey Championship
Their uniforms may look ordinary, but Canada’s play on the ice at the Women’s World Hockey Championship has been anything but.
Team Canada has bulldozed its way through the competition in its first three games at the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship. They’re a perfect 3-0 so far, outscoring opponents 24-1 in the process.
That includes a 5-1 win over Sweden in their tournament opener, followed by blowouts over Japan (9-0) and Denmark (10-0). Canada’s dominance was on full display against Denmark, outshooting the tournament’s host nation by a whopping 74-6 margin.
“It’s one of the best teams in the world, so we knew it would be hard, but we gave our all,” said Denmark goalie Caroline Bjergstad, who bravely faced 41 Canadian shots before being pulled.
Danish goaltender Caroline Bjergstad had a tough job on Monday. (Tim Austen/IIHF)
Tougher tests are on the horizon, as Canada faces Finland on Wednesday.
They’ll likely take on the United States in the gold medal game, which is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16. If that happens, it’ll be the 25th time in a row Canada and the U.S. have met in the gold medal game at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. The Americans are also 3-0 in this tournament, outscoring teams 23-1.
It’ll be among the most highly anticipated gold medal games of all time, given political tensions between the two countries. Canada will also be looking for revenge after the Americans beat them 2-1 in the Olympic gold medal game in Milan last February.
Canada had to settle for silver at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)
This is a different Canadian team than the one that represented our country at the Winter Olympics, though. Twelve players on Canada’s roster at this tournament did not compete at Milano Cortina 2026. That includes four teenagers — Rosalie Tremblay (18), Hayley McDonald (18), Chloe Primerano (19), and Sara Manness (19) — and 20-year-old Caitlin Kraemer.
“We’ve been learning a lot as a group, especially with lots of new players, and I think we’ve been doing a good job learning from each game,” said Team Canada forward Kristin O’Neill after Monday’s win.
Canada is without captain Marie-Philip Poulin due to injury, after she underwent knee surgery. Laura Stacey and Renata Fast were named co-captains in Poulin’s absence, with O’Neill serving as alternate captain. Other veteran players missing from this squad include Natalie Spooner, Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, and Emerance Maschmeyer.