Burnaby's Kaleigh Fratkin was one 24 players who invited to Hockey Canada’s national women’s team training camp, scheduled for Jan. 26 to 30 at the Centre d’Excellence Sports Rousseau in Blainville, Que.
The camp roster includes two goaltenders, nine defencemen, including Fratkin, and 13 forwards.
Players will be on the ice for daily practices at camp, and will play a pair of exhibition games, against the Phenix du College Esther-Blondin on Jan. 27, and midget team Seigneurs des Mille-Îles on Jan. 29.
The camp will serve as an opportunity for Canada’s national women’s team coaching staff, led by head coach Doug Derraugh, and Hockey Canada’s team of scouts, led by general manager of women’s national team programs Melody Davidson, to check in with players midseason.
The evaluations will assist the coaching and scouting staffs in selecting the team that will represent Canada at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Malmö, Sweden from March 28 to April 4.
“This camp is another great opportunity to have a look at players, build chemistry and see where we are as a team as we work towards Malmö,” said Derraugh in a Hockey Canada press release. “There is so much depth in Canadian women’s hockey, so we need every chance we can get to see these players in action, get a look at them live mid-season, and begin to make decisions for the world championship.”
The roster for Canada’s National Women’s Team training camp includes:
10 players who won a gold medal with Canada’s national women’s team at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia;
15 players who won a gold medal with Canada’s national women’s team at the 2014 4 Nations Cup in Kamloops, B.C.;
and seven players, including Fratkin, who won a gold medal with Canada’s national women’s development team at the 2015 Nations Cup in Füssen, Germany.
Aldergrove's Sarah Potomak, who helped Canada’s national under-18 women’s team win a silver medal at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey world championship in Buffalo, N.Y. was also invited to the camp.
