VancouverMETRO VANCOUVER NEWS
Surrey’s Jenn Gardiner left off Canada’s world championship roster after Olympic silver
Jenn Gardiner, a 25-year-old Vancouver Goldeneyes forward who won silver at the 2026 Winter Olympics and last year’s world championship, was left off Canada’s roster for the Nov. 6–16 tournament in Denmark. She says the decision will fuel her effort to return for future events.
Hockey Canada has selected a younger, less experienced squad for the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship, leaving Surrey’s Jenn Gardiner and others off the roster announced Monday, Oct. 19. Gardiner, 25, is a forward with the Vancouver Goldeneyes and won silver with Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
She also won silver at last year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship, scoring 10 points with six goals and four assists to finish second in tournament scoring. Gardiner said Tuesday she was “in a bit of shock” after making the Olympic team the previous year and the 2025 world championship team. She called being left off “devastating,” but said it would add fuel for the coming season with the Goldeneyes.
The roster was assembled by Danièle Sauvageau, the new general manager, and Kori Cheverie, who was named head coach shortly before training camp in Quebec from Oct. 8 to 14. The article says they chose young NCAA players over PWHL veterans such as Gardiner and her Goldeneyes teammate Sarah Nurse.
Gardiner attended the Quebec camp but will not travel to Denmark for the Nov. 6–16 championship. Six of the 25 players representing Canada will be making their first national-team appearance. Gardiner said the depth of talent across the country is encouraging and reflects what professional players have wanted as part of efforts to grow women’s hockey and keep bringing medals home for Canada. She said she will always cheer for Canada to win gold, in hockey or any other sport, whether or not she is on the team. She had hoped for a different result this week and will use the decision as motivation.
Gardiner said this is one event and she will do everything she can to get back on the roster for the next tournament, especially with the world championship returning to Canada next year. The next Olympic cycle is four years away. She said she still has a bitter feeling about the silver medal at these Olympics and hopes to have the chance to pursue gold for Canada one day.
Vancouver’s PWHL team opens training camp Wednesday, Nov. 18, more than two weeks before the 2026–27 regular season begins at home. The Goldeneyes host Seattle Torrent at Pacific Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 5, with a 1 p.m. puck drop. Canada’s roster is available at hockeycanada.ca.
Canada is in Group B in Denmark with tournament host Denmark, Finland, Japan and Sweden. Group A includes Austria, Czechia, Germany, Switzerland and the United States. Canada will play the United States in pre-tournament games in Windsor, Ontario, on Oct. 28 and Plymouth, Michigan, on Oct. 30.