Inferno well represented on Team Canada for Women’s Worlds

Hockey Canada announced its roster for the Women's World Championship Thursday afternoon via Twitter, and it features both expected and brand-new faces.

Rebecca Johnston, Haley Irwin, Bailey Bram, Jessica Campbell, and Sarah Davis will be in Malmo, Sweden alongside both fellow CWHLers and college standouts for the tournament, which runs March 28-April 4.

This will be Davis's debut with the senior national women's squad. She played earlier this year at the Nations Cup and tallied one assist as part of the gold-winning National Developmental Team. Johnston and Irwin were of course part of the Olympic team that won gold a year ago in Sochi, while Bram was a late cut for that team and has represented Canada at the Women's Worlds in 2012 and 2013. She was also at last November's 4 Nations Cup along with Johnston, Irwin, and Campbell (who made her debut with the senior team there).

Irwin's presence on the roster indicates she's likely ready to go after missing the last third of the CWHL season and the Clarkson Cup playoffs due to lingering post-concussion issues. It was tough not seeing her in the lineup for Calgary, but it'll be great to see her get back into the swing of things on Team Canada.

Jessica Wong, Hayleigh Cudmore and Louise Warren were on the training camp squad along with the five Inferno players who made the team, but were cut presumably due to the depth within the Hockey Canada program. Four of the six blueliners and six of the 13 forwards on the final roster were part of the Olympic team as well.

Other notable CWHLers on Team Canada include Boston's Tara Watchorn and Genevieve Lacasse (also Olympians), Brampton's Laura Fortino and Jamie Lee Rattray, and Toronto's Natalie Spooner and Kelly Terry.

More on the Women's Worlds as it creeps closer to March 28, including a preview of what to expect and who to watch out for on each team. Also check out the International Ice Hockey Federation's website, where there's a great series celebrating 25 years of having international women's hockey tournaments in the IIHF.

UPDATE (3/18/15): Irwin will in fact not be at Worlds due to injury. Caroline Ouellette of the Montreal Stars has been added to the roster in her place. More info here.

by Angelica Rodriguez