Hockey Canada logo. – JONATHAN NACKSTRAND Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND /JONATHAN NACKSTRANDArticle contentIn preparation for the 2026 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Hockey Championship, Hockey Canada has announced its coaching staff for its national team.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentVicky Sunohara, a three-time Olympic medallist and coach of the University of Toronto women’s hockey program, will be the team’s head coach for the 2025-26 season.Article contentArticle contentSunohara, 55, will return to the bench for the under-18 team after guiding the program to a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Hockey Championship.Article contentArticle contentThis year, Sunohara will enter her 15th season as the head coach at the University of Toronto, where she won the Ontario University Athletics and U Sports coach of the year honours in three consecutive seasons from 2020 to 2023.Article contentSunohara has also led the Toronto university to the national championship tournament the last three seasons from 2023 to 2025.Article contentAlong with winning gold last year, Sunohara also claimed a gold medal in 2022 and a bronze medal in 2024 as an assistant coach with the national under-18 team.Article contentIn her playing career, Sunohara won two Olympic gold medals as well as seven gold medals at the IIHF World Women’s Hockey Championship for Canada.Article contentSunohara ranks 10th all-time in national women’s team scoring with 56 goals and 63 assists for 119 points in 164 games and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2025.Article contentJoining Sunohara on the under-18 team’s bench will include assistant coaches Amanda Benoit-Wark (Ridley College) and Marc-André Côté (University of Moncton) as well as goaltender coach Sheldon Goertzen (University of Saskatchewan). The team’s video coach will be Carlee Campbell (University of Toronto).Article contentArticle contentCanada’s national women’s under-18 team selection camp will take place Aug. 6-9 at WinSport Event Centre in Calgary. Once selected, the club will then play a three-game series against the United States, Aug. 13-16, at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.Article contentThe selection camp roster was not announced at publication time.Article contentThe 2026 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Hockey Championship will take place in Cape Breton from Jan. 8-18 at Centre 200 in Sydney and the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre.Article contentTickets for the international event have not been released to the public as of yet, however, fans have until Aug. 17 to sign up for the priority list to get early access to tickets for the event. For more information on tickets, visit hockeycanada.ca.Article content
Hockey Canada announces coaching staff for national under-18 program
