After an impressive season in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, Toronto Sceptres forward Hannah Miller will not be representing Team Canada at the upcoming world championship in April. Despite her outstanding performance in the PWHL, where she accumulated 24 points in 26 games, the 29-year-old from North Vancouver was ruled ineligible to play for Canada by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
Miller, who had previously played for the Chinese team, did not meet the IIHF’s requirement of a two-year timeline from her last overseas game to be eligible for Team Canada. This decision came as a disappointment to Team Canada’s general manager Gina Kingsbury, who expressed optimism about Miller meeting all outlined conditions to represent her country.
Having competed for China at the 2022 Olympics and led the team to victory at the Division B world championship, Miller’s absence on Team Canada’s roster will be filled by her Sceptres teammate Julia Gosling. Gosling, a rookie forward with 10 points in 27 games, is set to step in for Miller at the world championship.
The Canadian team will also be missing backup goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer due to injury, while starting goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens has been placed on long-term injured reserve in the PWHL but remains on the Canadian roster. The world championship, taking place in České Budějovice, Czech Republic from April 9 to 20, will serve as Canada’s final major tournament before the 2026 Olympics. Canada’s match schedule includes facing Finland, Switzerland, the United States, and the Czech Republic in round-robin play before the gold-medal game on April 20.
