CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the coaching and support staffs that will lead Canada’s National Women’s Development Team and Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team during the 2026-27 season. Team Canada legend Vicky Sunohara (Scarborough, ON/University of Toronto, OUA) and Nadine Muzerall (Streetsville, ON/Ohio State University, WCHA) will lead the development and U18 teams, respectively, as head coaches. “We are excited to announce Vicky and Nadine as the head coaches for our development and under-18 teams for the season,” said Cherie Piper (Scarborough, ON), senior manager of scouting and player development. “Alongside their support staffs, the coaches will guide our players in taking the next step in their careers while elevating the level of play across Canada. These teams require a high level of dedication from the coaching staffs and we are confident in their abilities to guide our athletes on the international stage this year.” Sunohara will lead Canada’s National Women’s Development Team after guiding the U18 team for the past two seasons. She will be joined by assistant coaches Matt Desrosiers (Fort Erie, ON/Clarkson University, ECAC) and Jennifer Wakefield (Pickering, ON/Penn State University, AHA), as well as goaltending coach Sheldon Goertzen (Saskatoon, SK/Seattle, PWHL) and video coach Carlee Campbell (Oakville, ON/University of Toronto, OUA). Sunohara is entering her 16th season as head coach of the University of Toronto women’s hockey team, winning Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and U SPORTS Coach of the Year honours in three-consecutive seasons (2020-23) and leading the Blues to the U SPORTS national championship tournament in each of the past three seasons (2023-25). She served as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for the past two seasons, winning U18 Women’s Worlds gold in 2025, and also won gold (2022) and bronze (2024) as an assistant coach at the tournament. As a player, Sunohara won two Olympic gold medals and seven IIHF World Women’s Championship gold medals. She ranks 10th in all-time National Women’s Team scoring with 119 points (56-63—119) in 164 games and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2025. Desrosiers returns as an assistant coach with the development team for the second-consecutive year. He has served as head coach of the Clarkson University women’s hockey team for the past 18 seasons, leading the team to three NCAA national championships (2014, 2017, 2018) and earning Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Coach of the Year honours three times (2013-14, 2014-15, 2017-18). Internationally, he won a bronze medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Wakefield will serve as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Development Team for the first time. She is entering her third season as an assistant coach at Penn State University and has also spent time as a coach with the University of Ottawa (2023-24). Internationally, she has worked with the Netherlands’ national women’s team as an assistant coach for four seasons (2021-25). As a player, Wakefield won Olympic gold in 2014 and IIHF Women’s World Championship gold in 2012. She amassed 88 points (47-41—88) in 119 games with Canada’s National Women’s Team during her 11-year career (2007-18). Canada’s National Women’s Development Team selection camp, presented by BFL CANADA, will take place Aug. 3-8 at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Once selected, the team will play a three-game series against the United States, Aug. 12-15 in Richmond, B.C. Fans interested in attending the series can purchase tickets here. For a full list of staff for Canada’s National Women’s Development Team, please click here. Muzerall will make her international head coaching debut with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team alongside assistant coaches Marc-André Côté (Montreal, QC/University of Moncton, AUS) and Alison Domenico (Ottawa, ON/University of Ottawa, OUA), as well as goaltending coach Brad Fogal (North York, ON) and video coach Jackson Rajcic (Everett, WA/Arizona State University, NCHC). Muzerall is entering her 11th year as head coach of the women’s hockey team at Ohio State University, leading the Buckeyes to two NCAA national championships (2022, 2024). She also spent five years as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota (2011-16). Internationally, Muzerall served as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Development Team for the 2016-17 season. Côté will serve as an assistant coach with the U18 team for the third-consecutive season, winning U18 Women’s Worlds gold in 2025. He is entering his 15th season with the University of Moncton women’s hockey team, serving the last eight seasons as head coach and the previous six as an assistant. He has also served as an assistant coach for a pair of three-game series against the United States, once with Canada’s National Women’s Development Team (2022) and once with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team (2023). As a player, Côté won a gold medal at the 2004 Junior World Cup with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team and bronze at the 2004 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with Quebec. Domenico is entering her fourth year as head coach of the University of Ottawa women’s hockey team after over a decade as an assistant coach in the NCAA with Ohio State University (2010-11), Syracuse University (2011-18) and Providence College (2018-21). Internationally, she has won gold medals as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship, as well as a silver medal as head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Development Team at the 2024 Women’s Euro Hockey Tour. As a player, she won gold with Ontario Red at the 2005 National Women’s Under-18 Championship and with Ontario at the 2003 Canada Winter Games. Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camp, presented by BFL CANADA, will take place Aug. 3-8 at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Once selected, the team will play a three-game series against the United States, Aug. 12-15 in Richmond, B.C. Fans interested in attending the series can purchase tickets here. Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team will go for gold at the 2027 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, Jan. 8-16 in Ostrava, Czechia. For a full list of staff for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team and a list of camp support staff, please click here. For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Program, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.