Kori Cheverie to lead Team Canada at 2026 Women’s World Championship

Kori Cheverie has been appointed head coach of Canada’s women’s national hockey team for the 2026 World Championship, Hockey Canada announced Thursday. The current Victoire de Montréal coach steps into the top job after several years on the national team bench.

Cheverie is no stranger to the women’s program. She has served as an assistant coach under former bench boss Troy Ryan since 2021, working behind the bench at five Women’s World Championships as well as the last two Olympic tournaments. That experience now transitions into full responsibility for guiding the national team.

Strong Montreal Victoire influence on Canada’s staff

Hockey Canada is leaning heavily on the structure in place with the PWHL’s Victoire de Montréal. Caroline Ouellette, Cheverie’s assistant in Montreal, will also serve as an assistant coach with Team Canada. The national team’s general manager remains Danièle Sauvageau, who holds the same role with Victoire.

Cheverie takes over after a landmark season at the professional level. She led Victoire to the first Walter Cup in franchise history this past spring and was recognized as the PWHL’s coach of the year for the 2024-25 season. Those recent accomplishments add weight to her promotion as Canada prepares for the 2026 World Championship.

Selection camp set for Quebec City, then USA tune-ups

Canada’s women’s team will gather in Quebec City from October 8 to 14 for a selection camp at the Centre Vidéotron. The camp will feature on-ice and off-ice sessions along with two intra-squad games scheduled for October 12 and 14, giving the new coaching staff a key window to finalize the roster.

In the lead-up to the Worlds in Denmark, Canada will face the United States in a pair of pre-tournament games. The rivals will first meet on October 28 at Windsor’s WFCU Centre, then again on October 30 in Plymouth, Michigan. Those contests are expected to provide an important benchmark for Cheverie’s group before heading overseas.

Bruce Cassidy added as special advisor to women’s program

Alongside Cheverie’s promotion, Hockey Canada announced that Bruce Cassidy will serve as a special advisor to general manager Danièle Sauvageau for the 2026-27 season. Reporting to Sauvageau, Cassidy will support the management group and coaching staff throughout the selection camp, the exhibition games in Windsor and Plymouth, and during the Women’s World Championship itself.

Cassidy will work with Sauvageau’s existing lieutenants Michael Hirshfeld and Manon Rhéaume. The addition of an experienced advisor further reinforces a leadership group that already shares significant familiarity through its ties to Victoire de Montréal and the women’s national team program.