Women's Hockey | 5/11/2017 3:45:00 PM

CALGARY, Alta. – Melodie Daoust, the graduating team captain of the McGill University Martlets, is one of 28 players named Thursday by Hockey Canada to be centralized in Calgary throughout the 2017-18 season in preparation for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

The 25-year-old physical education senior from Valleyfield, Que., is the only player developed from a U SPORTS program, the national governing body for University sports in Canada. The roster also includes 25 products of the NCAA, one from the Alberta Collegiate Athletics Conference and one from the Junior Women's Hockey League.

Daoust, a gold medalist at the Sochi Winter Olympics and a four-time All-Canadian centre, is a three-time recipient of the Gladys Bean Trophy as McGill's female athlete of the year. She led McGill to three RSEQ conference titles and four appearances at the Nationals. She has finished her illustrious McGill career with a 116-156-272 record in 143 games overall.

The centralization roster includes three goaltenders, nine defencemen, and 16 forwards, and features 14 players who won gold at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. It also includes 21 players who captured silver at the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship in Plymouth, Mich.

The roster was selected by head coach Laura Schuler alongside Melody Davidson, Hockey Canada's general manager of national women's team programs, and included support from Hockey Canada regional scouts, assistant coaches Dwayne Gylywoychuk and Troy Ryan, and goaltending coach Brad Kirkwood.

"We're looking forward to continuing our preparation for PyeongChang with this dedicated group of athletes," said Schuler. "It was a difficult process selecting the 28 players that will vie for a spot on Canada's Olympic roster and we're excited to be one step closer in that journey."

Hockey Canada also announced that goaltenders Emerance Maschmeyer of Bruderheim, Alta., and Erica Howe of Orleans, Ont., will be available to support the centralization roster throughout the 2017-18 season but will remain with their club teams.

All 28 players named to the centralization roster will begin their preparation with fitness testing in late May. Details on the location of camp will be announced next week.

The players and staff will come together in Calgary this August on a full-time basis with Hockey Canada, based out of the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport's Canada Olympic Park. As part of the preparation for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, the 2017-18 season will be highlighted by the 2017 4 Nations Cup and other games that will be announced at a later date.

Canada's final 23-player roster for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games is tentatively scheduled to be determined in late December.

2017-18 CANADIAN NATIONAL CENTRALIZATION ROSTER

#	Name	S/C	Ht.	Wt.	Born	Hometown	Prev. University Team	Club Team
Goaltenders
1	Shannon Szabados	L	5'8"	146	8/6/1986	Edmonton, Alta.	NAIT (ACAC)	Fort Saskatchewan (CHL)
31	Geneviève Lacasse	L	5'8"	136	5/5/1989	Kingston, Ont.	Providence (Hockey East)	Calgary (CWHL)
35	Ann-Renée Desbiens	L	5'9"	160	4/10/1994	La Malbaie, Que.	Wisconsin (WCHA)	University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
Defence
3	Jocelyne Larocque	L	5'6"	139	5/19/1988	Ste. Anne, Man.	Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)	Brampton (CWHL)
4	Brigette Lacquette	R	5'6"	180	10/11/1992	Mallard, Man.	Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)	Calgary (CWHL)
5	Lauriane Rougeau	L	5'8"	167	4/12/1990	Beaconsfield, Que.	Cornell (ECAC)	Montreal (CWHL)
8	Laura Fortino	L	5'4"	137	1/30/1991	Hamilton, Ont.	Cornell (ECAC)	Brampton (CWHL)
12	Meaghan Mikkelson	R	5'9"	139	1/4/1985	St. Albert, Alta.	Wisconsin (WCHA)	Calgary (CWHL)
18	Halli Krzyzaniak	R	5'7"	161	2/4/1995	Neepawa, Man.	North Dakota (WCHA)	University of North Dakota (WCHA)
23	Erin Ambrose	R	5'5"	132	4/30/1994	Keswick, Ont.	Clarkson (ECAC)	Toronto (CWHL)
36	Renata Fast	R	5'6"	144	10/6/1994	Burlington, Ont.	Clarkson (ECAC)	Toronto (CWHL)
38	Micah Hart	L	5'8"	152	1/13/1997	Saanichton, B.C.	Cornell (ECAC)	Cornell University (ECAC)
Forwards
2	Meghan Agosta	L	5'7"	148	2/12/1987	Ruthven, Ont.	Mercyhurst (CHA)	Hockey Canada
6	Rebecca Johnston	L	5'9"	148	9/24/1989	Sudbury, Ont.	Cornell (ECAC)	Calgary (CWHL)
9	Jennifer Wakefield	R	5'10"	172	6/15/1989	Pickering, Ont.	New Hampshire / Boston (WHEA)	Linköping HC (SWE)
11	Jillian Saulnier	L	5'5"	144	3/7/1992	Halifax, N.S.	Cornell (ECAC)	Calgary (CWHL)
15	Mélodie Daoust	L	5'6"	159	1/7/1992	Valleyfield, Que.	McGill (RSEQ)	McGill University (RSEQ)
17	Bailey Bram	L	5'8"	138	9/5/1990	St. Anne, Man.	Mercyhurst (CHA)	Calgary (CWHL)
19	Brianne Jenner	R	5'9"	156	5/4/1991	Oakville, Ont.	Cornell (ECAC)	Calgary (CWHL)
21	Haley Irwin	L	5'7"	170	6/6/1988	Thunder Bay, Ont.	Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)	Calgary (CWHL)
24	Natalie Spooner	R	5'10"	180	10/17/1990	Scarborough, Ont.	Ohio State (WCHA)	Toronto (CWHL)
26	Emily Clark	L	5'7"	130	11/28/1995	Saskatoon, Sask.	Wisconsin (WCHA)	University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
29	Marie-Philip Poulin	L	5'7"	160	3/28/1991	Beauceville, Que.	Boston (WHEA)	Montreal (CWHL)
40	Blayre Turnbull	R	5'7"	155	7/15/1993	Stellarton, N.S.	Wisconsin (WCHA)	Calgary (CWHL)
41	Sarah Nurse	L	5'8"	140	1/4/1995	Hamilton, Ont.	Wisconsin (WCHA)	University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
43	Laura Stacey	R	5'10"	156	5/5/1994	Kleinburg, Ont.	Dartmouth (ECAC)	Brampton (CWHL)
44	Sarah Potomak	L	5'5"	140	12/19/1997	Aldergrove, B.C.	Minnesota (WCHA)	University of Minnesota (WCHA)
46	Amy Potomak	R	5'8"	148	6/25/1999	Aldergrove, B.C.		Pacific (JWHL)
Alternate Goaltenders
-	Erica Howe	L	5'9"	153	7/17/1992	Orleans, Ont.	Clarkson (ECAC)	Brampton (CWHL)
-	Emerance Maschmeyer	L	5'6"	141	5/10/1994	Bruderheim, Alta.	Harvard (ECAC)	Calgary (CWHL)

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada's National Women's Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media onFacebook,Twitter, and Twitter.com/HC_Women.