The Canadian women's hockey team is trying out new goaltenders in a new international event.
Instead of taking the usual suspects — Shannon Szabados, Charline Labonte and Kim St. Pierre — to the Eight Nations tournament later this month in Finland, Hockey Canada wants to give other goaltenders international experience.
Christina Kessler of Mississauga, Ont., Liz Knox of Stouffville, Ont., and Genevieve Lacasse of Kingston, Ont., were among the 19 players named to Canada's roster for the tournament Aug. 24 to Sept. 3 in Vierumaki, Finland.
The players were chosen by Hockey Canada's head female scout Melody Davidson and Kalli Quinn, director of female hockey.
Szabados, Labonte and St. Pierre have been Canada's goaltenders the last several years at world championships and Olympics.
"We have some great goaltenders in our midst so we decided to take three goaltenders that we want to get some more experience with," Davidson said Thursday from Rockland, Ont., where she is scouting the under-18 and under-22 women's camps.
"We know what we have in Charline, Kim and Shannon so we want to see three goalies who really haven't played the U.S., or Sweden or Finland at the highest levels."
Canada opens the tournament versus Switzerland on Aug. 24.
The Eight Nations tournament is part of the International Ice Hockey Federation's strategy to reduce the competitive gaps between countries in women's hockey.
The thinking is providing more competition may motivate federations to funnel more resources into female hockey, as well as inspire individual players to up their skill development and physical fitness.
The tournament features the U.S., winner of the last three world championships, reigning Olympic gold medallist Canada, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Slovakia and Japan.
The national women's team will hold an evaluation camp at the end of September. In order not to take university or college players out of school twice in less than a month, players aged 22 and under were not included on the Eight Nations roster, Davidson said.
The under-18 and under-22 camps currently underway in Rockland, the Eight Nations tournament and the September camp will allow Davidson to see every player in the women's program in quick succession.
"We're going to have to make some pretty important decisions in about 14 months," Davidson said, referring to the 2013-2014 season when players will be invited to try out for the next Olympic team.
"This month is an opportunity for us to see everybody and nobody can hide. They're going to have to play and be used in key situations against people we're going to have to compete against down the road for gold medals."
Olympic captain Hayley Wickenheiser and veteran forwards Cherie Piper and Sarah Vaillancourt were invited but are unable to participate, according to Hockey Canada.
Wickenheiser has told The Canadian Press she will not play because of "family commitments." Piper has a teaching internship at the end of this month, while Vaillancourt is treating a hip injury.
The Eight Nations roster includes a dozen players from Canada's world championship team that lost the gold-medal game in overtime to the U.S. in April.
Olympic veterans in the lineup include forwards Jayna Hefford of Kingston, Ont., Gillian Apps of Unionville, Ont., Meghan Agosta of Ruthven, Ont., and defencemen Tessa Bonhomme of Sudbury, Ont., Montreal's Catherine Ward and Meaghan Mikkelson of St. Albert, Alta.
Among the new faces are forwards Emmanuelle Blais of Montreal, Mallory Deluce of London, Ont., and Jesse Scanzano of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. Only 10 forwards were named to the roster and they'll get a lot of ice time because Davidson says there are currently no plans to add any more before the tournament.
The team will be coached by York University coach Dan Church, who will also be behind Canada's bench at the annual Four Nations Cup in November.