CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the coaching and support staffs that will lead Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team and Canada’s National Women’s Development Team during the 2025-26 season.
Team Canada legend Vicky Sunohara (Scarborough, ON/University of Toronto, OUA) and Alison Domenico (Ottawa, ON/University of Ottawa, OUA) return to lead the U18 and development teams, respectively, as head coaches for the second-consecutive year.
“Vicky and Alison have displayed incredible passion for our women’s program, and we are thrilled to have both return to our under-18 and development teams this year,” said Dylan Rockwell (Calgary, AB), senior manager of hockey operations. “These teams are crucial steps in our women’s program and demand a high-level of dedication from the coaching staffs who will assist our athletes in their development. We are excited to announce the coaches and support staff who will provide the necessary skills and guidance to our teams on the international stage this season.”
Sunohara returns to the bench after guiding Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team to a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. She will be joined by assistant coaches Amanda Benoit-Wark (Welland, ON/Ridley College, OWHA U22 Elite) and Marc-André Côté (Montreal, QC/University of Moncton, AUS), as well as goaltending coach Sheldon Goertzen (Saskatoon, SK/University of Saskatchewan, CW) and video coach Carlee Campbell (Oakville, ON/University of Toronto, OUA).
Sunohara is entering her 15th 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 the past three seasons (2023-25). In addition to last year’s U18 Women’s Worlds gold medal, she 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 all-time in 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.
Benoit-Wark has served as head coach of the women’s hockey program at Ridley College since 2008. Internationally, she won a bronze medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2018 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. Benoit-Wark also served as an assistant with Canada’s National Women’s Development Team, winning silver at the 2017 Nations Cup and gold at the 2015 Nations Cup. As a player, she won two gold medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championship (1999, 2000) and three gold at the 4 Nations Cup (1996, 1998, 2000).
Côté returns after winning gold as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s U18 Team at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. He is entering his 14th season with the University of Moncton women’s hockey team, serving the last seven 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.Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camp, presented by BFL CANADA, will take place Aug. 6-9 at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary. Once selected, the team will play a three-game series against the United States, Aug. 13-16 at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.
Canada will defend its gold medal on home ice at the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, Jan. 8-18 in Sydney and Membertou, Nova Scotia. Fans have until Aug. 17 sign up for the Priority List to get early access to tickets.
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.
Domenico returns to lead Canada’s National Women’s Development Team alongside assistant coaches Matt Desrosiers (Fort Erie, ON/Clarkson University, ECAC) and Chris MacKenzie (Niagara Falls, ON/University of Connecticut, HE), as well as goaltending coach Brad Fogal (North York, ON) and video coach Josh Bell (Kingston, ON).
Domenico is entering her second 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.
Desrosiers has served as head coach of the Clarkson University women’s hockey team for the past 17 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.
MacKenzie is set to make his international coaching debut. He is entering his 13th season as head coach of the University of Connecticut’s women’s hockey team, earning Hockey East Coach of the Year honours the past two seasons and winning NCAA National Coach of the Year in 2023-24. MacKenzie led the Huskies to their first national championship in 2024 and is the winningest coach in program history. Prior to joining the University of Connecticut, MacKenzie served as an assistant coach with Ohio State University (2012-13), head coach of Niagara University (2009-11) and as an assistant with the men’s hockey team at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (2001-09).
Canada’s National Women’s Development Team will gather in Montréal, Québec for a pair of practices before heading to Lake Placid for a three-game series against the United States from Aug. 13-16.
For a full list of staff for Canada’s National Women’s Development Team, 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.
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Media contact:
Jacob Wolfenden
Coordinator, Communications
Hockey Canada
289.880.2469
jwolfenden@hockeycanada.ca