Canada boasts veteran roster for women's hockey worlds
16 of 23 players return from 2016 silver medal-winning squad
Canada will ice a veteran roster when it tries for an eighth gold medal at the upcoming women's world hockey championship.
The 23-player roster features 17 players who helped Canada sweep a two-game exhibition series against the rival United States in December, 16 who were on Canada's runner-up team at last year's world championships and 13 who helped defeat the U.S. in the gold-medal game at the Sochi Olympics.
One player missing from the roster is star forward Hayley Wickenheiser, who announced her retirement in January. Wickenheiser helped Canada win 13 world championship medals, including silver in 2016.
Marie-Philip Poulin, who served as Canada's captain in December's exhibition series and scored the overtime winner in the second game, headlines a forward corps that includes 2014 gold medallists Meghan
Agosta, Haley Irwin, Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Natalie Spooner and Jennifer Wakefield.
Defenceman Laura Fortino, Jocelyne Larocque, Meaghan Mikkelson and Lauriane Rougeau and goaltenders Shannon Szabados and Genevieve Lacasse are the other returning 2014 Olympians.
The roster includes four players participating in the world championship for the first time: defencemen Erin Ambrose and Renata Fast and forwards Sarah Potomak and Laura Stacey.
This year's event runs March 31 to April 7 in Plymouth, Mich.
Canada is in Group A with the U.S., Russia and Finland. Group B includes Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Germany.