(UW ATHLETICS) – Badger alumni, Emily Clark, Blayre Turnbull, Daryl Watts, Ann-Renee Desbiens and Sarah Nurse have all been named to Hockey Canada’s Olympic roster for the 2026 Winter games in Milan-Cortina, the governing body announced on Friday.
All five played in the Team USA vs Team Canada rivalry series against current Badgers Lacey Eden, Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, Ava McNaughton and Kirsten Simms and alumni Hillary Knight, Britta Curl-Salemme, Jesse Compher, Casey O’Brien and Anna Wilgren.
Wisconsin now has 12 players participating in Olympics across the USA, Canada and Czechia – the most ever in a single Olympics, surpassing 2022’s total of 11.
Nurse, Clark, Turnbull, and Desbiens played for Hockey Canada during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where the team secured a gold medal by beating Team USA, 3-2. The four players were also teammates during Canada’s silver medal run during the 2018 Olympic games in South Korea.
Clark played for the Badgers from 2014-19, scoring 146 points in her career. She made the WCHA All-Tournament team in 2016 and 2017, and won a national championship in 2019. She now plays for the Ottawa Charge where she’s collected 35 points in her first two years in the PWHL.
Desbiens served in net for Wisconsin from 2013-17, accumulating a 99-14-9 record with a .955 career save percentage. She earned the 2017 Patty Kazmaier award as a Badger, and first joined Hockey Canada during the 2015 IIHF Women’s World Championship, before going on to play in both the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics. Across two seasons for the Montreal Victoire, Desbiens has made 1,137 saves.
Nurse donned a Badger uniform from 2013-17, serving as assistant captain in 2016-17 and earning Second-Team All-American status that same year. She first joined Hockey Canada for the 2018 Olympic Games. Nurse plays for the Vancouver Goldeneyes, and has collected 38 points across 46 games in the PWHL.
Turnbull’s Wisconsin career spanned from 2011-15, captaining the Badgers in her senior season, while also earning All-WCHA First Team honors. Her Team Canada debut occurred in the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship. She now plays for the PWHL Sceptres and has 26 points in 65 games so far.
Watts is the most recent addition to the Hockey Canada team, previously playing for the Red and White during the 2025 Rivalry Series against Team USA. Watts spent three years with the Badgers from 2019 to 2022, leading the NCAA in scoring during the 2019-20 season with 74 points. She helped the Badgers win the 2021 National Championship after scoring the game-winning overtime goal against Northeastern. Watts joins the squad after 52 points for the Toronto Sceptres in the PWHL across two seasons.
Canada plays its first preliminary game against Finland on February 5 at 2:10 p.m. CT.
Comments