Hockey roundup: Six Michigan women make national teams; Canada 4-0 at worlds

Buffalo, N.Y. — The United States women’s national hockey team, which will feature 18 returning Olympians, including Farmington Hills' Megan Keller and Sault Ste. Marie's Abby Roque, took to the ice for the first time Sunday to prepare for the world championships without new coach John Wroblewski, who tested positive for COVID-19.

Wroblewski, a former coach of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Plymouth, tested positive Saturday and will coach remotely while spending a 10-day stretch in self-isolation.

Should he be cleared, Wroblewski would travel separately to join the team in Denmark, where the U.S. opens the 10-nation tournament against Japan on Aug. 25.

Keller, a 26-year-old defenseman who played for Honeybaked and attended North Farmington High School, was selected to six previous world rosters and played in five world championships, including the gold-medal years in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.

Roque, a 24-year-forward who played four years of high school hockey at Sault Area High School, earned a spot on two world championship teams and appeared with the silver-medalist Americans in 2021.

The team is scheduled to travel to Denmark on Thursday.

“It’s business as usual. I think everybody knows their job,” said forward Hilary Knight, who will be competing in her 12th world championship.

Four Michigan-area women were also selected for the U18 teams that will compete for the collegiate selects and the selects team. Both teams will represent Team USA in a three-game series with Canada on Aug. 17, 18, 20.

For the collegiate series, Callie Shanahan (Commerce Township) and Amanda Thiele (Milford) were two of the three goaltenders named.

For the selects team, goalie Annelies Bergmann (Detroit) and Cassie Hall (South Lyon) were picked by USA Hockey.

U20 world juniors

Canada improved to 4-0 and will face Switzerland in Wednesday's quarterfinal at the world junior hockey championships in Edmonton.

Captain Mason McTavish had a goal and two assists in Monday's 6-3 win over Finland. Wings draft pick Donovan Sebrango was plus-1 in a team-high 21:01 of ice time and Michigan winger Kent Johnson had an assist with a team-high eight shots.

Goaltender Dylan Garand stopped 22-of-25 shots and has won three straight games after Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa won the opener against Latvia.

The reigning champion Americans (4-0) went undefeated in round-robin action and will take on Czechia (1-2-1), the country commonly known as the Czech Republic, in the quarterfinals.

The semifinals are scheduled for Friday and the medal games will go Saturday.