Hockey Canada announced this afternoon that Markham Thunder forward Jamie Lee Rattray, along with Cornell University’s Kristin O’Neill, have been named to the 4 Nations Cup roster after injuries to Canadian forwards Emily Clark and Sarah Potomak. Clark and Potomak are both NCAA players, for the University of Wisconsin and University of Minnesota respectively.

Both O’Neill and Rattray were attendees at Team Canada’s Fall Festival, but apparently barely missed the cut the first time around. While this will be O’Neill’s first senior team tournament (she’s only 20), Rattray has more experience, including two World Championship appearances in 2015 and 2016. She’s in her fourth season with the Thunder, and after scoring 39 points in 28 regular-season games last year, was named the Jayna Hefford Trophy winner for league MVP as voted by the CWHL’s players.

Jamie Lee Rattray wins Jayna Hefford Trophy

While Rattray has remained a member of the Hockey Canada program, this will be her first appearance in a major tournament since the 2016 4 Nations Cup. Considering the excellent season she had for Markham last year, it’s great to see her going to Saskatoon. I’ve been hoping she’d make it back onto a Team Canada roster, and while an injury replacement isn’t ideal circumstances, Rattray is a fantastic player who certainly deserves the opportunity.

Hockey Canada announces 4 Nations Cup roster

We’ll have a preview and How to Watch for 4 Nations out early next week for all of the GTA CWHL fans who are excited to watch players from both Markham and Toronto team up for a change.

Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL)Women's Hockey