Calgary’s Kaylee Hunter headlines CANWNT roster for October home dates with Denmark
Graphic by Provectus Media (PM)
TORONTO — Canada's women's national team is coming home, and an 18-year-old from Calgary is leading the next wave.
Head coach Casey Stoney named her 24-player squad Tuesday for the October FIFA international window, with Canada set to face Denmark in a pair of home friendlies: Friday, Oct. 9 at Stade Saputo in Montréal and Monday, Oct. 12 at BMO Field in Toronto.
The headline for Alberta soccer fans is Kaylee Hunter. The Calgary product, who came up through Calgary West FC and the Calgary Blizzard before joining AFC Toronto, earned her call-up on the back of a breakout FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, where she led Canada with four goals, including a hat trick in a 3-1 Round of 16 win over France.
Hunter is one of a record six Northern Super League players on the roster, alongside Montréal Roses FC's Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Ottawa Rapid FC's Melissa Dagenais and Delaney Baie Pridham, and AFC Toronto teammates Sabrina D'Angelo and Shelina Zadorsky. Eleven players arrive from the NWSL, with seven more based at clubs in England, France and Germany.
"We haven't had everyone together since June, so there's a real excitement about coming into camp, seeing each other again and getting back on the pitch," Stoney said. "These two games are an important opportunity for us to continue building and test ourselves against a strong Denmark side."
The Montréal fixture doubles as a Pride Celebration Match presented by Volkswagen Canada, with Canada wearing Pride-coloured numbers and Pride-themed elements throughout Stade Saputo.
These are Canada's first home matches since a 4-1 win over Costa Rica at BMO Field in June 2025, and the final window before November's Concacaf W Championship, where World Cup and Olympic qualification is on the line. Canada opens that tournament against Panama in the quarterfinals on Nov. 28 in Mansfield, Texas, with a semifinal berth earning automatic qualification to the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027. The tournament also decides Concacaf's qualifiers for the LA28 Olympic Games.
Canada sits ninth in the FIFA women's rankings, three spots ahead of No. 12 Denmark. The teams have split six all-time meetings at three wins apiece, with Canada taking the most recent one 1-0 at the 2017 Algarve Cup.
Jordyn Huitema and Jayde Riviere were unavailable through injury, while Notre Dame's Annabelle Chukwu was unavailable due to academic commitments.
Both matches air live on TSN, RDS and OneSoccer. Tickets are on sale now through canadasoccer.com/tickets.
CANWNT squad vs. Denmark
Goalkeepers: Melissa Dagenais (Ottawa Rapid FC), Sabrina D'Angelo (AFC Toronto), Lysianne Proulx (Ipswich Town), Kailen Sheridan (North Carolina Courage)
Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan (Chelsea), Gabrielle Carle (Washington Spirit), Sydney Collins (Bay FC), Vanessa Gilles (Bayern Munich), Ashley Lawrence (OL Lyonnes), Jade Rose (Manchester City), Janine Sonis (Denver Summit), Shelina Zadorsky (AFC Toronto)
Midfielders: Marie-Yasmine Alidou (Montréal Roses FC), Simi Awujo (Manchester United), Jessie Fleming (Portland Thorns), Julia Grosso (Chicago Red Stars), Emma Regan (Denver Summit), Carly Wickenheiser (North Carolina Courage)
Forwards: Kaylee Hunter (AFC Toronto), Cloé Lacasse (Utah Royals), Delaney Baie Pridham (Ottawa Rapid), Nichelle Prince (Boston Legacy), Olivia Smith (Arsenal), Evelyne Viens (Paris FC)