McGill Martlets to host Italian Olympic women’s hockey team on Jan. 8

MONTREAL — There will be a few familiar faces when the McGill University Martlets host the Italian national women's hockey team at McConnell Arena for a 7 p.m. start on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.

Although final roster spots have yet to be confirmed, the visitors will essentially be Italy's Olympic squad, which is holding a training camp in the Montreal borough of Verdun ahead of the Olympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, Italy, next month.

It will mark the first time the Martlets have faced a national team. Tickets are on sale online. The game will not be streamed, but live statistics will be available online.

The Italian roster will include former McGill assistant coach Kayla Tutino, who left her full-time position with the Martlets two years ago for an opportunity to resume her professional playing career in Italy. Other members of the Azzurre with ties to McConnell Arena include two former McGill players now serving on the Italian coaching staff.

Alexandre Tremblay is an assistant coach under head coach Eric Bouchard after playing with the McGill men's program from 2014 to 2017 and later serving as an assistant coach from 2021 to 2024. Also on staff is goaltending coach Karel Saint-Laurent, who played for McGill from 2013 to 2016.

Italy has held two training camps in Montreal, the first running from Nov. 24 to Dec. 21. The second camp is scheduled from Jan. 5 to Jan. 23. The Olympic hockey tournament begins Feb. 5, 2026.

Italy defeated Norway 4-0 on Nov. 7 and Austria 2-0 on Nov. 9 before playing three exhibition games during its first Montreal camp, posting a 2-0-1 record at Verdun Auditorium. The Italians defeated the Montreal Carabins 7-0 on Dec. 11, followed by a 10-0 victory over the Concordia Stingers on Dec. 13. They later played to a 2-2 draw against an all-star team composed of reserve players from the Montreal Victoire of the PWHL, local university players and Léonie Philbert, a native of France who plays professionally in Italy with the Bolzano Eagles.

Italy's current training camp roster features 11 players with NCAA experience, two from U SPORTS programs (Calgary and Guelph), and others competing in professional leagues across Europe.