Canada brought some of the top PWHL offensive defenders to Milan. Unfortunately, we’ve seen only one goal by a Canadian defender in five games. Let’s break down the situation at the 2026 Olympics.

A stacked defensive roster—in theory

When Canada named its roster for the 2026 Olympics, many of us expected to see a number of goals from the blueliners.

Five of the top-six defenders in all-time PWHL points are on this Canadian roster. They are Ella Shelton, Sophie Jaques, Renata Fast, Erin Ambrose, and Claire Thompson. Four of the top-six in all-time goals are as well: Shelton, Jaques, Fast, and Thompson.

Jaques, who’s making her Olympic debut, sits 20th in all-time PWHL points and 19th in all-time points per game, with 13 goals and 26 assists. She’s seventh in all-time shots on goal as one of only two defenders in the top 20 (the other being Shelton). On the Vancouver Goldeneyes this season, Jaques is tied with multiple teammates for most goals, with four.

Her Vancouver teammate and frequent D-partner, Thompson, leads all Goldeneyes players with nine points in 15 games. Thompson and Jaques have been playing as a pair in the PWHL consistently since January 3. They’re paired up for Team Canada, including as part of a power play unit that includes three defenders (Ambrose is the third).

Kati Tabin has seen limited minutes at this tournament so far. But in the 2025–26 PWHL season, she currently sits eighth in league-wide defender scoring and first in Montréal Victoire defender scoring.

Quieter PWHL seasons for some

Ambrose is particularly known for her skill in getting the puck through traffic and often quarterbacks the Victoire’s power play. At the 2022 Olympics, she scored the tournament’s most goals by a defender, with four. However, she didn’t score in the 2024–25 PWHL season and has yet to score this season.

When the Toronto Sceptres acquired Shelton in a draft-day trade, many, including head coach Troy Ryan, were excited to see her offensive game reach new heights. She’s been paired with the reigning PWHL Defender of the Year in Renata Fast, but it hasn’t translated to scoring success. Shelton has just two goals in 16 games, compared to eight goals in 24 games last season. Fast has no goals this season, but had six in 30 games last season.

Still on the scoresheet

The defenders are still coming up with assists in Milan: Fast (3), Thompson (3), Ambrose (2), Jaques (2), and Shelton (2). Alongside Thompson’s goal, they’ve collectively put up about a quarter of Canada’s combined 53 points.

They’ve also been shooting. Fast is tied for second in team shots on goal (14) with forwards Natalie Spooner and Sarah Fillier, and Jaques has put up as many shots (11) as forward Julia Gosling. Shelton and Thompson aren’t far behind, with 10 shots each. Combined, they have 60 shots, good for just over one-third of Canada’s total shots. But only one of 60 has resulted in a goal.

Thompson breaks through

Claire Thompson finally lit the lamp for Canada’s defence in the team’s 5–1 win over Germany in the quarterfinals on February 14. At the 2022 Olympics, Thompson set a new record for points by a defender in the women’s tournament, with two goals and 11 assists. In the five games at this tournament, she’s been noticeably mobile.

The defender’s one goal among Canada’s 19 means the defence has scored only 5.3% of the team’s goals. In comparison, 10.0% (2/20) of Sweden’s goals have been scored by defenders, and 26.9% (7/26) of the USA’s goals have been scored by defenders. Defender Caroline Harvey leads the USA with nine points. Defenders Megan Keller and Laila Edwards are tied with forward Alex Carpenter for the team’s second-most points.

Changing it up

Canada hasn’t juggled the defensive pairings yet this tournament. Tabin, as the seventh defender, has been slotted in throughout the lineup. Could it be time to reunite the elite 2022 Olympics pairing of Thompson and Ambrose? Or to reunite Tabin and Ambrose, which Ambrose credits for her 2024 PWHL Defender of the Year award?

Larocque is one of only two Canadian players with a negative plus/minus this Games (–2). She may benefit from more limited minutes as a seventh defender, though she has been jumping up into the play to create 2v1s.

Who’s up next?

Fast has had some good chances, and Jaques seems on the precipice of her first Olympic goal. I’d love to see Tabin get on the board, to show Ryan and general manager Gina Kingsbury that she’s deserving of more minutes.