Former Medicine Hat resident Kennedy Sisson will be representing Canada at the 2026 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship in Cape Breton, N.S. (Image Credit: Submitted Photo)

By Jesse Gill

SPORTS

Former Medicine Hat resident set to compete for Canada at the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Hockey Championship

Jan 8, 2026 | 1:30 PM

Kennedy Sisson said she was speechless and had tears of joy when she found out she made the Canadian team for the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Hockey Championship.

“I had got a phone call. I answered, and my sister was actually right there by my side when I was on the phone… honestly, I was just so excited. I was speechless. And I did shed a few tears, to be honest,” Sisson said.

“It was just so amazing to hear that. It was unreal. I would have never thought that I’d make it here.”

Sisson received that call a week before the official roster was announced, and the 17-year-old forward now has the opportunity to represent her country on the world stage in Nova Scotia.

“I had a dream of playing for Team Canada ever since I was younger and started hockey,” Sisson said.

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“When I got the invite to the summer camp, I realized that I actually had a chance to fulfill my dreams, and just any time being able to represent my country is an awesome opportunity.”

She travelled to Halifax on New Year’s Day to start preparing for the tournament in Cape Breton from Jan. 10-18.

That included team practices, activities, and a pre-competition game against Team Finland on Wednesday.

Canada won that game in dominant fashion, 11-0 over their European foes.

Sisson moved away from Medicine Hat to Sylvan Lake at the age of 12 when her parents relocated for work.

She still has a strong connection to Medicine Hat with extended family and friends in the community.

She now calls the Kelowna area home after attending hockey camps in the area, and getting an opportunity to play in the U18 Female division of the Canadian Sports School Hockey League.

Sisson lives there with her mother, Courtney, and sister Kinley, while her father, Aaron, travels back and forth, still working in Red Deer.

Sisson played the 2021-22 season as a 13-year-old at the Okanagan Hockey Academy before moving on to the Rink Hockey Academy for the next four years.

In her fifth season in the CSSHL, she set records for the most games ever played in the league, and later the most points, with 186 points in 135 career games, as she heads to represent her country.

“I think just for being in the league at such a young age and having older mentors on the team, they really helped me to have the success that I’ve had,” Sisson said.

“Just telling me to keep working hard, because when you’re in the league so young, it’s definitely a very hard experience,” she added.

“But it definitely shapes you into a harder worker and knowing your goals.”

Playing in her final CSSHL season, she will head to Clarkson University to play NCAA Division One women’s hockey in the fall.

This season, her 14-year-old sister Kinley, a defenceman, has joined her on the RINK team.

Trips to the East Coast are familiar, as the sisters also had the opportunity to play together in Newfoundland back in November for Team BC at the U18 National Women’s Hockey Championship.

“It’s been very special. It’s something that doesn’t happen very often, especially with our age gap,” Sisson said.

“With her being in her first year and then first time with Team BC, I wanted to make sure that I was there for her as a big sister and to help her with the busyness and maybe some of the stress that she might be feeling with it. It made it extra special with it being my last year before I leave for college, getting to share all of that experience with her,” she added.

“I’ve been loving it, but hopefully she’s not too annoyed with me.”

The sisters were featured together in a Hockey Canada video during nationals.

Kennedy led Team BC in points during that event with four in five games.

In August, she represented Canada with the U18 Women’s team in a three-game rivalry series against the United States.

“It was an amazing experience. And I’m very fortunate to have been a part of it. And we went through a week of tryouts before it. So I think that prepared me a lot,” Sisson said.

“The pace of the game is for sure a lot faster. It was awesome.”

Sisson said that several people have helped influence her hockey career, and if she had to pick a main one, it would be her dad, Aaron.

“He’s honestly put in a lot of work to help me, like even in Medicine Hat, in my garage, shooting puck, and just stick handling. He was always there trying to help me get better and reach my goals,” Sisson said.

“So I feel like he’s had a very big influence on my life.”

Sisson said she is excited to have family travelling to the Maritimes to support her.

During her time playing hockey in Medicine Hat, she remembers the Wildcats program and then being on teams with the boys.

Sisson played minor hockey on boys teams and at 3-on-3 tournaments with a team called the Darth Vaders.

“I had a lot of great coaches in Medicine Hat. And especially playing with the boys, they pushed me to be better. They were very competitive, which helped me grow my game a lot and build the skills and work ethic that I needed to have the success that I’ve had,” Sisson said.

The World Championship tournament starts for Canada on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 5:30 p.m. MST against Switzerland.

They will then play Hungary on Monday and Sweden on Tuesday before the playoffs begin on Thursday, Jan. 15.

The full schedule can be found on the Hockey Canada website.