On Sunday, January 8, Team Canada will begin competing at the 2023 IIHF World Women’s Under 18 Championships in Sweden. The 23 player roster consists of Canada’s best talents, seven of which are returning players from the championship team that played in the same tournament in 2022. 

Upon looking at the roster, one could spot #25, Gracie Graham, and see that she is a B.C. girl, hailing from Kelowna. However, what the roster stats do not tell you is that Graham has very deep roots in Merritt, where she started out her playing career. 

“Playing in Merritt definitely helped me get to where I am today,” she said. “Playing for Team Canada is a dream come true. It is amazing to get to play with so many talented players and being coached but some of the best  coaches in Canada.

Graham is a defenceman for Team Canada. Though she resides in the Okanagan, her family, on both sides, are from Merritt B.C. Her father, John Graham, is the son of TNRD Area Director Herb Graham, while her mother Jodi Dafoe Graham grew up in Merritt as well, with her parents previously running what is now Murray GM. 

Throughout Gracie’s life, the Graham family have moved residences twice, moving to Merritt in 2011, during Gracie’s formative years. 

“It’s funny because when we moved to Merritt, she thought hockey might not be for her,” said Graham’s mother.  “She tried dance and cheerleading but she always gravitated towards hockey, then finally she made the decision that it’s what she really loves so she stuck with it.”

Since the age of five, Graham played in the Merritt Minor Hockey Association, where her dad, a former Centennial in the late 80’s, was coaching. 

“I had a few girls who were older than me, who were great role models. Breanna Ouellet and Allison Moore showed me that girls can play with the boys,” Graham recalled. 

“I watched those girls a lot because they played with my older brother Max. I was usually the only girl on the teams I played on and the boys were always very supportive. It was a great experience playing in Merritt.”

The Grahams moved again in 2016 to Kelowna, where the young hockey player continued her playing career, This time she played in an all girl team with the Rink Hockey Academy. 

“That team goes to a lot of places like Ontario, and Minnesota for big kinds of showcases,” #25’s mom said. “The recruiters must have seen her play that year which led to the invite at the Calgary camp.”

Graham was invited to join Hockey Canada’s youth camp in Calgary, Alberta this past summer. She trained along with 46 selected players from across Canada as well as the Women’s national team. The girls were all vying for a spot in the 2023.

“She didn’t make the team originally,” Jodi Graham noted. “She got released from the team back in the summer but the scouts there kept watching the prospects throughout the fall until December.”

The official roster was announced on December 5 which, to Gracie’s surprise, she made the cut for. 

“Not making the team after the summer camp was tough but it was such a great learning experience for me,” Graham described. 

“Each game and practice I wanted to make sure I was working my hardest and staying focused leading up to the selection. When I got the call I couldn’t believe it!  I was so excited and honoured to be selected. It’s an experience of a lifetime that I know I will never forget.”

The 2023 IIHF World Women’s Under 18 Championship takes place on January 8-15 in Östersund, Sweden. Graham will join the rest of Team Canada as they play their first round robin game on Sunday, January 8, against Finland. The game will be televised on TSN2 at 2 p.m. PST.