Canada has called in midfielder Carly Wickenheiser to replace the injured Bianca St-Georges for the upcoming Pinatar Cup soccer tournament in Spain.
Wickenheiser is the daughter of the late Doug Wickenheiser, the first overall pick in the 1980 NHL draft who went on to play for Montreal, St Louis, Vancouver, the New York Rangers and Washington. Carly was born in St. Louis while her father was with the Blues and has Canada and U.S. citizenship.
Doug was cousin to Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser.
It's a first call-up for the 27-year-old Wickenheiser, who plays for BK Häcken in Sweden.
"I'm very excited to bring somebody new into this squad, and I am looking forward to working with Carly in the upcoming camp and seeing what she can add to our midfield unit," Canada coach Casey Stoney said in a statement.
Wickenheiser played her collegiate soccer at Texas Tech, making 83 appearances for the Red Raiders from 2015 to 2108.
Canada Soccer declined to detail the Injury for St-Georges, who was at the other end of an injury replacement last year when she was called in to replace North Carolina teammate Sydney Collins for the CONCACAF W Gold Cup.
St-Georges, who was originally named to the squad, was not expected to be physically ready for the Spain tournament as she recovers from an existing injury. She is continuing her rehab with North Carolina.
The Pinatar Cup marks Stoney's debut at Canada's helm.
The sixth-ranked Canadians take on No. 17 China on Feb. 19 before facing No. 31 Mexico on Feb. 22 and No. 42 Taiwan on Feb. 25 at the Pinatar Cup. All three games will be played at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
