Jordan Baxter is heading to Sweden in the new year in hopes of bringing a second straight world title back to Canada.
The Coquitlam athlete has earned another stint with the national squad for the 2023 under-18 women's world hockey championships, building on what's already been a successful senior year in the minors thus far.
The 17-year-old forward collected two points in six games this past June in helping Canada lift its first trophy in three years for the IIHF division.
The 2022 tournament was originally rescheduled to be played in Sweden, but was postponed and ultimately moved to Wisconsin due to the then state of the COVID-19 pandemic and backlash against the organizing committee.
As a result, Baxter's first-ever appearance in a maple leaf sweater was delayed by two years.
Canada finished with a record of 4-2 that ended in a 3-2 victory over the United States to erase the under-18 squad's gold-medal drought.
The Tri-Cities Predators alumna made a difference in the offensive zone, recording 26 shots on net and posting a 43.83 average win-percentage in the face-off circle.
Her first goal in red and white was against Slovakia in a a 7-0 quarter-final rout.
Baxter is currently serving as captain of Delta Hockey Academy, and is their leading scorer, as of this publication (Dec. 17), with 18 goals and 30 points in 16 games.
That's also good for second among female under-18 prep players in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL).
She's committed to playing for Ohio State University in NCAA Div. I women's hockey starting in the 2023-24 campaign, and will be one of three B.C. players jetting off to Europe next month.
Canada's quest for another championships starts on Jan. 8, 2023, in Östersund, Sweden.
The team's preliminary schedule is as follows (Pacific time):
- Jan. 8 @ 2 p.m. vs. Finland
- Jan. 9 @ 2 p.m. vs. Sweden
- Jan. 11 @ 2 p.m. vs. United States
