Ice hockey: new head coach for women’s national team, Stephanie Poirier remains on staff

On the eve of a 2026 full of prestigious commitments, with the Milan-Cortina Olympic tournament at home and the Division 1A World Championships to be faced for the first time since 2019, the women’s national ice hockey team welcomes its new head coach: he is Eric Bouchard, a Canadian, a figure wanted by the Italian Ice Sports Federation on the recommendation of the head of the Italian national team’s staff, Danièle Sauvageau.

Stephanie Poirier, who has led the women’s national team for the past two years and will work alongside Bouchard as early as the next commitments, remains involved in the team. Eric Bouchard, 33, of Montreal, despite his young age, boasts more than a decade’s coaching experience, which has also led him to coach in the QMJHL, one of the divisions that make up the Canadian Hockey League.

The team will be joined by Bouchard.

The Italdonne will be engaged in the triangular with Norway and Austria at PalaOnda in Bolzano, which will see the Azzurre on Friday, Nov. 7 against the Norwegians and Sunday, Nov. 9 against the Austrians. At the helm, however, there will be neither Bouchard nor Poirier, as per the agreement with the FISG: Stefano Daprà, Francis Parè and Alexandre Tremblay, as assistant coaches, will lead the Azzurre in the Bolzano matches.

At Milan-Cortina 2026, women’s Italy will play in Group B with Germany, Sweden, Japan and France. It will need to finish among the top three in the grouping to qualify for the quarterfinals and meet one of the teams in Group A, composed of the ‘big’Canada, the United States, Finland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, which are already certain to participate in the knockout stage as well.

In the Division 1A World Cup, Italy will instead play in April against Norway, Hungary (host country), Slovakia, France and China: the first two will be promoted to the Top Division in 2027, the last one will instead relegate to Division 1B.