MADISON, Wis. — Five Wisconsin women's hockey players will be centralized next fall with Hockey Canada as the Canadian national team prepares for the 2018 Winter Olympics, the organization announced Thursday.

Senior-to-be Emily Clark will join alumnae Ann-Reneé Desbiens, Meaghan Mikkelson, Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull on the 28-player roster. 

Clark, Mikkelson and Turnbull all played for Canada at the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championships, helping the squad to silver. 

A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Clark has played at three IIHF Women's World Championships for Canada, helping the Canadians to three silver medals. In the latest world championships, Clark recorded a pair of goals and played on Canada's top line during the final two games of the tournament. Clark has enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at UW, tallying 118 points in only 113 games. Last year, Clark led the NCAA in game-winning goals with nine while her +48 plus/minus rating also paced the country. 

The 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recipient, Desbiens leaves Wisconsin as one of the best women's hockey goaltenders in NCAA history. A native of La Malbaie, Quebec, Desbiens recorded an NCAA-record 55 shutouts in 122 games and also set NCAA career records in goals-against average with a 0.89 average and save percentage with a .955 clip. Desbiens played for Canada at the 2015 IIHF Women's World Championships and appeared in the squad's two-game series against the U.S. in 2016. 

Hailing from St. Albert, Alberta, Mikkelson represented Canada at both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, winning gold both years. She has played in the Four Nations Cup four times (2008-10, 2012) and six IIHF World Championships (2008-09, 2011-13, 2017). Mikkelson currently plays for the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. While at Wisconsin, Mikkelson tallied 29 goals and 86 assists. Mikkelson holds the single-season record for points by a defenseman, tabbing 11 goals and 38 assists in 2006-07. 

A second-team All-American, Nurse recorded a career-high 53 points during her senior campaign thanks to 25 goals and 28 assists. Her 25 goals were tied for the NCAA lead, while her 28 assists were a career-best mark. An alternate captain for the Badgers last year, she departs Madison with 137 career points after becoming the 22nd player in school history to join the 100-point club. Nurse has played with the Canadian National Women's Development Team and helped Canada win the 2015 Nations Cup in Germany. 

Wisconsin's captain during the 2014-15 season, Turnbull tallied 98 career points as a Badger and led UW to the 2015 WCHA Final Face-Off title. She was stellar on the PK during her UW career, as her eight career short-handed goals are tied for the most in UW history. A forward from Stellarton, Nova Scotia, Turnbull has played for Hockey Canada in a pair of Four Nations Cups, winning gold in 2014 and 2015. She also played for Canada at this year's world championship and currently plays with Mikkelson for the Calgary Inferno.

The five Badgers were named to the Canadian national team a week after the U.S. named five Badgers to its national team. Senior-to-be Annie Pankowski joins UW alums Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight and Alex Rigsby on the American roster.