Seven young athletes from Newfoundland and Labrador are celebrating an extraordinary achievement after helping lead Canada to victory at the 2026 U16 Women’s World Ball Hockey Championships in Sheffield, England. Aleah Philpott, Avery Strong, Anna Seymour, Adrienne Shannahan, Aubree Bartlett, Jorja Smith and Paityn Williams were all part of the Canadian team that defeated Slovakia 2-1 on July 5 to capture the gold medal. For these teenagers, the triumph represents a once-in-a-lifetime experience that has already become a defining moment in their young athletic careers. The victory was particularly significant as this year marked the first time the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation hosted a U16 World Championship, providing an opportunity for younger players to represent their country on the international stage.
The path to the world championship was not without its challenges. Canada had lost to Slovakia earlier in the tournament, but the team demonstrated remarkable resilience by pulling out a victory when it mattered most. The gold-medal game was a tense affair, with both teams battling for control throughout the contest. Avery Strong, a 16-year-old from Conception Bay South, described the final moments of the game as an overwhelming emotional experience. “Me and Paityn were just in the corner, and we were just counting down the seconds. And when we threw our sticks up, it was just such an amazing feeling,” Strong recalled. The celebration that followed was a testament to the bond the players had formed during their journey together.
Many of the players on the Canadian roster have backgrounds in ice hockey and only recently began playing ball hockey. Anna Seymour, a 16-year-old from St. John’s, noted that the transition from ice to ball hockey was a natural one, given the similarities between the two sports. “We only just started playing last year, but obviously we’ve played ice hockey for a very long time. And it was just super cool to be able to experience that with our friends,” Seymour said. The fact that this group of players, many of whom grew up together in Newfoundland and Labrador, could achieve success at the world level speaks to the strength of the province’s hockey development programs.
