Great Britain have included five first-time senior call-ups in their squad for the Women’s European Cup of Nations in Sosnowiec. Netminder Lucy Holliday, defenders Megan Burton and Ameilia Williams, and forwards Nora Egri and Milly Thulbourne are the newcomers selected for the four-team tournament in Poland.
GB will face Poland, Slovenia and Spain at the Arcelor Mittal Park sports complex from 15 to 17 October. The event forms part of a longer preparation period for the next World Championship and gives the coaching staff an opportunity to assess new combinations against three European opponents.
Five newcomers enter the senior group
The call-ups are spread across every area of the roster. Holliday adds a new option in goal, Burton and Williams enter the defensive group, while Egri and Thulbourne join the forwards. That distribution should allow the staff to assess less experienced players within different units rather than concentrating the experiment in one position.
Head coach Beth Hanrahan said the matches were important both for the development of the women’s programme and for World Championship preparation. Her stated priorities include testing combinations, identifying areas for improvement and giving younger players meaningful opportunities alongside established internationals.
The tournament is not being treated as separate from the senior programme. The selection combines development with the expectation that experienced players will lead the group and share knowledge during the camp.
Wilcox to lead the team in Poland
Hanrahan is unavailable to travel, so Reg Wilcox will act as head coach in Sosnowiec. He will work with assistant coaches Rob Lamey and Dave Clancy, as well as National Teams Programme Director Jonathan Phillips. Hanrahan will remain involved while the travelling staff manage the tournament.
Phillips linked the October games to a broader effort to align standards across the national-team structure. He highlighted preparation, conduct and the physical and mental demands placed on GB players as areas that should be understood consistently across the programme.
Competition schedule
- Venue: Arcelor Mittal Park, Sosnowiec.
- Dates: 15–17 October 2026.
- Teams: Great Britain, Poland, Slovenia and Spain.
- Purpose: competition experience and preparation for the next World Championship.
Development theme extends into the domestic game
The squad announcement arrives alongside efforts to provide young British players with access to higher-level environments. Glasgow Clan have confirmed two-way agreements with defenceman Billy Thorpe, forward Torran Anderson and goaltender Caiden MacColl.
Those arrangements allow the three players to continue competing for their current clubs while remaining available for Elite League call-ups. Thorpe is linked with Peterborough Phantoms, Anderson with Solway Ice Hockey Club and MacColl with Paisley Pirates. The agreements are separate from the GB women’s selection, but they reflect the same practical challenge: providing regular competition while exposing developing British players to senior standards.
For the women’s national side, the immediate measure will be how the five newcomers handle three games in three days. The Cup of Nations gives the staff results to assess, combinations to review and a clearer basis for later World Championship decisions. It also gives Holliday, Burton, Williams, Egri and Thulbourne a defined first opportunity at senior international level.
Because all three opponents are already known, the value of the camp can be assessed across repeated senior-level tests rather than a single friendly. Poland provide the host challenge, while Slovenia and Spain complete a compact schedule that lets the staff compare performance from one day to the next.