BY AJ HARRISON
UW Athletic Communications

MADISON, Wis. — Although the top-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team doesn't have a game on its schedule for another month, many Badgers will be joining their national teams at upcoming camps and tournaments in the upcoming weeks.

"It's great exposure for our players," UW head coach Mark Johnson said. "It's fun to follow, because there are kids that have played here for four years and there are kids that are still involved. When you talk to them and recruit them, that's one of their aspirations, to wear that USA or Canada jersey.

"It makes you proud of what we've been able to do here and certainly proud of the players for putting in the time and energy and commitment for getting the opportunity to play at that level, because there's a lot of hard work that goes into it."

After Wisconsin ended the first half of the season with a 5-0 win at Ohio State last Saturday, junior Annie Pankowski and senior Jenny Ryan travelled to Plymouth, Michigan to partake in a USA Hockey Winter Camp.

Pankowski and Ryan are two of 11 collegians invited to the week-long camp that will be used to evaluate players for a two-game series against Canada on Dec. 17 and 19, in addition to the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship, also in Plymouth, Michigan.

"It's a good measurement marker with tryouts coming up for the Olympics next year," Pankowski said. "It's kind of like a measuring stick to get there and play with the team, get some opportunities to play with those girls and play against Canada on the big stage.

"Any time you're selected for one of these teams, it always feels good. It's a token in your back pocket."

The current UW duo will join former Badgers Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight and Alex Rigsby at the camp featuring 34 players. Decker, Duggan, Knight, Pankowski and Rigsby were all a part of the U.S. team that won the Four Nations Cup in November.

Pankowski and Ryan aren't the only two Badgers that will be with their national teams this week. Junior Emily Clark and senior Ann-Renee Desbiens will also play for Canada in the U.S./Canada series.

"I think it allows me to work with new people and face new players," Desbiens said. "The coaches there always give you a lot of feedback and they help you grow as a person and as an athlete. It's also a different set-up than here, so it gets me out of my comfort zone."

Clark and Desbiens will join a pair of former Badgers — Meaghan Mikkelson and Blayre Turnbull — and an incoming UW freshman, Sophie Shirley, on the 23-player roster.

"It's always fun to make new connections or just reconnect with players," Desbiens said. "I only get to see Blayre when I go to these camps and it's always fun to be able to talk about what's happening at Wisconsin, what's happening in her life and meet new people that are going to be lucky enough to play for the Badgers."

Saturday's game between the U.S. and Canada in Plymouth starts at 3:30 p.m. CT and can be seen live on NBCSN. The two teams meet again on Monday at 6 p.m. in Sarnia, Ontario.

"I'm sure both arenas will be packed as the players get the chance to represent their country in that great setting," Johnson said. "Some kids get to do it a bunch of times, some kids get to do it a few times, and those few times you want to make the most of it. They might have some nervous energy but I hope they enjoy the 60 minutes and take away as much as they can."

For Desbiens, it's a can't-miss opportunity.

"Playing against the best players in the world is going to be really fun to get to practice with them or play against them," Desbiens said. "It's definitely going to be a challenge playing the U.S., as always. They are fun games and always really fast-paced, so I'm definitely looking forward to them."