Canadian phenom Kaylee Hunter ‘just scratching the surface’ with national team

MONTREAL – Janine Sonis has spent more than a decade in Canadian women’s national team camps, and she believes teenage phenom Kaylee Hunter has the tools to go as far as she wants.

“She’s got everything,” Sonis said. “The physical ability, the speed, the soccer IQ, the technical ability … there’s no ceiling to what she can do in the game.”

Hunter was called into Canada’s senior camp for a pair of upcoming friendlies against Denmark after a standout showing at the under-20 World Cup, where she scored a sensational hat trick in Canada’s round-of-16 victory over France.

The 18-year-old striker from Calgary has been turning heads since last year as the leading scorer for the Northern Super League’s AFC Toronto.

After finishing second in goals with 16 in 25 games during the NSL’s inaugural season, Hunter has scored nine times across 18 league contests so far this year.

Sonis sees a player who could carry the women’s national team program for years to come.

“It’s incredible. I’m a huge fan of hers,” Sonis said after training Wednesday at Montreal’s Stade Saputo. “The talent and desire that she has as such a young player is something that is going to drive this team forward for a long, long time.

“She had a wonderful U-20 World Cup, and I think it’s just a taste of what she can do. She’s just scratching the surface.”

Hunter is one of several players to break into the national team since the long-sought Canadian women’s professional league kicked off less than two years ago. She says her rise has come faster than she ever imagined, thanks largely to the NSL.

“Honestly, it feels like yesterday was my first time putting on an AFC jersey and the national team jersey,” she said. “The NSL is huge and that’s kind of why the league was instituted, to feed the first team of our national team.

“I give a lot of credit to the NSL, I probably wouldn’t be here because I’d still be playing youth or possibly going to university.”

Canada, which sits ninth in the FIFA rankings, hosts No. 12 Denmark on Friday in Montreal and Monday at Toronto’s BMO Field. The matchups are a measuring stick ahead of Canada’s quarterfinal against Panama on Nov. 28 at the CONCACAF W Championship, a qualifier for both the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Whether Hunter keeps a place in Canada coach Casey Stoney’s plans remains to be seen, but Stoney liked what she saw at the under-20 World Cup.

“There’s still areas of her game she needs to improve. She’s young, right? But I thought she was a standout,” Stoney said during her roster announcement press conference two weeks ago. “She’s very deserving of this call-up, and I think she’s got a bright future ahead of her.”

Hunter, who played youth soccer for Calgary Blizzard SC and Whitecaps FC Girls Elite, knows she’ll have her work cut out for her but still dreams of wearing Canada’s kit in Brazil next summer.

At the club level, her goal is to play in Europe, though she’s in no rush.

“I’m still doing well with AFC and I enjoy it there, but obviously in the coming years I want to make a move to Europe,” said the Chelsea supporter. “We just got to see if the timing’s right, and I don’t know when that will be, but looking forward to it.”

 SCORING SONIS

Hunter isn’t the only national team player in form. Sonis, née Beckie, is enjoying a stellar season with Denver Summit FC of the National Women’s Soccer League, tallying 12 goals and six assists in 26 games as a left back. She scored her most recent goal Sunday with a tight-angled cross that fooled Chicago Stars FC goalkeeper Katie Atkinson and dropped into the back of the net.

A longtime forward, the 32-year-old said her speed and endurance are helping her excel at wingback.

“Just to get up and down the pitch to be able to execute in my defensive role and be able to add to our attack, I think it’s really hard to track a fullback for 90-plus minutes,” Sonis said. “That’s my intention when I play, is to make a winger’s job as hard as possible. And then I have that forward instinct in me from being a forward my whole life, so it’s a nice pair.”

Sonis also scored a hat trick in Canada’s most recent match, a 6-0 victory over Costa Rica on June 9.

CALLING UP COURTNALL

Canada added San Diego Wave FC defender Brooklyn Courtnall to the women’s national team roster ahead of the upcoming friendlies. The 23-year-old from Los Angeles is the daughter of former Montreal Canadiens forward Russ Courtnall, who scored 82 goals over four seasons with the franchise.

Brooklyn Courtnall made her senior team debut at the SheBelieves Cup, coming on as a substitute for Vanessa Gilles in a 4-1 win over Colombia on March 1. She made her first start later in the tournament, playing 90 minutes in a penalty-kick win over Argentina on March 7.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2026.