Latest news with #2025Women'sWorldChampionship
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Olympic hockey stock watch: Risers and fallers from Women's World Championship
Olympic hockey stock watch: Risers and fallers from Women's World Championship The 2025 Women's World Championship is now complete, with Team USA dethroning Canada in dramatic fashion to win gold on Sunday night. The trophy ceremony comes just ten months away from the 2026 Olympics, where the constant tug of war for women's hockey supremacy will continue in Milano-Cortina. Advertisement Will Team USA use its success in Czechia to win Olympic gold for the first time since 2018? Or will Canada use its silver-medal finish as inspiration to win a second straight Olympic title? There's still a long way to go to answer those questions. But after two weeks in České Budějovice, we can at least take a good look at how the 2026 Olympic rosters might be taking shape. So, let's take a look at how the results at women's worlds might affect the Canada and U.S. rosters. Team Canada Stock up Jennifer Gardiner Gardiner had an excellent worlds debut, scoring 10 points in seven games, which ranked second tournament-wide behind only Marie-Philip Poulin. Nobody had more than Gardiner's six goals. Advertisement She started the tournament on a line with Poulin and Laura Stacey – her frequent linemates in the PWHL – and scored three goals and five points in four games. When head coach Troy Ryan switched things up, Gardiner wound up on the fourth line with Emma Maltais and Kristin O'Neill and added two more goals to her stat sheet in a 9-1 trouncing of Japan in the quarterfinals. 'That gave me a lot of confidence in who she is as a player,' said Ryan. 'She (doesn't) have to play with Pou. She can go somewhere else and still have an impact.' In the gold medal game, back on Poulin's line, Gardiner scored a critical game-tying goal in the second period. She looks like a staple for Canada, either as a complementary piece with its captain or driving her own line. Daryl Watts Watts also did well in her worlds debut, scoring four goals in seven games and adding a lot of skill to the top six, where she stuck for the entire tournament – either on the top line with Poulin or as a second-line duo with Sarah Fillier. Watts looked particularly dangerous on the power play throughout the tournament, where she scored two of her goals. Advertisement In Sunday's gold medal game, she played almost 20 minutes and fired six shots on goal, which tied Poulin for the most in the game. After years of waiting to see Watts on Team Canada, it's now hard to imagine her not on this roster for the foreseeable future. The mushy middle Sophie Jaques There was a time where it felt like Jaques would never get a look on the national team, but she's been so good in the PWHL that she forced their hand. She mostly played on the third pair or as the seventh defender, but Jaques looked the part on Canada's blue line. Until the gold medal game, that is. She had one shift in particular in the first period where Kendall Coyne Schofield picked the puck off her with ease, then when Jaques got it back, her attempt to clear the zone went right onto a U.S. stick. Advertisement It's unfair to judge a player based on one game, but it was the most important game of the tournament. And ultimately, Jaques played around three minutes on Sunday, and barely at all after the first period. When Jaques plays with confidence in the PWHL, she's one of Canada's best. You'd hope management would give her a few more looks next year in camp and in the Rivalry Series to find that part of her game with the national team. Natalie Spooner Spooner started the tournament on the fourth line, got a look on the second line, then wound up a healthy scratch in the semifinals and championship game. Advertisement 'We told (the players) right from Day 1, we're just going to find ways to put the best roster on the ice that we can, and no one's excluded from that,' said Ryan. She finds herself in the middle – not with her stock down – because while Spooner is healthy, she's not 100 percent back up to game speed yet. She missed nine months with an ACL injury after putting together an MVP season in the PWHL last year. A full return to form is going to take some time. She has five points in 11 games back for the Toronto Sceptres, and only scored one goal and two points in the four games she played at worlds. It'll be a big offseason for Spooner to find her game again, but she's a pretty safe bet to get there in time for Milan. 'She's doing her best and everything in her power to get her game back to where it needs to be,' Ryan said. 'And I have no doubt she'll get there.' Stock down Julia Gosling She didn't initially make Canada's 25-player roster, but was added in March after the IIHF deemed Hannah Miller ineligible due to her previous contract to play overseas and for the Chinese national team. Advertisement Gosling was the 14th forward for most of the tournament and only played in two of four group stage games. But as the tournament went on, Gosling played more, even taking Spooner's place at the bottom of the lineup, and got some looks in the bumper spot on the power play. She remains in this category because she wasn't originally in Canada's plans, and nobody played fewer minutes per game (6:06) than Gosling. It would probably take a big developmental step in the 2025-26 season for Gosling to beat out someone like Danielle Serdachny, Emma Maltais, Kristin O'Neil or even Spooner for an Olympic roster spot. Or Canada deciding to move on from some veteran players after the loss to the U.S. in favor of youth versus experience. Micah Zandee-Hart Zandee-Hart made her way back onto the national team after dealing with an injury in the 2023-24 season, beating out Ashton Bell and Jaime Bourbonnais for one of the eight D slots in Czechia. But throughout the tournament, she was the seventh defender, or a scratch with Chloe Primerano and Jaques getting more games and more minutes. Advertisement Perhaps Ryan and general manager Gina Kingsbury were trying to give the younger defenders more looks, considering Zandee-Hart has been in the program longer. But it's also fair to wonder if the kids are pushing for those final two D spots for Milan. Stock (technically) down, but who would replace them? Jocelyne Larocque While Larocque's stock might be down in the eyes of fans who watched in shock as she sent a puck right onto Taylor Heise's stick in overtime on Sunday night, it would be hard to replace Larocque. She just played in her 200th game for Team Canada, becoming the first defender to ever hit that milestone. She's incredibly valuable to the locker room, especially now with some young defenders on the team. Unless someone pushes Larocque out, it's going to take more than a bad change and overtime mistake – as egregious as it was – to truly shake up the blue line. Brianne Jenner For the first time since her debut in 2012, Jenner failed to score a single goal at women's worlds. Her two points were the lowest since that tournament more than a decade ago, too. I've long assumed that Jenner would have a place on the national team as long as she wants one. And without a young player like Gosling or even a college star like Caitlin Kraemer pushing her for a spot, that will probably be true. Advertisement But in doing this exercise, we probably need to acknowledge that Jenner is struggling offensively even in the PWHL, with just five goals in 25 games this season. Olympic projection Team USA Stock up Kelly Pannek Typically, Pannek is asked to play a more defensive-minded checking role for Team USA. But this year, coach John Wroblewski decided to put Pannek on a line that could drive more offense; she mostly slotted in with Abbey Murphy and Kendall Coyne Schofield. By tournament's end, no American had more goals than Pannek, and only Hilary Knight had more points. It feels weird to say Pannek's stock is up when she's been a lineup staple for almost a decade, but at the very least, she showed she could be a critical piece to a secondary scoring trio. Lacey Eden Eden's place on the team felt fairly safe before the tournament began, but like Pannek, she showed her range and ability to scale the lineup for the U.S. As a bottom-six forward, Eden can win puck battles and will be the first player into the dirty areas of the ice. She can also score with a quick release in the slot, like she did in the quarterfinals when playing on the second line with Heise. Gwyneth Philips (and Ava McNaughton) Philips started her first women's worlds game on April 11 against Czechia, posting a 10-save shutout. She got one more start (another clean sheet) and was thrown into the championship game cold after Aerin Frankel was forced to leave the game five minutes into the third period. She made 17 saves on 18 shots, including 10 in three-on-three overtime. Advertisement 'We don't get where we are without Gwyn,' said Knight after the game. So there's really no question now that Philips is the No. 2 goalie for Team USA. Meanwhile, McNaughton looked fine enough in her 28 minutes (three saves on three shots) and given her age (20) and potential 'Goalie of the Future' status, it probably makes sense to take her to Milan over Nicole Hensley. Hannah Bilka OK, hear me out on this one. Bilka didn't play in the tournament, but I'd say her stock is up because you could feel her absence on this U.S. roster, particularly on the second line next to Heise. Wroblewski used four different line combinations with Heise, none of which particularly stood out. While Heise came up big-time in the championship game with a goal and the golden assist, she only scored one even-strength goal in six games. Perhaps Bilka can help with that. Advertisement Bilka hasn't done a lot of scoring on Team USA herself, but she's highly skilled and creates space for her linemates with her vision and playmaking ability. It will be interesting to see if she makes her way back onto the roster ahead of next season. Because even if fully healthy – Bilka was injured during the February Rivalry Series – it's my understanding Bilka probably would have been left home. Laila Edwards Edwards' swap to defense was one of the more interesting storylines to follow at this year's tournament. At times, she looked pretty uncomfortable at the position, but she scored a critical power-play goal in the semifinals to help the U.S. climb out of an early hole against Czechia. In the gold medal game, Edwards played almost 30 minutes – second on the team in ice time – and tallied an assist on Heise's power-play goal in the third to make it 3-2. Advertisement There's probably better natural defenders who could make the team for Milan (Rory Guilday, for example). But it's hard to imagine the U.S. moving Edwards to the blue line, seeing her progress and deciding to cut her from the Olympic team. Joy Dunne Dunne brings legitimate size (5-foot-11) to the U.S. roster. She's scored 53 goals in just two years in college, winning national rookie of the year last season and being a top-10 finalist for player of the year this season. But that offense just hasn't translated from college to the national team yet. In 13 games at two different iterations of women's worlds, Dunne has one goal and three points. This year, she only had one assist, despite largely playing on the second line with Heise and averaging over 14 minutes per game. Advertisement It seems like Wroblewski likes Dunne's size and mobility, but has she done enough scoring at this level to go to Milan? Kirsten Simms Based on her ice time and the fact that she was scratched for three games of the tournament, including the semifinal and the championship game, Simms should be in the stock down category. But frankly, it feels unwise to leave her at home for Milan. Because for all the focus on building a lineup that was harder to play against, it was still the young stars for Team USA who got it done when it mattered most against Canada. Simms is very much in that category. Savannah Harmon Harmon entered the tournament as Team USA's seventh defender, largely in favor of Edwards getting consistent reps on the top pair with Megan Keller. As the tournament went on, though, Harmon seemed to struggle. In the semifinal against Czechia, she turned the puck over deep in the U.S. zone with goalie Aerin Frankel out of her crease, which allowed Tereza Plosová to open the scoring. Harmon didn't step on the ice again for the rest of the tournament. Grace Zumwinkle If this year's worlds was a 'prove it' tournament for Zumwinkle to make her way back onto the 23-player roster, I'm not sure she did enough. She moved around the bottom of the lineup and even got some second-line looks beside Heise, but couldn't quite stick higher up the lineup. Overall, Zumwinkle played under nine minutes per game and only tallied one point, an assist on a Hayley Scamurra goal in a 7-1 win against Finland. Advertisement Zumwinkle is a really talented player – she won the PWHL's rookie of the year award last season – but she hasn't quite been able to consistently put it together on the national team, certainly not since Wroblewski first cut her in 2023. Jesse Compher Like Zumwinkle, it's not that Compher played poorly per se. It's just that she probably didn't do enough to make a smaller Olympic roster. Compher was one of two U.S. forwards to not tally a point (along with fourth-line center Britta Curl) and her three shots on goal were the fewest among lineup regulars. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Advertisement NHL, Women's Hockey 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
22-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Olympic hockey stock watch: Risers and fallers from Women's World Championship
The 2025 Women's World Championship is now complete, with Team USA dethroning Canada in dramatic fashion to win gold on Sunday night. The trophy ceremony comes just ten months away from the 2026 Olympics, where the constant tug of war for women's hockey supremacy will continue in Milano-Cortina. Will Team USA use its success in Czechia to win Olympic gold for the first time since 2018? Or will Canada use its silver-medal finish as inspiration to win a second straight Olympic title? Advertisement There's still a long way to go to answer those questions. But after two weeks in České Budějovice, we can at least take a good look at how the 2026 Olympic rosters might be taking shape. So, let's take a look at how the results at women's worlds might affect the Canada and U.S. rosters. Gardiner had an excellent worlds debut, scoring 10 points in seven games, which ranked second tournament-wide behind only Marie-Philip Poulin. Nobody had more than Gardiner's six goals. She started the tournament on a line with Poulin and Laura Stacey – her frequent linemates in the PWHL – and scored three goals and five points in four games. When head coach Troy Ryan switched things up, Gardiner wound up on the fourth line with Emma Maltais and Kristin O'Neill and added two more goals to her stat sheet in a 9-1 trouncing of Japan in the quarterfinals. 'That gave me a lot of confidence in who she is as a player,' said Ryan. 'She (doesn't) have to play with Pou. She can go somewhere else and still have an impact.' In the gold medal game, back on Poulin's line, Gardiner scored a critical game-tying goal in the second period. She looks like a staple for Canada, either as a complementary piece with its captain or driving her own line. Watts also did well in her worlds debut, scoring four goals in seven games and adding a lot of skill to the top six, where she stuck for the entire tournament – either on the top line with Poulin or as a second-line duo with Sarah Fillier. Watts looked particularly dangerous on the power play throughout the tournament, where she scored two of her goals. In Sunday's gold medal game, she played almost 20 minutes and fired six shots on goal, which tied Poulin for the most in the game. After years of waiting to see Watts on Team Canada, it's now hard to imagine her not on this roster for the foreseeable future. Advertisement There was a time where it felt like Jaques would never get a look on the national team, but she's been so good in the PWHL that she forced their hand. She mostly played on the third pair or as the seventh defender, but Jaques looked the part on Canada's blue line. Until the gold medal game, that is. She had one shift in particular in the first period where Kendall Coyne Schofield picked the puck off her with ease, then when Jaques got it back, her attempt to clear the zone went right onto a U.S. stick. It's unfair to judge a player based on one game, but it was the most important game of the tournament. And ultimately, Jaques played around three minutes on Sunday, and barely at all after the first period. When Jaques plays with confidence in the PWHL, she's one of Canada's best. You'd hope management would give her a few more looks next year in camp and in the Rivalry Series to find that part of her game with the national team. Spooner started the tournament on the fourth line, got a look on the second line, then wound up a healthy scratch in the semifinals and championship game. 'We told (the players) right from Day 1, we're just going to find ways to put the best roster on the ice that we can, and no one's excluded from that,' said Ryan. She finds herself in the middle – not with her stock down – because while Spooner is healthy, she's not 100 percent back up to game speed yet. She missed nine months with an ACL injury after putting together an MVP season in the PWHL last year. A full return to form is going to take some time. She has five points in 11 games back for the Toronto Sceptres, and only scored one goal and two points in the four games she played at worlds. It'll be a big offseason for Spooner to find her game again, but she's a pretty safe bet to get there in time for Milan. 'She's doing her best and everything in her power to get her game back to where it needs to be,' Ryan said. 'And I have no doubt she'll get there.' She didn't initially make Canada's 25-player roster, but was added in March after the IIHF deemed Hannah Miller ineligible due to her previous contract to play overseas and for the Chinese national team. Gosling was the 14th forward for most of the tournament and only played in two of four group stage games. But as the tournament went on, Gosling played more, even taking Spooner's place at the bottom of the lineup, and got some looks in the bumper spot on the power play. Advertisement She remains in this category because she wasn't originally in Canada's plans, and nobody played fewer minutes per game (6:06) than Gosling. It would probably take a big developmental step in the 2025-26 season for Gosling to beat out someone like Danielle Serdachny, Emma Maltais, Kristin O'Neil or even Spooner for an Olympic roster spot. Or Canada deciding to move on from some veteran players after the loss to the U.S. in favor of youth versus experience. Zandee-Hart made her way back onto the national team after dealing with an injury in the 2023-24 season, beating out Ashton Bell and Jaime Bourbonnais for one of the eight D slots in Czechia. But throughout the tournament, she was the seventh defender, or a scratch with Chloe Primerano and Jaques getting more games and more minutes. Perhaps Ryan and general manager Gina Kingsbury were trying to give the younger defenders more looks, considering Zandee-Hart has been in the program longer. But it's also fair to wonder if the kids are pushing for those final two D spots for Milan. While Larocque's stock might be down in the eyes of fans who watched in shock as she sent a puck right onto Taylor Heise's stick in overtime on Sunday night, it would be hard to replace Larocque. The golden goal by Tessa Janecke! 🔥🇺🇸🥇 #WomensWorlds #IIHF @usahockey — IIHF (@IIHFHockey) April 20, 2025 She just played in her 200th game for Team Canada, becoming the first defender to ever hit that milestone. She's incredibly valuable to the locker room, especially now with some young defenders on the team. Unless someone pushes Larocque out, it's going to take more than a bad change and overtime mistake – as egregious as it was – to truly shake up the blue line. For the first time since her debut in 2012, Jenner failed to score a single goal at women's worlds. Her two points were the lowest since that tournament more than a decade ago, too. I've long assumed that Jenner would have a place on the national team as long as she wants one. And without a young player like Gosling or even a college star like Caitlin Kraemer pushing her for a spot, that will probably be true. Advertisement But in doing this exercise, we probably need to acknowledge that Jenner is struggling offensively even in the PWHL, with just five goals in 25 games this season. Stock up Typically, Pannek is asked to play a more defensive-minded checking role for Team USA. But this year, coach John Wroblewski decided to put Pannek on a line that could drive more offense; she mostly slotted in with Abbey Murphy and Kendall Coyne Schofield. By tournament's end, no American had more goals than Pannek, and only Hilary Knight had more points. It feels weird to say Pannek's stock is up when she's been a lineup staple for almost a decade, but at the very least, she showed she could be a critical piece to a secondary scoring trio. Eden's place on the team felt fairly safe before the tournament began, but like Pannek, she showed her range and ability to scale the lineup for the U.S. As a bottom-six forward, Eden can win puck battles and will be the first player into the dirty areas of the ice. She can also score with a quick release in the slot, like she did in the quarterfinals when playing on the second line with Heise. Lacey Eden adds another with her first goal of the #WomensWorlds 🚨💪 #IIHF @usahockey — IIHF (@IIHFHockey) April 17, 2025 Philips started her first women's worlds game on April 11 against Czechia, posting a 10-save shutout. She got one more start (another clean sheet) and was thrown into the championship game cold after Aerin Frankel was forced to leave the game five minutes into the third period. She made 17 saves on 18 shots, including 10 in three-on-three overtime. 'We don't get where we are without Gwyn,' said Knight after the game. So there's really no question now that Philips is the No. 2 goalie for Team USA. Meanwhile, McNaughton looked fine enough in her 28 minutes (three saves on three shots) and given her age (20) and potential 'Goalie of the Future' status, it probably makes sense to take her to Milan over Nicole Hensley. Advertisement OK, hear me out on this one. Bilka didn't play in the tournament, but I'd say her stock is up because you could feel her absence on this U.S. roster, particularly on the second line next to Heise. Wroblewski used four different line combinations with Heise, none of which particularly stood out. While Heise came up big-time in the championship game with a goal and the golden assist, she only scored one even-strength goal in six games. Perhaps Bilka can help with that. Bilka hasn't done a lot of scoring on Team USA herself, but she's highly skilled and creates space for her linemates with her vision and playmaking ability. It will be interesting to see if she makes her way back onto the roster ahead of next season. Because even if fully healthy – Bilka was injured during the February Rivalry Series – it's my understanding Bilka probably would have been left home. Edwards' swap to defense was one of the more interesting storylines to follow at this year's tournament. At times, she looked pretty uncomfortable at the position, but she scored a critical power-play goal in the semifinals to help the U.S. climb out of an early hole against Czechia. What. A. Rip.🔥 A look at Laila Edwards' power-play goal that tied the contest, 1-1! #WomensWorlds 📺 @NHLNetwork — USA Hockey (@usahockey) April 19, 2025 In the gold medal game, Edwards played almost 30 minutes – second on the team in ice time – and tallied an assist on Heise's power-play goal in the third to make it 3-2. There's probably better natural defenders who could make the team for Milan (Rory Guilday, for example). But it's hard to imagine the U.S. moving Edwards to the blue line, seeing her progress and deciding to cut her from the Olympic team. Dunne brings legitimate size (5-foot-11) to the U.S. roster. She's scored 53 goals in just two years in college, winning national rookie of the year last season and being a top-10 finalist for player of the year this season. But that offense just hasn't translated from college to the national team yet. In 13 games at two different iterations of women's worlds, Dunne has one goal and three points. This year, she only had one assist, despite largely playing on the second line with Heise and averaging over 14 minutes per game. Advertisement It seems like Wroblewski likes Dunne's size and mobility, but has she done enough scoring at this level to go to Milan? Based on her ice time and the fact that she was scratched for three games of the tournament, including the semifinal and the championship game, Simms should be in the stock down category. But frankly, it feels unwise to leave her at home for Milan. Because for all the focus on building a lineup that was harder to play against, it was still the young stars for Team USA who got it done when it mattered most against Canada. Simms is very much in that category. Harmon entered the tournament as Team USA's seventh defender, largely in favor of Edwards getting consistent reps on the top pair with Megan Keller. As the tournament went on, though, Harmon seemed to struggle. In the semifinal against Czechia, she turned the puck over deep in the U.S. zone with goalie Aerin Frankel out of her crease, which allowed Tereza Plosová to open the scoring. 🇨🇿 @narodnitymzen opens the scoring in the semis! 🚨 What a start for the home team! #WomensWorlds #IIHF — IIHF (@IIHFHockey) April 19, 2025 Harmon didn't step on the ice again for the rest of the tournament. If this year's worlds was a 'prove it' tournament for Zumwinkle to make her way back onto the 23-player roster, I'm not sure she did enough. She moved around the bottom of the lineup and even got some second-line looks beside Heise, but couldn't quite stick higher up the lineup. Overall, Zumwinkle played under nine minutes per game and only tallied one point, an assist on a Hayley Scamurra goal in a 7-1 win against Finland. Zumwinkle is a really talented player – she won the PWHL's rookie of the year award last season – but she hasn't quite been able to consistently put it together on the national team, certainly not since Wroblewski first cut her in 2023. Advertisement Like Zumwinkle, it's not that Compher played poorly per se. It's just that she probably didn't do enough to make a smaller Olympic roster. Compher was one of two U.S. forwards to not tally a point (along with fourth-line center Britta Curl) and her three shots on goal were the fewest among lineup regulars. (Photo of Lee Stecklein and Julia Gosling: Petr Skrivanek / CTK via AP Images)
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
All Eyes on Czechia: The Preliminary Round's Best of the Best
The preliminary round of the 2025 Women's World Championship is officially in the books — and it's delivered everything fans hoped for… and then some. It's been non-stop action in Czechia — from fast-paced games to big goals, solid goaltending, and record-breaking crowds, this year's Worlds has had it all. With so many standout performances, selecting an all-star team was no easy feat. While the incredible talent from Canada and the United States certainly made an impact, it was important to showcase the equally impressive players from Europe and beyond, reflecting the truly global nature of the game. After considering all the top performances, here it is: the 2025 Women's World Championship All-Star Team following the preliminary round! Marie-Philip Poulin (Canada) Once again proving why she's 'Captain Clutch,' Poulin led the tournament in scoring during the prelims with 3 goals and 5 assists in just four games, while posting a +8 rating. Alex Carpenter (USA) A consistent force for Team USA, Carpenter tallied 1 goal and 5 assists across four games Linnea Johansson (Sweden) A standout for Sweden, Johansson racked up 1 goals and 5 assists — all while finishing with a +9 rating and zero penalty minutes. Kelly Pannek (USA), Kristýna Kaltounková (Czechia), Ebba Hedqvist (Sweden) Caroline Harvey (USA) In four games, Harvey contributed 1 goal and 2 assists, quietly driving play and showing poise beyond her years. Ronja Savolainen (Finland) With 2 goals and 1 assist in four games and a +2 rating, Savolainen was a reliable presence and played big minutes without taking a single penalty. Renata Fast (Canada), Nina Jobst-Smith (Germany) Miyuu Masuhara (Japan) Masuhara was lights out for Japan in the group stage. She posted a .969 SV%, stopped 110 shots, recorded two shutouts, and finished with a sparkling 1.01 GAA. Ena Nystrøm (Norway) The preliminary round had it all—speed, skill, drama, and a whole lot of standout performances. From seasoned stars doing what they do best to new faces making names for themselves on the world stage, this All-Star Team showcases just how deep and exciting the talent pool is across women's hockey right now. The best part? We still have plenty of hockey to go.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How to watch the 2025 Women's World Championship — plus, why Canada-USA is hockey's best rivalry
How to watch the 2025 Women's World Championship — plus, why Canada-USA is hockey's best rivalry The Canada-USA men's hockey rivalry made a triumphant return at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February. Against a backdrop of growing political tension between the two countries, both games between the two rivals were heated, with three fights in nine seconds, booing of both national anthems and a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory for Canada in the championship game. Amid an ongoing trade war, the political tension has only escalated over the last two months. Now Canada and the U.S. are set to face off again — this time in women's hockey. Advertisement The 2025 Women's World World Championship begins Wednesday in České Budějovice, Czechia. Canada and the U.S. will face off on Sunday in the preliminary round, and will most likely see each other again in the championship game. Only once in the tournament's history has there been a different gold medal match-up. The frequency with which these teams face off for gold medals has made the women's rivalry between the U.S. and Canada more heated than the men's rivalry. Could we see even more intensity in these games? In women's hockey, elite international competition never left the spotlight the way it did in the men's game, so there isn't the same pent-up desire to see best-on-best hockey as there was on the men's side. One Canadian player, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly about the rivalry, said they didn't think the political tension would 'change anything' for the women's game. Still, the Canada-USA rivalry is always intense and has somehow gotten even better over the last few years with potential future Hockey Hall of Famers and exciting young stars going head-to-head. Just last year, Canada beat the U.S. in one of the most entertaining gold medal games at the 2024 world championship. This year's tournament finale should be just as good. Advertisement Here's everything you need to know ahead of women's worlds. What to know about the tournament The 2025 world championship will be the last major international tournament before the 2026 Milan Olympics, making it a prime opportunity for teams to evaluate the state of their rosters. Canada enters the tournament as the defending champion after beating Team USA in a thrilling 6-5 overtime game at last year's worlds in Utica, N.Y. The two countries have faced off for gold at 22 of 23 women's world championships since 1990, when the IIHF first sanctioned the event. No nation has more than Canada's 13 gold medals. The U.S. has won 10 times. Finland is the only other country to make a gold medal game, but lost to Team USA 2-1 in a shootout. Advertisement The 10-team tournament is divided into two tiered groups for the preliminary rounds. Group A includes the top five teams from the previous tournament; Group B is the next three ranked teams, plus the two nations that gain promotion from the lower Division I world championships. Each year, the bottom two teams of the tournament are relegated to Division I. This year, Norway and Hungary — the top two teams from the 2024 Division I worlds — have replaced China and Denmark, the bottom two teams from last year's top-level tournament. After a single round-robin series within each group, the five teams from Group A and the top three teams from Group B advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played according to seeding. The first-placed team in Group A will play the third-placed team in Group B, and so forth. Starting in 2025-26, the tournament will adopt a new format with two groups established using 'snake seeding' to create two sections of equal rank. The schedule Team USA preliminary round games Wednesday, April 9: USA versus Finland at 9 a.m. (ET) Friday, April 11: USA versus Czechia at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 13: USA versus Canada at 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 15: USA versus Switzerland at 1 p.m. Advertisement Team Canada preliminary round games Thursday, April 10: Canada versus Finland at 1 p.m. Friday, April 11: Canada versus Switzerland at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 13: Canada versus USA at 1 p.m. Monday, April 14: Canada versus Czechia at 1 p.m. Quarterfinal games will take place on Thursday, April 17, followed by the semifinals on Saturday, April 19. The bronze medal game will be on Sunday, April 20 at 8 a.m., followed by the gold medal game at noon. The full tournament schedule can be found here. The medal contenders 1. Canada Canada has assembled an interesting group for this year's world championship, with 17 players from the 2024 gold medal-winning team and six new players. Advertisement The roster is headlined by some of the best players in the world: captain Marie-Philip Poulin, PWHL rookie sensation Sarah Fillier, defender Renata Fast and Claire Thompson, who set the Olympic record for points by a defender in Beijing. Ann-Renée Desbiens is perhaps the best goalie in the world, but she enters the tournament with a lower-body injury sustained on March 18. The results from Desbiens' medical exams were 'promising,' according to Montreal Victoire general manager Danièle Sauvageau. And the hope is Desbiens will be good to go when it comes time for Canada to defend its title. Canada has depth with one of the best 'third lines' in the game with Laura Stacey, Blayre Turnbull and Emily Clark. Reigning PWHL MVP and Forward of the Year Natalie Spooner is back from injury. So is Sarah Nurse, who holds the record for points at a single Olympic tournament. And there's a number of big tournament debuts to come. Daryl Watts might be the most highly anticipated new player on Team Canada. She's third in the PWHL in scoring and tied for the league lead in assists. She's a highly skilled winger and an elite playmaker. Rookie Jennifer Gardiner has played exceptionally well with Poulin on Montreal's top line this season, while Sophie Jaques is second in the league in scoring amongst defenders and one of the league's best play-drivers. There's a few college prospects in the mix, too: teen phenom Chloe Primerano and 21-year-old goalie Ève Gascon. Advertisement It appears Canada is balancing the desire to win with one final chance at player evaluation (at a major international competition) before the 2026 Olympics. Still, this roster is stacked with veteran talent who know how to win at this level. 2. USA This year's roster is arguably Team USA's best since the 2023 world championship, which the U.S. won 6-3 against Canada, with an elite veteran core and highly skilled young players. The experience starts with Hilary Knight, the all-time leading scorer in tournament history. After dealing with an injury last season — and still leading Team USA in scoring at last year's tournament — Knight is healthy and leading the PWHL in scoring. Alex Carpenter was tied for the scoring lead last year with six goals and 10 points in seven games, and Kendall Coyne Schofield is among the top scorers in the PWHL. Advertisement Perhaps the biggest highlight of the roster, though, is the return of Lee Stecklein, who has taken the last two years off from the U.S. women's national team. She's one of the very best shutdown defenders in the world, and her return should help bolster a U.S. team that has lost to Canada in the last Rivalry Series and world championship. Team USA also has some of the most exciting young players in the world, including seven top-10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the best player in women's college hockey: forwards Abbey Murphy, Joy Dunne, Tessa Janecke and Kirsten Simms, and defenders Caroline Harvey, Haley Winn and Laila Edwards. Canadians hate playing against Murphy. Harvey is one of the best defenders in the world already. Simms scored the game-winning goal for the Wisconsin Badgers in last month's national championship game and had the game-winner in a 1-0 overtime win against Canada at last year's tournament. And Edwards — typically a forward — is showing off her versatility in moving to the blue line for Team USA this season. And, of course, there's Aerin Frankel. She's one of the best goalies in the world and has proven she can battle against Desbiens on the biggest stage. If Desbiens isn't healthy in time for a gold medal game, Frankel could very easily outduel Canada's No. 2 or 3 options. Advertisement 3. Finland Finland has historically been a podium contender with 15 medals (1 silver, 14 bronze) at women's worlds – third-most behind the North American powerhouses. The team won bronze at last year's tournament for the first time since 2021 and returns a pretty similar lineup to Czechia, with 21 returning players and only four first-timers. Boston Fleet forward Susanna Tapani led the team in scoring at last year's tournament and is back for the Finns. So are forwards Michelle Karvinen, Petra Nieminen and Viivi Vainikka, who all scored in regulation or the shootout in last year's bronze medal game. With just one point at the tournament, Karvinen will become Finland's all-time leader in points, passing Hockey Hall of Fame forward Riikka Sallinen and defender Jenni Hiirikoski. She's also just two goals behind Sallinen's 25 career tallies at worlds. Advertisement Ottawa Charge defender Ronja Savolainen and University of Minnesota junior Nelli Laitinen highlight the blue line, which will be without Hiirikoski for the first time since 2006. Hiirikoski, who has played a record 96 games at worlds, will miss the tournament due to illness. The 38-year-old is still regarded as one of the best defenders in the world and will leave a sizable hole on Finland's defense. Fortunately, the Finns are strong in the crease with starter Sanni Ahola, who made the third-most saves (169) at last year's tournament. 4. Czechia The Czechia women's hockey team is one of the fastest-rising programs in the world. Advertisement Before 2022, the team had never finished higher than sixth at women's worlds, but has since appeared in three straight bronze medal games, winning twice before getting knocked off the podium by Finland last year. And the roster this year might be one of the nation's strongest yet, particularly up front. Ottawa Charge forward Tereza Vanišová just became the first player to score two hat tricks in a single season in the PWHL; only Marie-Philip Poulin (17) has more goals than Vanišová (15). Natálie Mlýnková, who led the team in scoring at last year's tournament, is back after a strong final season in the NCAA. And, Colgate University standout Kristýna Kaltounková will make her worlds debut. The forward finished her college career as the Raiders' all-time leading goal-scorer (111) and was named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Ottawa forward Kateřina Mrázová has only played 11 games in the PWHL this season due to injury, but if healthy — she's been training with the team — she would add a significant boost to Czechia's depth. Mrázová missed last year's tournament due to injury, but scored 13 points in 14 games for Czechia at the 2022 and 2023 worlds, which led the team in scoring during that span. Advertisement On the blue line, Czechia will be anchored by Aneta Tejralova (Ottawa) and Daniela Pejšová, who has struggled to find a top spot on the Boston Fleet but has been a staple for her national team. With Klára Peslarová — who made more saves (224) than any other goalie at last year's worlds – in net. As the tournament hosts, and with a strong roster, Czechia will be expected to push for a medal once again. How to watch All games will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and NHL Network in the United States. The IIHF also just launched its own web stream that has 'global access to all IIHF tournaments,' though some restrictions may apply due to media rights agreements. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Advertisement NHL, Women's Hockey 2025 The Athletic Media Company
