Group A of the Women’s Olympic ice hockey tournament at Milano-Cortina 2026 is set to be dominated by Canada and the USA. The North American powerhouses are taking different approaches this time, with Canada looking to experience while the USA has a refreshed roster. Europe’s medal push is headed by Czechia and Finland, with Switzerland hoping to overcome its scoring problems from last year’s World Championship. 

Canada 

It’s no surprise that the 2022 champion is expected to be out in front once again in 2026. The Canadians have 16 players from the Beijing roster involved in Italy, and the roster is comprised exclusively of PWHL talent. 

That means stellar goaltending from Ann-Renee Desbiens, who leads the league in wins (9) and is second in saves (0.954) and GAA (1.15) with Montreal Victoire. It means a return for Sarah Nurse, whose 18 points in 2022 set a record for a single women’s OG. And it means Captain Clutch, Marie-Philip Poulin, as captain and star forward. Last year, the 34-year-old Montreal centre broke Hayley Wickenheiser’s national record for World Championship points; heading to Italy she is one behind Wickenheiser’s Olympic goal record and could join the legend on four golds. 

Among the Olympic debutants, look out for Jenn Gardiner. The Vancouver forward was second in World Championship scoring last season behind Poulin at her first major tournament. Fellow Olympic rookie Julia Gosling is having a productive season with Seattle (12 points, ninth in PWHL scoring). 

The Canada vs USA match-ups will likely determine the outcome of this tournament; anything short of a gold medal will feel like failure for both the North American giants. 

USA 

If the Canadians have the golden Games experience, the Americans can point to victory at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship. On top of that, team USA brings a potentially devastating offence to Milan. 

A glance at the PWHL scoring chart shows Kendall Coyne Schofield, Britta Curl-Salemme and Taylor Heise tied at the top on 16 points. Kelly Pannek is right behind, and then there’s the great Hilary Knight. She’s back for her fifth Games, this time as captain, and her longevity and achievements for the Stars and Stripes match Poulin’s prowess for Canada. 

But USA Hockey isn’t relying on familiar faces. The roster has 12 Olympic rookies. The list includes Curl-Salemme, goaltending duo Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Philips, World Championship golden goalscorer Tessa Janecke and much-titled forward Tayor Heise. 

Then there’s Leila Edwards, a versatile player who is steadily redefining the role of the D in the women’s game. It adds up to a young core (Frankel, at 26, is the oldest of those mentioned) with the potential to dominate for years to come. 

History suggests it’s unthinkable that the USA won’t medal. But the same history says the Americans rarely edge Canada for Olympic gold. Can head coach John Wroblewski buck that trend in 2026? 

Czechia 

Czech women’s hockey is one of the stories of the 2020s. The national team qualified for its first Olympics in 2022 and a clutch of promising youngsters took U18 silver two years later. Four of them, including the productive partnership of Adela Sapovalilova and Tereza Plosova, are now on the senior team, where U18 head coach Dusan Andrasovsky is assistant to Carla McLeod. 

Last season the Czechs hosted the World Championship and gave eventual winner Team USA a scare in the semi-final. That tournament saw Kristyna Kaltounkova make her senior international debut and the 23-year-old Colgate University graduate had an instant impact, joint top scorer for her country with 6 (4+2) points. This season she’s continued to impress, leading the PWHL in goals (11) in her rookie season with the New York Sirens.  

Kaltounkova is also the most productive European player in a league with plenty of Czech representation. Montreal’s Natalie Mlynkova matched Kalty for scoring in Ceske Budejovice last year. Forwards Klara Hymlarova and Denisa Krizova (both Minnesota), Katerina Mrazova (Ottawa) and Tereza Vanisova (Vancouver) are all in the PWHL this season as are defenders Daniela Pejsova (Boston) and captain Aneta Tejralova (Seattle). But if the Czechs are to threaten North America’s dominance, goalie Klara Peslarova (Brynas, SWE) will likely be a key figure. 

Finland 

The Finns are looking to experience to maintain their medal streak. The second-oldest roster in Milan has 187 games of Olympic experience – more than any other nation. Michelle Karvinen and Jenni Hiirikoski lead the way as they return for their fifth Games. Karvinen set a national scoring record at last year’s World Championship, while captain Hiirikoski is a powerhouse on the blue line. 

Other key players from the latest Worlds are back: Ottawa Charge defender Ronja Savolainen led Finland in scoring at last year’s Worlds. Forward Elisa Holopainen (Frolunda, SWE) delivered the clutch goals to complete a fightback from 0-3 in the bronze medal game. 

But there are also big roles for rookies – especially behind the bench. Juuso Toivala, who stepped up to head coach during the Beijing Olympics, was surprisingly released from his contract a year earlier. Tero Lehtera, with no prior international experience and no previous work coaching women, replaces him. 

And goalie Sanni Ahola, latest in a long line of top-class Finnish goaltenders, takes her Olympic bow. Ahola, 25, plays for Ottawa, and will hope that working day-to-day with Team USA’s Gwyneth Philips can compensate for limited game time. 

Switzerland 

The Swiss won bronze in 2014 and finished fourth in 2022. But this 2026 roster is much changed from the Beijing team after several experienced players retired. It’s also the youngest in Milan, with an average age of just 23.09 years. 

In response, the Swiss devoted the current Olympic cycle to rebuilding and 21 of Colin Muller’s 23-strong squad featured at the Worlds last season. Forwards Lara Stadler and Alina Muller are the stand-out names on the roster and both are back for their fourth Olympics. Muller is a key figure on an offense that struggled at the last World Championship, shut out in four of its six games. Captain Stadler also brings a wealth of experience to the offense, but the absence of players like Phoebe Stanz and Evelina Raselli, who retired in 2022, is still felt. 

On defence, Nicole Vallario is one of two PWHL representatives on the roster. She’s with New York Sirens this season, but sat out the team’s last game before the Olympic break. Muller picked up a couple of assists for Boston that night and scored twice as the Fleet won the shoot-out. Also on D, Shannon Sigrist and Stefanie Wetli are back for a third Olympic campaign.