Canada has been the world’s best in women’s hockey for most of the last several years, but a younger U.S. team now has the chance to seize momentum going into the Olympic season.
The World Championship begins Wednesday in Czechia and runs through an April 20 final.
Canada and the U.S. combined to win all 23 previous world titles. The rivals met in the final in 22 of the 23 editions dating to the first worlds in 1990.
Canada has the recent edge, winning last year’s world title in an overtime final and four of the last five major tournaments overall when including the 2022 Olympics.
Before that, the U.S. won five consecutive Olympic or world titles from 2015-2019.
In the last two cycles, the winner of the worlds in the year before the Olympics went on to take the Olympic title, too.
The U.S. and Canada meet in group play this Sunday, but that result might not have much bearing on a possible rematch in the April 20 final. At the last three worlds, the U.S.-Canada group play winner then lost the final.
Canada has largely kept the same identity from the 2022 Beijing Games: leaders including head coach Troy Ryan, captain Marie-Philip Poulin, standout defender Renata Fast and goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens.
Desbiens hasn’t played for the Montreal Victoire since March 18 due to injury, but is still on the roster for worlds.
The U.S. experienced significant changes over the last three years. John Wroblewski succeeded Joel Johnson as head coach after the Olympics.
At forward, Brianna Decker retired and Amanda Kessel stepped away from competing as she works in the Pittsburgh Penguins front office. Kendall Coyne Schofield had her first child and returned to the national team last year.
Taylor Heise and Laila Edwards — who weren’t on the 2022 Olympic team — became world championship MVPs in this cycle. Edwards switched to defense for the national team this season, joining a decorated group that includes her University of Wisconsin teammate Caroline “KK” Harvey.
Harvey was the youngest player on the 2022 Olympic team at age 19. She has since become the only player from any country to make all three world championship all-star teams in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Lee Stecklein, a three-time Olympic medalist who led the 2018 Olympic champion team skaters in ice time, is set to play her first games with the national team since the 2023 Worlds.
And in goal, Aerin Frankel went from just missing the 2022 Olympic team to starting 12 of the 14 games over the last two worlds.
The end result: Canada’s average age is 28 years, 1 month, with two collegians on its 25-player roster. The U.S. average age is 25 years, 9 months, with nine collegians.
“Lack of experience has been our primary question mark,” Wroblewski said of his three-year tenure.
But a question that has been answered significantly over the last year. Wroblewski provided one example: U.S. hockey officials weren’t sure Edwards and fellow collegians Kirsten Simms and Joy Dunne would be picked for the 2024 World team from a tryout camp last spring.
Not only did they make the roster, but Edwards became world championship MVP. Dunne, an Ohio State sophomore, was the lone underclassman on the list of 10 finalists for this year’s Patty Kazmaier Award (best player in women’s college hockey). Simms, a Wisconsin junior, scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in the NCAA Championship game against Dunne’s Buckeyes on March 23.
Wroblewski said that he and U.S. hockey officials have gotten to know the player pool so well that — for the first time in this Olympic cycle — they felt like they could pick the world championship roster without the traditional tryout camp.
Good thing, because a camp couldn’t be held this year due to extenuating circumstances.
“For the most part, the players have now provided us with answers, instead of us having questions, particularly on the roster front,” Wroblewski said.
