USA Hockey’s women’s Olympic roster will look a lot like its championship-winning team from women’s worlds in Czechia — and the group that swept Canada at 2025 Rivalry Series — naming 21 returning players to the 23-player roster on Friday morning. That includes six defenders who represented the national team last April, including Laila Edwards, who made the switch from forward to defense and will become the first Black woman to represent the U.S. women’s hockey team at an Olympic tournament. Car
That includes six defenders who represented the national team last April, including Laila Edwards, who made the switch from forward to defense and will become the first Black woman to represent the U.S. women’s hockey team at an Olympic tournament. Caroline Harvey, who was 19 at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, will play in her second tournament, this time as one of the very best defenders in the game. Her 41 points in 20 games lead all skaters in college hockey.
Among the 12 returning forwards are three of the PWHL’s top scorers — Britta Curl-Salemme, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Kelly Pannek — plus three of the top scoring forwards in the NCAA — Abbey Murphy, Kirsten Simms and Joy Dunne.
Tessa Janecke, the Penn State senior who scored the overtime-clinching goal at worlds, will make her Olympic debut. So will Minnesota Frost star Taylor Heise, who assisted Janecke’s game-winner.
No. 1 goalie Aerin Frankel — who has an outstanding 0.99 goals against average in the PWHL this season — will return to the U.S. crease along with back-up Gwyneth Philips and University of Wisconsin starter Ava McNaughton filling out the depth chart.
Captain Hilary Knight will be chasing a second Olympic gold medal in her fifth and final tournament, after announcing in May that Milan will be her final appearance at the Games. Knight currently has four Olympic medals, which is tied for the most by an American woman. Should the U.S. win a medal in Milan, Knight will become the most decorated American women’s hockey player and the only five-time Olympian in U.S. women’s hockey history.
The U.S. women’s team, along with the men’s and sled hockey teams, was unveiled on NBC’s “Today” show with Edwards, Jack Hughes and Declan Farmer in attendance, with fans celebrating in the background.
The women’s tournament begins in Milan on Feb. 5. Team USA’s preliminary round begins with an opening day game against Czechia and ends with a rivalry match against Canada on Feb. 10. The gold medal game is slated for Feb. 19.
Full roster
Introducing the 23 players named to the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team 🇺🇸 #MilanoCortina2026
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Rosters: https://t.co/hUC1A7aZ7Rpic.twitter.com/i0sPQ6xkzW
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 2, 2026
Snubs
Jesse Compher, Lacey Eden, Savannah Harmon and Anna Wilgren were all left off the Olympic roster after winning gold at world championships.
Compher, who won a silver medal in Beijing, is arguably the Americans’ biggest snub. She had a breakout sophomore season in the PWHL to earn a spot on the Czechia worlds team, and is having a strong start to 2025-26. However, with gritty two-way forwards such as Hayley Scamurra and Curl-Salemme on the roster, it appears management opted for a dynamic young forward in Simms, who can easily be moved into the top six or a larger power-play role.
Eden, a senior at Wisconsin, also didn’t make the team after participating in five consecutive world championships for Team USA. The U.S. has an embarrassment of riches at forward, and Eden just seemed to fall down the depth chart as Zumwinkle, Curl-Salemme and Simms solidified spots.
Harmon has been a mainstay on the American blue line since making her first worlds roster in 2020, but did not land the seventh spot after being benched in the gold-medal game at worlds — and most of the semis after a turnover led to a goal for Czechia. It was clear Harmon was on the outside looking in at Rivalry Series, where she only played one game. In the finale, a 4-1 win against Canada, head coach John Wroblewski gave a clear audition to 2025 PWHL fifth-overall pick Rory Guilday and said she was “rock solid” after the game, signaling the looming change on the back end.
Surprises
Even the “snubs” weren’t overly surprising if you’ve been watching the U.S. women’s national team over the last several months. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise, however, is that Grace Zumwinkle cracked the roster.
It has been a roller coaster four years for Zumwinkle since making the 2022 Olympic team. She was left off the 2023 worlds roster and was an alternate in 2024, but made her way back into the mix over the last 14 months.
She’s healthy after an injury-riddled sophomore season in the PWHL, plays a solid north-south game and has the ability to play through contact, which Wroblewski has wanted on his rosters to combat the size and grit of Team Canada.
Hannah Bilka is another player back in the mix. Her absence was felt at last year’s worlds, and she did a tremendous job in the Rivalry Series on the top power play and playing alongside Murphy and Heise. Bilka has always been dynamic in the offensive zone, but has also improved dramatically away from the puck — which is exactly what U.S. management wanted to see from the talented winger.
Simms’ inclusion on the roster is somewhat surprising given her limited usage at worlds — she only played four games and was scratched both times against Team Canada — but her talent is undeniable. Only Harvey and Murphy, who will become two-time Olympians before leaving college, have more points in the NCAA this season than Simms.
Expectations
The Americans will be heading to Milan with immense confidence after sweeping the Canadians in the four-game Rivalry Series by a combined score of 24-7. As the No. 1 team in the IIHF rankings, Team USA is the favorite to win its first gold medal since 2018.
Still, Team Canada poses a threat, especially with an X-Factor such as Marie-Philip Poulin, who has scored in all four Olympic gold medal games she’s played in since 2010. The Americans know that well.
“We’re always going to get Canada’s best game, regardless of winning the Rivalry Series or not,” Edwards said in Edmonton last month. “The Olympics (are) a totally different battlefield that we’ll be ready for.”
On paper, the U.S. has the best combination of high-end veterans and dynamic young talent. They have a fast team with tons of firepower, great defending and exceptional goaltending, led by Frankel, who was 2-0 at Rivalry Series with a 1.00 goals-against average and .961 save percentage.
Just like every Olympic tournament, anything but a gold medal for the Americans would be considered a disappointment.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
NHL, Olympics, Women's Hockey
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Category: General Sports
