The Countdown to the Olympics is On

The Olympics kick off in one month. So far, the USA, Finland, Czechia, France, and Japan have announced the teams they are sending to compete in Italy. Here’s a look at those rosters and key players from the PWHL and NCAA. 

USA

Headlining the USA lineup is Captain Hilary Knight, who will be making her 5th Olympic appearance. She was a part of the gold medal team in 2018 as well as the silver medal teams in 2010, 2014, and 2022. 

Joining her will be Kendall Coyne-Schofield, making her 4th Olympic appearance, her first as a mother, adding a whole new level of excitement in getting to share that. She was also a part of the 2018 gold medal team, as well as the 2014 and 2022 silver medal teams. 

Abbey Murphy was a standout for the USA in the 2025 Rivalry Series opening Game 1 with a hat trick. She has continued to excel with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. This past weekend, Murphy set a new single-game point record, with 3 goals and 4 assists in the Gophers' 14-2 win over Sacred Heart. 

Other players returning for the USA are Alex Carpenter, Kelly Pannek, Hayley Scamurra, Grace Zumwinkle, Cayla Barnes, Caroline Harvey, Megan Keller, and Lee Stecklein. 

Making their Olympic debuts from the PWHL are Britta Curl-Salemme, Taylor Heise, Hannah Bilka, Aerin Frankel, Rory Guilday, Gwyneth Philips and Haley Winn. And from the NCAA, Laila Edwards, Tessa Janecke, Joy Dunne, Kirsten Simms, and Ava McNaughton will be making their debuts. Edwards will make history as the first black woman to skate for the USA’s national team at the Olympics. 

Finland 

Headlining Finland’s lineup is Captain Michelle Karvinen. This will be her fifth Olympics; so far, she has brought home 3 bronze medals (2010, 2018, 2022). 

Susana Tapani will be joining Michelle Karvinen on Finland’s Olympic roster, in her fourth appearance. She was a part of the bronze medal teams in 2018 and 2022. 

Ronja Savolainen will also return to Finland’s lineup for her third appearance. She was also a part of the bronze medal teams in 2018 and 2022. This season, the defender has one goal and two assists, also recording 10 blocked shots. 

Joining the team in net is Sanni Ahola from the Ottawa Charge. She was drafted in the fifth round, 37th overall, in the 2025 draft. She has only made one appearance this season, when the Charge were in Seattle. In the game, Ahola stopped 20 of 23 shots. 

Czechia 

Headlining Czechia’s lineup is Sirens rookie Kristýna Kaltounková, who has been a major highlight for New York this season, now with 5 goals and a two-game point streak. 

Joining her will be Frost forwards Denisa Křížová and Klara Hymlárová. Křížová was re-acquired by Minnesota ahead of the 2025-26 season in a trade with the Vancouver Goldeneyes, who drafted her in the expansion draft. Křížová has been with the Frost since their inaugural season, winning back-to-back Walter Cups. Well, Hymlárová joined the team last season after being drafted in the third round, 15th overall. 

Tereza Vanišová joins from the Vancouver Goldeneyes; she previously played for Montreal and Ottawa. Well, she has gotten off to a slow start this season with one of the league’s newest teams; we’ve seen how much she can explode on offence, finishing last season with 15 goals and 7 assists for the Charge. In the playoffs, she had one goal and three assists; the goal was scored in the third period of Game 4 to tie the game, forcing overtime. 

Other PWHL players joining Czechia are: Montreal rookie Natalie Mlýnková, Aneta Tejralová from the Torrent, Daniela Pejšová from the Fleet and Kateřina Mrázova from the Charge. 

France 

Headlining France’s lineup is former Sirens forward Chloe Aurard-Bushee. She was a part of the Fleet’s training camp this past fall but was released before the season. In her two seasons with the Sirens, Aurard-Bushee had 3 goals and 9 assists. 

Joining her is Clarkson freshman forward, Manon le Scodan. In her 21 games with the Golden Knights, she has 5 goals and 12 assists. Also joining from the NCAA is Quinnipiac freshman forward Jade Barbirati. In her 10 games with the Bobcats, she has 3 goals and 4 assists. 

Japan 

Headlining Japan’s lineup is former PWHL forward, Akane Shiga, who played for Ottawa in their inaugural season, before heading back to Euro’s to play with Lulea in Sweden. She is currently on pace for a point-per-game average. This will be her second Olympic Games. Her most notable on the international stage was Japan’s 2016 U-18 World Championship team who brought home gold.