After playing three U18 Women's Worlds, Celine Tedenby will have her senior Women's Worlds debut.
photo: Jana Chytilova / HHOF-IIHF Images
Eight of the ten teams that competed at the last major women’s event, the Beijing Olympics, will be in Denmark over the next two weeks trying to win a medal or, at the very least, trying to avoid relegation (one team will go down; one team, France, will move up for 2023. China is not here because they played in Beijing only as hosts, and Russia has been suspended from participation for safety reasons.)
This also represents the first time that a Women’s Worlds will be held in an Olympic year, which means we now begin a new Olympic cycle. That means changes. Coaches want to test new blood, alter their lineup because of recent results, give young players a chance to play at the top level.
Will they be a cornerstone at the 2026 Olympics in Milan, or will they have been replaced before then? We don’t know, but this is Step One, and it should provide great opportunities to see new talent in action.
Here’s a synopsis of who’s returning from Beijing and who’s new, ordered on placings from this past February.
^=played at WW18; *=played at WW
Canada (Gold)
IN—D—Meaghan Mikkelson*/F—Jessie Eldridge, Kristin O’Neill^*, Sarah Potomak^*, Victoria Bach^*
OUT—D—Claire Thompson/F—Melodie Daoust, Rebecca Johnston, Jill Saulnier, Natalie Spooner
Interpreting the roster for the Women’s World and Olympic champions is pretty straightforward. Mikkelson is back after a lengthy recovery from a serious knee injury, and Thompson is out as a result of being accepted into medical school. Up front, four in, four out. Spooner is pregnant, but Daoust and Johnston were listed as unavailable for the training camp and are on the outside looking in. Eldridge will be making her Team Canada debut. She was a star at Colgate before joining the PWHPA.
United States (Silver)
IN—John Wroblewski, coach/G—Aerin Frankel/D—Rory Guilday^/F—Hannah Bilka^, Lacey Eden*, Taylor Heise^
OUT—Joel Johnson, coach/G—Alex Cavallini/D—Megan Bozek/F—Dani Cameranesi, Brianna Decker, Abbey Murphy
The shakeup starts at the top, with a significant coaching change. Johnson led the Americans to four gold medals at the U18s but then settled for silver at the last two senior events. Bozek on the blue line is out and the 19-year-old Guilday, who helped the U.S. win WW18 gold in 2020, is in. Up front, Decker isn’t back after suffering a terrible injury at the Olympics, while Bilka and Heise will be making their senior debuts as Wroblewski starts the process of figuring out how the team can reclaim its place at the top of the podium.
Finland (Bronze)
IN—D—Krista Parkkonen^/F—Emmi Rakkolainen^, Kiira Yrjanen^
OUT—G—Eveliina Makinen/D—Minnamari Tuominen/F—Sanni Hakala, Tanja Niskanen
Three young players are in at the expense of three veterans as coach Juuso Toivola tinkers with his lineup to try conjure up another upset against the North Americans as they did against Canada in the semi-finals in 2019.
Switzerland (4th)
IN—G—Alexandra Lehmann/D—Alessia Baechler^, Janine Hauser^*, Nadine Hofstetter^*/F—Mara Frey^, Emma Ingold^*, Sinja Leemann^*, Alina Marti^*
OUT—D—Nicole Bullo, Sarah Forster, Sinja Leemann, Alina Marti/F—Phoebe Stanz
Colin Muller is taking the four-year cycle seriously as he has made a plethora of changes in the first Women’s Worlds after the Olympics, replacing half his blue line and a third of his forwards. Phoebe Stanz, 28, has been with the team eleven years. Nicole Bullo, 35, played her first event back in 2004.
Japan (6th)
IN—G—Riko Kawaguchi/D—Ayaka Hitosato, Fumika Sasano^*, Kanami Seki^*/F—Yoshino Enomoto^*, Makoto Ito^*, Hinata Lack, Chisato Miyazaki^, Miyuri Ogawa^, Ami Sasaki^, Yumeka Wajima^
OUT—G—Nana Fujimoto/D—Yukiko Kawashima, Sena Suzuki, Ayaka Toko/F—Moeko Fujimoto, Hanae Kubo, Mei Miura, Chiho Osawa, Chika Otaki, Miho Shishiuchi, Rui Ukita, Haruna Yoneyama
Yuji Iizuka has coached the Japanese women since 2019 and has also decided to gut the roster down to its core. Goalie Nana Fujimoto, 33, started in 2008 but is out in favour of Riko Kawaguchi, making her national team debut. Meanwhile three defenders and eight forwards are also out, most of whom are big names who have been with the team for many years. Osawa has been with the team since 2009, and Kubo played at the 2000 Women’s Worlds. Iizuka is clearly playing the long game here.
Czechia (7th)
IN—Carla MacLeod, coach/G—Blanka Skodova^*/D—Klara Seroiszkova^, Andrea Trnkova/F—Karolina Erbanova, Laura Lerchova^, Agata Sarnovska^
OUT—Tomas Pacina, coach/G—Katerina Zechovska/D—Samantha Kolowratova/F—Katerina Bukolska, Aneta Ledlova, Lenka Serdar, Tereza Vanisova
Another significant coaching change with the departure of Pacina, Czech but male, in favor of MacLeod, who had a successful playing career with Canada’s women’s team. She is going with a younger core, most of whom have WW18 experience, where Czechia have had some success in recent years under Jan Fidrmuc and Pavel Zuziak.
Sweden (8th)
IN—G—Ellen Jonsson/D—Linnea Andersson^, Mira Jungaker, Paula Bergstrom^/F—Jenny Antonsson^, Celine Tedenby^, Hanna Thuvik^, Thea Johansson^
OUT—G—Sara Grahn/D—Emmy Alasalmi, Johanna Fallman, Linnea Hedin/F—Lisa Johansson, Emma Nordin
Coach Ulf Lundberg has made significant changes, all of the players in the “out” list having a long history of accomplishment with the Swedes. But Lundberg feels it’s time to give some of the WW18 stars some playing time, notably Tedenby, who played in three U18s and is now 23 and ready for the top level.
Denmark (10th)
IN—Bjorn Edlund, coach/G—Mille Kieler Jensen/F—Nathalie Perry
OUT—Peter Elander, coach/G—Emma Nordstrom/D—Kristine Melberg, Malene Frandsen
The Danes have a new coach, but with so few players in their system changes are much tougher to make. As a result, Edlund is not using Frandsen and Melberg, both of whom had played only at the 2021 Worlds and 2022 Olympics. But apart from that, it’s pretty much status quo. Perry has been playing in Malmo the last four seasons.
This also represents the first time that a Women’s Worlds will be held in an Olympic year, which means we now begin a new Olympic cycle. That means changes. Coaches want to test new blood, alter their lineup because of recent results, give young players a chance to play at the top level.
Will they be a cornerstone at the 2026 Olympics in Milan, or will they have been replaced before then? We don’t know, but this is Step One, and it should provide great opportunities to see new talent in action.
Here’s a synopsis of who’s returning from Beijing and who’s new, ordered on placings from this past February.
^=played at WW18; *=played at WW
Canada (Gold)
IN—D—Meaghan Mikkelson*/F—Jessie Eldridge, Kristin O’Neill^*, Sarah Potomak^*, Victoria Bach^*
OUT—D—Claire Thompson/F—Melodie Daoust, Rebecca Johnston, Jill Saulnier, Natalie Spooner
Interpreting the roster for the Women’s World and Olympic champions is pretty straightforward. Mikkelson is back after a lengthy recovery from a serious knee injury, and Thompson is out as a result of being accepted into medical school. Up front, four in, four out. Spooner is pregnant, but Daoust and Johnston were listed as unavailable for the training camp and are on the outside looking in. Eldridge will be making her Team Canada debut. She was a star at Colgate before joining the PWHPA.
United States (Silver)
IN—John Wroblewski, coach/G—Aerin Frankel/D—Rory Guilday^/F—Hannah Bilka^, Lacey Eden*, Taylor Heise^
OUT—Joel Johnson, coach/G—Alex Cavallini/D—Megan Bozek/F—Dani Cameranesi, Brianna Decker, Abbey Murphy
The shakeup starts at the top, with a significant coaching change. Johnson led the Americans to four gold medals at the U18s but then settled for silver at the last two senior events. Bozek on the blue line is out and the 19-year-old Guilday, who helped the U.S. win WW18 gold in 2020, is in. Up front, Decker isn’t back after suffering a terrible injury at the Olympics, while Bilka and Heise will be making their senior debuts as Wroblewski starts the process of figuring out how the team can reclaim its place at the top of the podium.
Finland (Bronze)
IN—D—Krista Parkkonen^/F—Emmi Rakkolainen^, Kiira Yrjanen^
OUT—G—Eveliina Makinen/D—Minnamari Tuominen/F—Sanni Hakala, Tanja Niskanen
Three young players are in at the expense of three veterans as coach Juuso Toivola tinkers with his lineup to try conjure up another upset against the North Americans as they did against Canada in the semi-finals in 2019.
Switzerland (4th)
IN—G—Alexandra Lehmann/D—Alessia Baechler^, Janine Hauser^*, Nadine Hofstetter^*/F—Mara Frey^, Emma Ingold^*, Sinja Leemann^*, Alina Marti^*
OUT—D—Nicole Bullo, Sarah Forster, Sinja Leemann, Alina Marti/F—Phoebe Stanz
Colin Muller is taking the four-year cycle seriously as he has made a plethora of changes in the first Women’s Worlds after the Olympics, replacing half his blue line and a third of his forwards. Phoebe Stanz, 28, has been with the team eleven years. Nicole Bullo, 35, played her first event back in 2004.
Japan (6th)
IN—G—Riko Kawaguchi/D—Ayaka Hitosato, Fumika Sasano^*, Kanami Seki^*/F—Yoshino Enomoto^*, Makoto Ito^*, Hinata Lack, Chisato Miyazaki^, Miyuri Ogawa^, Ami Sasaki^, Yumeka Wajima^
OUT—G—Nana Fujimoto/D—Yukiko Kawashima, Sena Suzuki, Ayaka Toko/F—Moeko Fujimoto, Hanae Kubo, Mei Miura, Chiho Osawa, Chika Otaki, Miho Shishiuchi, Rui Ukita, Haruna Yoneyama
Yuji Iizuka has coached the Japanese women since 2019 and has also decided to gut the roster down to its core. Goalie Nana Fujimoto, 33, started in 2008 but is out in favour of Riko Kawaguchi, making her national team debut. Meanwhile three defenders and eight forwards are also out, most of whom are big names who have been with the team for many years. Osawa has been with the team since 2009, and Kubo played at the 2000 Women’s Worlds. Iizuka is clearly playing the long game here.
Czechia (7th)
IN—Carla MacLeod, coach/G—Blanka Skodova^*/D—Klara Seroiszkova^, Andrea Trnkova/F—Karolina Erbanova, Laura Lerchova^, Agata Sarnovska^
OUT—Tomas Pacina, coach/G—Katerina Zechovska/D—Samantha Kolowratova/F—Katerina Bukolska, Aneta Ledlova, Lenka Serdar, Tereza Vanisova
Another significant coaching change with the departure of Pacina, Czech but male, in favor of MacLeod, who had a successful playing career with Canada’s women’s team. She is going with a younger core, most of whom have WW18 experience, where Czechia have had some success in recent years under Jan Fidrmuc and Pavel Zuziak.
Sweden (8th)
IN—G—Ellen Jonsson/D—Linnea Andersson^, Mira Jungaker, Paula Bergstrom^/F—Jenny Antonsson^, Celine Tedenby^, Hanna Thuvik^, Thea Johansson^
OUT—G—Sara Grahn/D—Emmy Alasalmi, Johanna Fallman, Linnea Hedin/F—Lisa Johansson, Emma Nordin
Coach Ulf Lundberg has made significant changes, all of the players in the “out” list having a long history of accomplishment with the Swedes. But Lundberg feels it’s time to give some of the WW18 stars some playing time, notably Tedenby, who played in three U18s and is now 23 and ready for the top level.
Denmark (10th)
IN—Bjorn Edlund, coach/G—Mille Kieler Jensen/F—Nathalie Perry
OUT—Peter Elander, coach/G—Emma Nordstrom/D—Kristine Melberg, Malene Frandsen
The Danes have a new coach, but with so few players in their system changes are much tougher to make. As a result, Edlund is not using Frandsen and Melberg, both of whom had played only at the 2021 Worlds and 2022 Olympics. But apart from that, it’s pretty much status quo. Perry has been playing in Malmo the last four seasons.