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THE ULTIMATE AWAY GAME: PWHL SET FOR UNPRECEDENTED OLYMPIC IMPACT

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NEW YORK AND TORONTO (February 3, 2026) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) will take center ice on the world’s biggest winter sports stage beginning this Thursday, Feb. 5, sending over 100 athletes, coaches, staff, officials and media personnel to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, creating “The Ultimate Away Game” until league action resumes Thursday, Feb. 26.

“PWHL players are going into the Olympic Winter Games more prepared than ever as a result of the resources and support the league has provided and the competition the players experience on a daily basis in the PWHL,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and a five-time Olympian. “From a game perspective, we have 61 players competing for eight countries, and that impact is going to be significant in raising the speed, skill and physicality to a level above what we've seen at a previous Olympics.”

“The Olympic Winter Games are one of the most powerful moments for women’s ice hockey, and for the PWHL, they represent a pivotal opportunity,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations. “For the first time, fans who discover the excitement of the sport during the Olympics can immediately follow many of the same elite players during a season-long professional league. That continuity matters, and together with the growing fan base built through the PWHL, the Olympics allow us to deepen fandom, expand our audience, and accelerate the global momentum of the game well beyond a single event.”

Fans can follow the PWHL’s Milano Cortina 2026 Olympians through social media, newsletters, in-market watch parties and the centralized Olympics hub on thepwhl.com featuring stats, schedules, and daily coverage. During Milano Cortina 2026, PWHL Communications will also be sharing highlights from the PWHL in a new, Olympic-themed media newsletter, with the first edition coming out before the first game.

BY THE NUMBERS

  • 61 PWHL players – 30% of the entire league – will compete for Olympic gold in the Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament representing eight of the 10 countries. has the most PWHL players with 23 (100% of the roster), followed by with 16 PWHL players (69.6% of the roster) and Czechia with eight PWHL players (34.8% of the roster).
  • All eight PWHL teams are represented by Olympians led by the Montréal Victoire and Toronto Sceptres with nine players each, followed by the Minnesota Frost, Ottawa Charge and Vancouver Goldeneyes with eight players each, the Boston Fleet with seven players, and the New York Sirens and Seattle Torrent with six players each.
  • A total of 59 medals have been won by PWHL players with previous Olympic experience, including 27 gold, 24 silver, and eight bronze, while 20 PWHL players will make their Olympic debuts in Milan.
  • Three PWHL players, including Vancouver’s Michelle Karvinen (FIN), Seattle captain Hilary Knight (USA) and Montréal captain Marie-Philip Poulin (CAN) will make history competing in their fifth Olympic Winter Games. Only six players in women’s ice hockey history have reached that milestone, including Hefford.
  • Ten players competing in the Olympics have also won the Walter Cup with a combined 17 PWHL championship rings among them.
  • There are 16 current PWHL hockey staff members on official delegations in a range of roles spanning from general managers to coaches, health and performance, analytics, video, and equipment staff.
  • The IIHF’s final 22-person officiating crew for Women’s Ice Hockey includes 15 members of the PWHL Officiating Team.
  • The familiar voices of 11 different PWHL broadcast team members and staff will be behind the microphone in Milan providing coverage of various events, with an additional six members working in production roles.

JOCKS IN JILLS

The PWHL’s official podcast, , hosted by Julia Tocheri and 2010 Olympic gold medalist Tessa Bonhomme, will deliver daily content — including analysis and live shows on select days at the conclusion of play — throughout the tournament to keep fans connected to the action and their favorite PWHL players. The team will provide on-the-ground coverage beginning in the quarterfinals and continuing through the medal-round games.

The full schedule is as follows:

  • Feb. 5 - Live Reaction Show
  • Feb. 7 - Live Reaction Show
  • Feb. 9 - Live Reaction Show
  • Feb. 10 - Live Reaction Show
  • Feb. 13 - Live Reaction Show
  • Feb. 15 – Quarterfinal Reaction Show
  • Feb. 16 - Feb. 19 - Jocks in Jills Live from Milan

*Live shows will begin at the conclusion of each day’s games

PLAYERS AND STAFF

The following is a list of PWHL players and staff on Milano Cortina 2026 rosters:

Canada (23 Players, 9 Staff):

  • Forwards: Emily Clark (OTT), Sarah Fillier (NY), Jenn Gardiner (VAN), Julia Gosling (SEA), Brianne Jenner (OTT), Emma Maltais (TOR), Sarah Nurse (VAN), Kristin O’Neill (NY), Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL), Natalie Spooner (TOR), Laura Stacey (MTL), Blayre Turnbull (TOR), Daryl Watts (TOR)
  • Defenders: Erin Ambrose (MTL), Renata Fast (TOR), Sophie Jaques (VAN), Jocelyne Larocque (OTT), Ella Shelton (TOR), Kati Tabin (MTL), Claire Thompson (VAN)
  • Goaltenders: Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL), Emerance Maschmeyer (VAN), Kayle Osborne (NY)
  • Team Staff: General Manager Gina Kingsbury (TOR), Head Coach Troy Ryan (TOR), Assistant Coaches Kori Cheverie (MTL) and Caroline Ouellette (MTL), Assistant Coach (Video) Stef Thompson (TOR), Goaltending Consultant Brad Kirkwood (TOR), Strength and Conditioning Coach Vicki Bendus (MTL), Performance Coach Consultant Daniel Tkaczuk (TOR), Equipment Manager Alana Goulden (TOR)

United States (16 Players, 3 Staff):

  • Forwards:Hannah Bilka (SEA), Alex Carpenter(SEA), Kendall Coyne Schofield(MIN),Britta Curl-Salemme(MIN),Taylor Heise(MIN),Hilary Knight(SEA),Kelly Pannek(MIN),Hayley Scamurra(MTL),Grace Zumwinkle(MIN)
  • Defenders:Cayla Barnes(SEA),Rory Guilday (OTT), Megan Keller(BOS),Lee Stecklein(MIN), Haley Winn (BOS)
  • Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel(BOS),Gwyneth Philips(OTT)
  • Team Staff: Assistant CoachJosh Sciba(NY), Athletic TrainerKatie Homan(MIN), Equipment ManagerSis Paulsen(MIN)

Czechia (8 Players, 1 Staff):

  • Forwards: Klára Hymlárová (MIN), Kristýna Kaltounková (NY), Denisa Křížová (MIN), Natálie Mlýnková (MTL), Kateřina Mrázová (OTT), Tereza Vanišová (VAN)
  • Defenders: Daniela Pejšová (BOS), Aneta Tejralová (SEA)
  • Team Staff: Head Coach Carla MacLeod (OTT)

Finland (4 Players):

  • Forwards: Michelle Karvinen (VAN), Susanna Tapani (BOS)
  • Defender: Ronja Savolainen (OTT)
  • Goaltender: Sanni Ahola (OTT)

Sweden (4 Players):

  • Forwards: Sara Hjalmarsson (TOR), Lina Ljungblom (MTL)
  • Defenders: Anna Kjellbin (TOR), Maja Nylén Persson (NY)

Germany (3 Players):

  • Forward: Laura Kluge (BOS)
  • Defender: Nina Jobst-Smith (VAN)
  • Goaltender: Sandra Abstreiter (MTL)

Switzerland (2 Players):

  • Forward: Alina Müller (BOS)
  • Defender: Nicole Vallario (NY)

Italy (1 Player, 3 Staff):

  • Forward: Kristin Della Rovere (TOR)
  • Team Staff: General Manager Danièle Sauvageau (MTL), Director of Analytics Mikael Nahabedian (MTL), Skills Coach Alex Tremblay (MTL)

ON-ICE OFFICIALS

The following is a list of PWHL officials assigned to Women’s Ice Hockey at Milano Cortina 2026:

  • Referees: Kelly Cooke (USA), Melissa Doyle (USA), Samantha Hiller (USA), Elizabeth Mantha (CAN), Michelle McKenna (CAN), Cianna Murray (CAN), Shauna Neary (CAN), Amanda Tassoni (USA)
  • Linespersons: Sarah Buckner (USA), Jennifer Cameron-Ward (USA), Alexandra Clarke (CAN), Laura Gutauskas (CAN), Justine Todd (CAN), Kirsten Welsh (USA), Erin Zach (CAN)

MEDIA

The following is a list of PWHL broadcast team members and staff providing official broadcast coverage of events at Milano Cortina 2026:

  • Talent: Cassie Campbell-Pascall (Men’s and Women’s Hockey Analyst),Matt Cullen (Men’s Hockey and Snowboarding Play-by-Play), Alexandre Despatie (Aerials & Moguls Play-by-Play), Claire Hanna (Men’s and Women’s Hockey Reporter), Becky Kellar (Men’s and Women’s Hockey Analyst), Kenzie Lalonde (Men’s and Women’s Hockey Play-by-Play), Rob Pizzo (Sliding Events Reporter), Daniella Ponticelli (Women’s Hockey Play-by-Play), Cheryl Pounder (Men’s and Women’s Hockey Analyst), Saroya Tinker (Women’s Hockey Host), Kelly VanderBeek (Men’s Alpine Reporter)
  • Production: Brad Coates (Hockey Director), Larry Isaac (Hockey Producer), Geoff Ives (Studio Producer), Amanda Smerage (Sliding Events Director), Peter Smith (Friends & Family Producer), Pete Toma (Aerials & Moguls Director)

Olympic women’s hockey action begins Thursday, Feb. 5, with Sweden and Germany opening the competition at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena at 12:10 p.m. local (6:10 a.m. ET). The matchups to follow include Italy and France, the U.S. and Czechia, then Finland and Canada to close out the opening day. Three of the four Day 1 games will feature PWHL players on both teams.