Top 10 PWHL Players to watch coming out of the Olympics

With 61 PWHL players participating in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, it’s no surprise so many of them were key players throughout the Tournament, up to and including the game-winning goals in the Bronze (Alina Müller) and Gold (Megan Keller, above with fellow player to watch Hilary Knight) Medal games. With the PWHL season restarting on February 26, here’s a list of 10 players, in alphabetical order, who had great performances in Milano Cortina and will be worth watching back on home ice.

Hannah Bilka (USA, Seattle Torrent)

Bilka emerged from Milan as one of Team USA’s most productive forwards, finishing the tournament with seven points (4G, 3A) in seven games while driving transition play for the gold‑medal winners. Her fast pace was noticeable throughout the tournament, and she seems poised to help Seattle make a leap up the standings.

Ann‑Renée Desbiens (Canada, Montréal Victoire)

The 2025 PWHL Goaltender of the Year, Desbiens was central to Canada’s march to silver, delivering a strong tournament that featured a shutout over Finland and multiple steady performances during Canada’s tight knockout run, which ended her third Olympics with a Canadian record and tied for second in all-time goalie wins with nine. The composure of the Victoire’s backstop under pressure was evident in the 2–1 overtime loss to the U.S. in the gold‑medal game, reinforcing her status as one of the world’s most trusted big‑game goaltenders.

Aerin Frankel (USA, Boston Fleet)

Frankel delivered arguably the most dominant Olympic goaltending performance ever, leading Team USA to gold while setting an Olympic record in her debut appearance with three shutouts, posting a record 0.39 GAA and .980 save percentage and tying Desbiens (2022) for the most wins in a single Olympic tournament with five. She sealed the Americans’ title run by stopping 30 of 31 shots in the gold‑medal game and returns to Boston—where she was already having an incredible season—in seemingly unstoppable form.

Megan Keller (USA, Boston Fleet)

An elite defender throughout her career in the PWHL, Keller capped a brilliant Olympic run—and became a household name in America—by scoring the golden goal in overtime to secure Team USA’s victory over Canada. She finished her third Olympics tied for the tournament lead with nine points, a total that is tied for the second highest by a defender in a single Olympic tournament and showcases the elite two‑way impact she brings that has helped make the first-place Fleet so effective this season.

Laura Kluge (Germany, Boston Fleet)

A tall left winger in her first season in Boston, Kluge was a massive bright spot for Germany, providing steady offense and pace against top‑tier competition. Her team-leading and German record seven points (4G, 3A) in five games illustrated the ways she may contribute to the Fleet as she returns to PWHL action with this new international experience under her belt.

Hilary Knight (USA, Seattle Torrent)

Is the Captain of Team USA and the Torrent ever not a player to watch?! In her fifth and final Olympic Winter Games, Knight once again delivered in the spotlight, scoring the game‑tying goal with 2:04 left in regulation of the gold‑medal final—an effort that cemented her as Team USA’s all‑time leader in both Olympic goals (15) and points (33). Her leadership and late‑game brilliance continue to make her one of the most influential players in women’s hockey, and the Torrent should benefit immediately from her being in championship‑level form.

Alina Müller (Switzerland, Boston Fleet)

Müller delivered Switzerland’s biggest moment of the Games, scoring the overtime bronze‑medal winner to become the only player in Olympic women’s hockey history to score two bronze medal-winning goals. An alternate captain for Switzerland and the Fleet, she heads back to Boston having finished her fourth Olympic Winter Games ranked fourth all-time in goals (16), seventh in all-time points (29) and tied for seventh in all-time games played (26).

Kristin O’Neill (Canada, New York Sirens)

O’Neill was one of Canada’s most dynamic two‑way threats, producing five points (3G, 2A) in seven games and scoring a highlight-reel, shorthanded goal in the gold medal game that gave Canada a 1-0 lead. Her speed, reliability on faceoffs and aggressive forechecking made her indispensable throughout Canada’s silver‑medal run, and she returns to New York as an impact forward ready to help push the Sirens into the playoffs.

Marie‑Philip Poulin (Canada, Montréal Victoire)

Roundly considered the sport’s GOAT, Poulin added another legendary chapter to her career by becoming the all‑time leading goal scorer (20) in Olympic women’s hockey with her two-goal performance in the semifinals. The Captain for Canada and the Victoire finished the tournament with four points in five games while returning from injury to guide Canada to silver and set a Canadian Olympic record by playing in her 27th career game.

Daryl Watts (Canada, Toronto Sceptres)

Watts was one of Canada’s top offensive drivers in her first Olympic Winter Games, leading the team in scoring with eight points (2G, 6A) in seven games. The talented forward is also the leading scorer on the Sceptres this season, and she returns to Toronto poised for a run to the postseason.