NEW YORK AND TORONTO – Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) fans will see PWHL talent at the forefront of the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship with 79 players from all 12 training camp rosters represented across all 10 countries competing for gold in Denmark. The top division tournament, beginning today through Nov. 16, will lead into PWHL training camps which open Nov. 18, followed by the regular season on Dec. 5.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The 79 PWHL players at Women’s Worlds include 67 who are signed for the upcoming season, which represents over 23% of all active PWHL rosters.
- There are 17 players competing who were selected in the 2026 PWHL Draft which reflects the strength of the league’s incoming rookies, including seven of the 12 unsigned prospective players on PWHL training camp rosters.
- All 12 PWHL teams have players competing at Women’s Worlds, led by the New York Sirens with nine players from their training camp roster. PWHL Detroit, PWHL Hamilton and the Montréal Victoire have eight players each, followed by PWHL Las Vegas, the Minnesota Frost and Seattle Torrent with seven players each, the Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge with six players each, PWHL San Jose and the Toronto Sceptres with five players each, and the Vancouver Goldeneyes with three players.
- All 10 countries have PWHL representation including the defending World Champions and reigning Olympic gold medalists the United States with 24 of their 25 players from the PWHL. Canada (19), Czechia (8), Finland (8), Sweden (7), Germany (6), Switzerland (4), Austria (1), Denmark (1) and Japan (1) round out the competition.
- There are 22 hockey operations and sport performance personnel from across the PWHL serving in various staff roles on tournament rosters.
PWHL PLAYERS AND STAFF BY COUNTRY
An asterisk (*) denotes a 2026 PWHL Draft selection. A caret (^) denotes an unsigned player.
Austria (1 Player, 4 Staff):
- Forward: Theresa Schafzahl (SEA)
- Team Staff: General Manager Gina Kingsbury (TOR), Assistant Coach Rachel Flanagan (TOR), Goalie Coach Pierre Groulx (OTT), Video Coach Andrew Boucher (VAN)
Canada (19 Players, 10 Staff):
- Forwards: Emily Clark (HAM), Jessie Eldridge (MTL), Sarah Fillier (NY), Rebecca Leslie (OTT), Emma Maltais (MTL), Kristin O’Neill (SJ), Danielle Serdachny (SEA), Laura Stacey (MTL), Daryl Watts (DET), Sarah Wozniewicz (OTT)
- Defenders: Erin Ambrose (VGS), Kendall Cooper (VGS), Renata Fast (TOR), Nicole Gosling (HAM), Sophie Jaques (VAN), Ella Shelton (TOR), Kati Tabin (MTL)
- Goaltenders: Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL), Kayle Osborne (HAM)
- Team Staff: General Manager Danièle Sauvageau (MTL), Assistant General Managers Mike Hirshfeld (OTT GM) and Manon Rhéaume (DET GM), Head Coach Kori Cheverie (MTL), Assistant Coaches Caroline Ouellette (MTL) and Kris Sparre (HAM Head Coach), Goaltending Coach Bruno-Pierre Guillemette (MTL), Video Coach Stefanie Thomson (TOR), Strength and Conditioning Coach Vicki Bendus (HAM), Equipment Manager Matina Landstad (VAN)
Czechia (8 Players, 1 Staff):
- Forwards: Klára Hymlárová (MIN), Kristýna Kaltounková (NY), Natálie Mlýnková (SJ), Kateřina Mrázová (OTT), Tereza Pištěková (OTT)*^
- Defenders: Noemi Neubauerová (SEA), Daniela Pejšová (SJ), Aneta Tejralová (SEA)
- Team Staff: General Manager Tereza Sadilová (TOR Hockey Ops Director)
Denmark (1 Player):
- Goaltender: Emma-Sofie Nordström (HAM)*^
Finland (8 Players):
- Forwards: Elisa Holopainen (NY)*^, Michelle Karvinen (MTL), Petra Nieminen (MTL)*^, Emma Nuutinen (SEA), Susanna Tapani (BOS), Viivi Vainikka (MIN)*^
- Defender: Nelli Laitinen (HAM)*
- Goaltender: Sanni Ahola (OTT)
Germany (6 Players):
- Forwards: Celina Haider (NY)^, Laura Kluge (BOS), Lilli Welcke (MIN)^, Luisa Welcke (BOS)^
- Defender: Nina Jobst-Smith (DET)
- Goaltender: Sandra Abstreiter (HAM)^
Japan (1 Player):
- Forward: Akane Shiga (DET)
Sweden (7 Players):
- Forwards: Josefin Bouveng (VGS)*, Sara Hjalmarsson (TOR), Thea Johansson (VAN)*^, Lina Ljungblom (MTL), Michelle Löwenhielm (TOR)^
- Defenders: Anna Kjellbin (HAM), Maja Nylén Persson (NY)
Switzerland (4 Players):
- Forward: Alina Müller (HAM)
- Defender: Nicole Vallario (NY)
- Goaltenders: Andrea Brändli (DET)*, Saskia Maurer (VGS)*^
United States (24 Players, 7 Staff):
- Forwards: Hannah Bilka (DET), Alex Carpenter (SEA), Jesse Compher (DET), Lacey Eden (VGS)*, Taylor Fox (MIN), Tessa Janecke (VGS)*, Hilary Knight (DET), Abbey Murphy (SEA)*, Casey O’Brien (NY), Kelly Pannek (MIN), Hayley Scamurra (VGS), Kirsten Simms (TOR)*, Grace Zumwinkle (MIN)
- Defenders: Cayla Barnes (DET), Laila Edwards (SJ)*, Rory Guilday (SJ), KK Harvey (VAN)*, Emma Peschel (NY)*, Megan Keller (BOS),Lee Stecklein (MIN), Haley Winn (BOS)
- Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel (BOS), Gwyneth Philips (OTT), Callie Shanahan (NY)
- Team Staff: Assistant Coaches Josh Sciba (DET Head Coach) and Molly Engstrom (DET), Strength and Conditioning Coach Jess Malec (MIN), Athletic Trainers Katie Homan (MIN) and Amanda Kelley (BOS), Equipment Manager Sis Paulsen (MIN), Sports Dietician Kaela Colvard (MIN)
LIVE COVERAGE
The PWHL’s official podcast, Jocks in Jills, opens in a new tab, hosted by Tessa Bonhomme and Julia Tocheri, will build on the show’s live-reaction programming introduced during the 2026 Olympic Winter Games with special coverage of the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
Click here, opens in a new tab to watch their tournament preview and stay tuned for live postgame reaction shows that will immediately follow the action on Nov. 6, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 16.
Preliminary round games are scheduled through Nov. 11 with round-robin action between Group A’s United States, Czechia, Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and Group B’s Canada, Finland, Sweden, Japan and Denmark. The top four teams in each group will advance to quarterfinal games on Nov. 13, with winners competing in semifinal games on Nov. 15. The bronze and gold medal finals are both scheduled for Nov. 16. Visit iihf.com, opens in a new tab for more information.