It’s early days yet at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and lots remains to be decided in the women’s hockey tournament. But every national team has at least one positive point to give them heart through three days of competition. Let’s take a closer look.

Canada: Power play production

Were the Canadians a little bit thrown off by the decision to postpone their Olympic opener due to circumstances beyond their control? When they debuted versus Switzerland on 7 February (instead of Finland on 5 February), they outshot their opponents 55-6 but struggled to generate 5-on-5 goals against a team they defeated 12-1 and 10-3 four years ago in Beijing. Still, the good news is that Canada’s power play came through in a 4-0 win.

Natalie Spooner opened the scoring with a net-front power-play goal reminiscent of the form that made her the 2024 IIHF Player of the Year. Sarah Fillier found the open side seconds after Switzerland’s Ivana Wey took her second consecutive boarding penalty. And 2022 Olympic MVP Brianne Jenner made it 3-0 with a nice PP tip. Talk about the wily opportunism of a veteran squad.

Czechia: Key forwards register early points

Milan hasn't been a banner tournament so far for coach Carla MacLeod's team, which is still looking for its first win. However, confidence-wise, it's good to see that PWHL aces Kristyna Kaltounkova, Katerina Mrazova, and Natalie Mlynkova have all put up at least a point through two games. Each still has room to elevate her game, and MacLeod will also need production from Tereza Vanisova, who remains pointless. Stay tuned.

Finland: Hanging in there

Enough has been said about the Finns’ early health woes. For them to ice a full roster against the U.S. and battle for 60 minutes was a tribute to their resilience. Frankly, it wasn’t that different from their 5-0 semi-final loss to the Americans at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship, in which they also trailed 1-0 after the first period. Finland won’t take anything for granted now as it builds toward the medal round, starting off with Sunday’s rumble with rival Czechia.

“You can’t choose everything that happens in life,” said five-time Olympian and future Hall of Famer Jenni Hiirikoski. “So you’ve just got it to take it one day at a time and keep going.”

France: Meet Alice Philbert

Although winless, Les Bleus are happy simply to be here on the Olympic stage. To have a goalie that gives them a chance in every Group B can only make their smiles bigger. Philbert boasts the tournament’s fourth-best save percentage (92.7) through two games.

Whether the 29-year-old Quebec-born netminder is recording 42 saves against Italy or stoning Japanese ex-PWHLer Akane Shiga on a clear chance out front, she’s proving the moment isn’t too big for her.

Germany: Top unit delivering the goods

The German women rarely find themselves among the scoring leaders in international hockey tournaments. But what do you know? In a 5-2 win over Japan, the Boston Fleet’s Laura Kluge potted four points and linemate Nicola Hadraschek had three points. In total, coach Jeff MacLeod’s five-player top unit put up 13 points in that one outing, deriving success from going hard to the net. If they continue to approximate this pace, more wins may lie ahead.

Italy: Home-ice excitement

Talk about growing the game. Women’s hockey is a cult sport in Italy, but there will definitely be more members of this cult in the future. The host Italians have attracted more than 20,000 fans in total to their first two games, including a stirring 4-1 win over France in the opener. Some of the little girls in attendance will aspire to emulate Nadia Mattivi, the former Boston University captain who has blossomed into an SDHL star with Lulea.

Japan: Learning about patience and preparation

The Japanese didn’t panic when France gave them a tougher-than-expected fight on Day One. They put the game away with under four minutes remaining to secure a 3-2 win. Against Germany, coach Yuji Iizura’s squad got behind the eight-ball early, surrendering a goal 44 seconds in, and never recovered in a 5-2 loss. Both outings underlined the mental and physical resilience required to succeed at the Olympic level, and Japan will ultimately be better off for it.

Sweden: Getting it done at both ends

If you’re a Swedish fan, you have little to quibble about with the Damkronorna’s 10-2 goal differential through two games.

Goalie Ebba Svensson Treff, who didn’t see the ice at last year’s Women’s Worlds, has been rock-solid with a 1.00 GAA and 94.2 save percentage. Thea Johansson flashed some nice hands in the 6-1 victory over Italy. Blueliner Mira Jungaker, Sweden’s leader in average ice time (23:30), impresses daily with her skill set and grit at age 20. This squad is well-positioned to top Group B.

Switzerland: Showing that fighting spirit

The Swiss can find special meaning in their 4-3 shootout win over Czechia. Why? Not only did they rally from 3-1 down to defeat the team that twice denied them bronze at the Women’s Worlds (2022, 2023), but they also put four goals on the board – matching their entire output in six games at last year’s Women’s Worlds.

Switzerland’s fighting spirit carried over to their game against Canada. Sure it was a 4-0 loss, but it marked the first time in six Olympic meetings dating back to 2010 that Switzerland has kept Canada scoreless in the first period. The way goalie Saskia Maurer battled with 51 saves against the defending Olympic champs also merits a standing ovation.

United States: What’s not to like?

Beating the two bronze-medal favourites – Czechia and Finland – by an aggregate of 10-1 sends a strong message from coach John Wroblewski’s crew. Captain Hilary Knight continues to make Olympic history. Megan Keller is on fire. Ditto for Alex Carpenter, who opened the scoring in both wins. And the gold-medal favourites haven’t even hit top gear yet.

U.S. blueliner Cayla Barnes outlined what she’d like to see in the third American game versus Switzerland: “Continuing to push the pace, cleaning up some passes, and just moving pucks quickly through the neutral zone.”