All-star blueliners Laila Edwards (left) and Caroline Harvey (right) played a huge role in defining the U.S. as the world leader in women's hockey at the 2026 Olympics.
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDREA CARDIN
The 2026 Olympics saw women’s hockey played at the highest level ever, buoyed by the IIHF’s support of the game worldwide, the PWHL’s rapid rise, and a vast and growing appetite for women’s sports in general. Of course, the incredible commitment of players, coaches, team staff, and federations was fundamental to the hard-fought, dazzling competition we witnessed over 28 games. Let’s dive into 10 lessons we learned from Milan.
Stellar defence drives U.S. dominance
For the first time since women’s hockey debuted at the 1998 Olympics, all three top scorers were American, and all were defenders. Megan Keller, who scored the golden goal in the U.S.’s 2-1 final win over Canada, and Caroline Harvey – named MVP, Best Defender, and an all-star – totalled nine points apiece. Laila Harvey, a fellow all-star whose point shot was tipped in by captain Hilary Knight for the late equalizer, had eight points.
The two-way excellence of superstars like these is a major reason why the U.S. outscored opponents 33-2, including a 7-1 edge over archrival Canada. Coach John Wroblewski’s squad exhausted other teams with a relentless attack and puck possession, forging an Olympic-record shutout streak of 352:17. It was a complete team effort, from Knight and all-star forward Hannah Bilka to faceoff leader Alex Carpenter and playmaking queen Taylor Heise. When you allow just two goals in seven games, good things happen. For now, the U.S. has positioned itself as the number one women’s hockey nation.
For Canada, it’s time for change
Canada bet that it could win again with the same aging core from the 2022 Olympic gold medal team. It didn’t work out. Admittedly, coach Troy Ryan’s squad battled in the final, holding a 1-0 lead from 0:54 of the second period to 17:56 of the third period. But it wasn’t enough. The U.S. has now won eight straight games versus Canada, including both the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship and the latest Rivalry Series. In the Olympic semi-finals, the Canadians squeaked by Switzerland 2-1 on two goals by injured captain Marie-Philip Poulin. Sarah Nurse and Natalie Spooner declined from a combined 32 points in 2022 to just three in 2026. Long story short, there will be new blood in 2030.
Swiss receive much-needed boost
After wallowing in fourth or fifth place in IIHF tourneys throughout the 2020’s, Switzerland needed something to hang its hat on. Earning a bronze medal – for just the second time in Olympic history after 2014 – fits the bill. Significantly, the Swiss knocked off their usual nemeses in Czechia (4-3 in a shootout) and Finland (1-0 in the quarter-finals) before downing Sweden 2-1 in overtime in the bronze medal game.
Stellar defence drives U.S. dominance
For the first time since women’s hockey debuted at the 1998 Olympics, all three top scorers were American, and all were defenders. Megan Keller, who scored the golden goal in the U.S.’s 2-1 final win over Canada, and Caroline Harvey – named MVP, Best Defender, and an all-star – totalled nine points apiece. Laila Harvey, a fellow all-star whose point shot was tipped in by captain Hilary Knight for the late equalizer, had eight points.
The two-way excellence of superstars like these is a major reason why the U.S. outscored opponents 33-2, including a 7-1 edge over archrival Canada. Coach John Wroblewski’s squad exhausted other teams with a relentless attack and puck possession, forging an Olympic-record shutout streak of 352:17. It was a complete team effort, from Knight and all-star forward Hannah Bilka to faceoff leader Alex Carpenter and playmaking queen Taylor Heise. When you allow just two goals in seven games, good things happen. For now, the U.S. has positioned itself as the number one women’s hockey nation.
For Canada, it’s time for change
Canada bet that it could win again with the same aging core from the 2022 Olympic gold medal team. It didn’t work out. Admittedly, coach Troy Ryan’s squad battled in the final, holding a 1-0 lead from 0:54 of the second period to 17:56 of the third period. But it wasn’t enough. The U.S. has now won eight straight games versus Canada, including both the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship and the latest Rivalry Series. In the Olympic semi-finals, the Canadians squeaked by Switzerland 2-1 on two goals by injured captain Marie-Philip Poulin. Sarah Nurse and Natalie Spooner declined from a combined 32 points in 2022 to just three in 2026. Long story short, there will be new blood in 2030.
Swiss receive much-needed boost
After wallowing in fourth or fifth place in IIHF tourneys throughout the 2020’s, Switzerland needed something to hang its hat on. Earning a bronze medal – for just the second time in Olympic history after 2014 – fits the bill. Significantly, the Swiss knocked off their usual nemeses in Czechia (4-3 in a shootout) and Finland (1-0 in the quarter-finals) before downing Sweden 2-1 in overtime in the bronze medal game.
Swiss star Alina Muller (#25) celebrates after scoring the overtime winner against Sweden in the 2026 Olympic bronze medal game.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
Developing more depth is important. All-star forward Alina Muller either scored or assisted on almost every crucial Swiss goal, and netminder Andrea Brandli – a fellow all-star – overcame early-tournament illness to save the day with 116 stops in the last three games. With that said, promising youngsters like Ivana Wey and Naemi Herzig are coming along, and this result is a credit to the Swiss program and the domestic PostFinance Women’s League.
Czechs can learn from disappointment
Any team can have an off-tournament, and that includes the Czechs, an emerging women's hockey power that won bronze medals at the 2022 and 2023 Women's Worlds. Many had pegged this team to capture its first Olympic bronze in Milan. But apart from 24-year-old Montreal Victoire ace Natalie Mlynkova, who led the Czechs with three goals and an assist, few team members lived up to their usual standards. For example, Kristyna Kaltounkova, the PWHL goals leader (11) with the New York Sirens, was limited to just a goal and an assist.
The Czechs, though, have more than enough talent to learn from their missteps and challenge again for the podium at the 2026 Women's Worlds in Denmark this fall.
Swedes are almost there
Sweden showed it’s outgrown Group B – just as well, with the Women’s Worlds shifting to balanced groups in 2026 – by posting a perfect 4-0 record. Another milestone was blanking the Czechs 2-0 in the quarter-finals to make the final four for the first time since 2006’s stunning silver medal run in Turin. Even though the Swedes didn’t ultimately medal, the scoring exploits and physical presence of young stars like Hilda Svensson, Mira Jungaker, and Thea Johansson point to great things in the near future.
Finns need injection of offence
A fair assessment of Finland’s Olympics must factor in that the team suffered from illness at the start, including having to postpone its scheduled opener against Canada. That said, Suomi showed a lack of scoring pop throughout. It was shut out in four of its five games and finished sixth with a 3-14 goal difference. The Finns have not gotten reliable secondary scoring to help out traditional top-liners like Susanna Tapani, Michelle Karvinen, and Petra Nieminen, who combined for just two points. Not addressing this issue could become an even bigger problem than finding ways to replace future IIHF Hall of Famer Jenni Hiirikoski, 38, on the blue line.
Japan must renew its defensive commitment
The Japanese women didn’t suffer their most lopsided defeats ever at this year’s Olympics, but the ninth-place finishers also committed too many errors. Turnovers, especially in the middle of the ice, cost them dearly in losses to Germany (5-2) and Sweden (4-0), not to mention underdog Italy (3-2). Coach Yuji Iizuka’s team will look to tighten up ahead of the 2026 Women’s Worlds.
German resilience shines through
Coming seventh, the Germans couldn’t match their best Olympic placement ever (fifth in 2006). Nonetheless, they rebounded nicely after falling 4-1 to Sweden on Day One. Led offensively by PWHL forward Laura Kluge (seven points), they overpowered Japan 5-2 and found a way in 2-1 wins over Italy and France.
Czechs can learn from disappointment
Any team can have an off-tournament, and that includes the Czechs, an emerging women's hockey power that won bronze medals at the 2022 and 2023 Women's Worlds. Many had pegged this team to capture its first Olympic bronze in Milan. But apart from 24-year-old Montreal Victoire ace Natalie Mlynkova, who led the Czechs with three goals and an assist, few team members lived up to their usual standards. For example, Kristyna Kaltounkova, the PWHL goals leader (11) with the New York Sirens, was limited to just a goal and an assist.
The Czechs, though, have more than enough talent to learn from their missteps and challenge again for the podium at the 2026 Women's Worlds in Denmark this fall.
Swedes are almost there
Sweden showed it’s outgrown Group B – just as well, with the Women’s Worlds shifting to balanced groups in 2026 – by posting a perfect 4-0 record. Another milestone was blanking the Czechs 2-0 in the quarter-finals to make the final four for the first time since 2006’s stunning silver medal run in Turin. Even though the Swedes didn’t ultimately medal, the scoring exploits and physical presence of young stars like Hilda Svensson, Mira Jungaker, and Thea Johansson point to great things in the near future.
Finns need injection of offence
A fair assessment of Finland’s Olympics must factor in that the team suffered from illness at the start, including having to postpone its scheduled opener against Canada. That said, Suomi showed a lack of scoring pop throughout. It was shut out in four of its five games and finished sixth with a 3-14 goal difference. The Finns have not gotten reliable secondary scoring to help out traditional top-liners like Susanna Tapani, Michelle Karvinen, and Petra Nieminen, who combined for just two points. Not addressing this issue could become an even bigger problem than finding ways to replace future IIHF Hall of Famer Jenni Hiirikoski, 38, on the blue line.
Japan must renew its defensive commitment
The Japanese women didn’t suffer their most lopsided defeats ever at this year’s Olympics, but the ninth-place finishers also committed too many errors. Turnovers, especially in the middle of the ice, cost them dearly in losses to Germany (5-2) and Sweden (4-0), not to mention underdog Italy (3-2). Coach Yuji Iizuka’s team will look to tighten up ahead of the 2026 Women’s Worlds.
German resilience shines through
Coming seventh, the Germans couldn’t match their best Olympic placement ever (fifth in 2006). Nonetheless, they rebounded nicely after falling 4-1 to Sweden on Day One. Led offensively by PWHL forward Laura Kluge (seven points), they overpowered Japan 5-2 and found a way in 2-1 wins over Italy and France.
Germany's Laura Kluge (#25) gets the late breakaway winner versus host Italy at the 2026 Olympics.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
The best example of German resilience was arguably staying within two goals of Canada for more than 37 minutes in the semi-final. That 5-1 game also saw Franziska Feldmeier score Germany’s first Olympic goal ever versus Canada. These are good building blocks.
Naturalized players can aid underdog hosts
The host Italians overachieved with eighth place. Certainly, credit goes to homegrown talents like captain Nadia Mattivi, an SDHL star with Lulea and likely future PWHLer, and 19-year-old sniper Matilde Fantin. That said, coach Eric Bouchard’s team benefited from incorporating Italian-Canadian veterans like Kristin Della Rovere and Laura Fortino into the lineup. Fortino, who won Olympic and Women’s Worlds gold in the 2010’s, was clearly a steadying presence. The French, who came ninth in Milan, will likely look to incorporate some more Quebec-raised talent to boost their 2030 odds as hosts.
Great crowds equal great atmosphere
Total attendance for the women’s tournament in Milan was 158,130, just shy of the all-time record of 162,419 set in Vancouver in 2010. Impressively, the per-game average of 5,647 fans was the highest of any Olympic women’s tournament held outside North America. Crowd choruses of Domenico Modugno’s “Volare” and John Lennon’s “Imagine” still echo in the heads of those who attended games. There’ll surely be more reasons for women’s hockey fans to sing come 2030.
Naturalized players can aid underdog hosts
The host Italians overachieved with eighth place. Certainly, credit goes to homegrown talents like captain Nadia Mattivi, an SDHL star with Lulea and likely future PWHLer, and 19-year-old sniper Matilde Fantin. That said, coach Eric Bouchard’s team benefited from incorporating Italian-Canadian veterans like Kristin Della Rovere and Laura Fortino into the lineup. Fortino, who won Olympic and Women’s Worlds gold in the 2010’s, was clearly a steadying presence. The French, who came ninth in Milan, will likely look to incorporate some more Quebec-raised talent to boost their 2030 odds as hosts.
Great crowds equal great atmosphere
Total attendance for the women’s tournament in Milan was 158,130, just shy of the all-time record of 162,419 set in Vancouver in 2010. Impressively, the per-game average of 5,647 fans was the highest of any Olympic women’s tournament held outside North America. Crowd choruses of Domenico Modugno’s “Volare” and John Lennon’s “Imagine” still echo in the heads of those who attended games. There’ll surely be more reasons for women’s hockey fans to sing come 2030.