The Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship begins Wednesday in Brampton, Ontario, and Team Canada will be chasing a third straight gold medal.
We expect Canada to win at home, of course, but it’s also hoped that nations other than the United States and Canada will start winning.
Because this is the 22nd Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship and the two nations shared all the gold medals. Canada won 12 and the United States nine.
The Canadians and Americans are the only ones to have won a medal at each of the first 21 championships, regardless of skin color.
However, we must watch Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic, which continue to move forward. The Czechs also won the first-ever bronze medal in their history last year.
The Canadian Attack
Canada are of course the favorites with their strong attack. How powerful? So much so that he broke the record for the number of goals scored at the Beijing Olympics in 2022 with 57 goals. The top scorers will feature in Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Fillier, Blayre Turnbull and Ella Shelton.
But this is a team that is looking for balance and will want to adjust their work ethic to achieve it. With 18 players returning from the 2022 edition, there is good consistency.
Canada find themselves in Group A with Switzerland, Japan, the Czech Republic and the United States. Maple Leaf players shouldn’t have too much trouble qualifying for the medal round.
Fun little detail, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the 2021 championship to late summer and the International Ice Hockey Federation decided to hold a championship in an Olympic year, the 2022 Canadians are aiming for a fourth gold medal in less than twenty months a big competition.
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Amanda Kessel will be at the center of the American attack.
The United States in Transition
As Canada’s great rivals, the Americans will once again be at the center of the debate, even if we made some surprising decisions, like leaving five members of the 2022 team aside to make room for the next generation.
This shift could explain Canada’s stranglehold on gold over the past two years. After all, the United States won eight of the nine championships held between 2008 and 2019.
But the heart of the team is still there with the return of Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Abby Roque, Alex Carpenter, Lee Stecklein and Megan Keller.
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Klara Peslarova will play an important role in the Czech successes.
Czech Republic
The Czechs won a historic bronze medal in 2022 and want to build on that achievement. However, they will be without one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Klara Peslarova.
Plenty of veterans are back, but most important is 16-year-old sensation Tereza Plosova, who has crushed the U18 World Cup in the last two editions with 16 points in 10 games in total.
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Alessia Baechler is an 18-year-old nugget for the Swiss team.
Swiss
Switzerland does not rely on a blinding attack and will depend on the red light from the entire team. We’ll turn our gaze to young defender Alessia Baechler, a nugget driving the U18 side.
The Swiss will also attract attention in defense with an effective and relatively hermetic game. We add goaltender Andrea Brandli, who was very effective with Boston University in the NCAA.
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Haruka Toko is the heart of the Japanese attack.
Japan
The Japanese players are starting to go beyond their borders and work in Europe and we should start to see the results even if this team is lagging behind the biggest nations.
Striker Haruka Toko is the heart of this team, which has had a very good first season in the Swedish Women’s League (SDHL) with 27 points in 29 games. His sister Ayaka also plays in Sweden and will be the engine of the defence.
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In her absence, Elisa Holopainen will miss Finland.
Finland
Not so long ago, at World Championships, the Finns were more likely to lose a medal than win one. In other words, the team came knowing they were a medal contender. That is less the case now.
Several veteran players are absent, including Elisa Holopainen and Susanna Tapani. On the other hand, there is a solid defense that keeps an eye on the grain and an interesting relief in attack. It will be an interesting team to follow.
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Hanna Olsson will lead the attack for Sweden.
Sweden
A youthful spirit is blowing through the Swedish team, which features two 16-year-old players and another 17-year-old. For the Three Crowns, it’s more about giving this young team experience for years to come.
In attack, Hanna Olsson, who has been the team’s top scorer for some time, should be in charge. We need to watch the defensive play ahead of goalie Emma Soderberg, who was a finalist for NCAA Goalie of the Year.
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Aniko Nemeth, goalkeeper of the Hungarian team.
Hungary
We spotted Fanni Garat-Gasparics in the Metropolitan Riveters, a Premier Hockey Federation team, the circuit where the Force of Montreal is developing. The Hungarian surprised everyone with her spectacular game and she will be the jewel of her team.
This is a young and growing side that must rely on goalkeeper Aniko Nemeth’s solid play to hope for results. Nemeth was instrumental in promoting her team from Division 1B to Division 1A. So it’s thanks to her that Hungary is in Brampton this spring.
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Lore Baudrit impresses with her imposing stature.
France
France will need all their small changes to avoid being recalibrated in Division 1B next year. There’s veteran Lore Baudrit, an exceptional player at 6’3, but things get thin after that despite the presence of Chloé Aurard, who ranked eighth among the NCAA’s top scorers with 54 points in 38 games for Northeastern.
Offensively it’s good, defensively it’s rather thin, apart from goalkeeper Caroline Lambert, who could give her team surprises.
Germany
This is a team that brings together several players playing in the ranks of American universities, which makes curious. Among them are defenseman Nina Jobst-Smith, who has 25 points in 39 games with Minnesota-Duluth, and goaltender Sandra Abstreiter of Providence College, who was a finalist for NCAA Goaltender of the Year for the second straight year.
There are also sisters Luisa and Lilli Welcke who play for the University of Maine. But will this beautiful youth be able to compensate for Tanja Eisenschmid’s absence? Despite being a defender, she was her team’s top scorer at the 2022 World Cup. In addition, attacking will be Germany’s Achilles’ heel.