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It’s hard to describe the Americans’ performance at this season’s Rivalry Series as anything other than dominant.
The team outscored the Canadians 24-7 over the four-game sweep, including a 10-4 thumping in the third game.
Seattle Torrent captain Hilary Knight and University of Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy each scored five goals. Together, they produced more than the entire Canadian roster.
The Americans’ starting goaltender, Aerin Frankel (Boston Fleet), finished with a pristine 1.00 goals against average over the two games she started. Meanwhile, Canada’s starter, Ann-Renée Desbiens (Montreal Victoire), allowed more than five goals on average over two games.
The Americans have now defeated the Canadians in six games in a row, and head into the Olympic women’s hockey tournament as the International Ice Hockey Federation’s top-ranked team.
They’ve been powered by a blend of veterans who remain at the top of their game, and young stars who are poised to shake up the PWHL.
Knight will lead this team into her fifth and final Olympics, and is looking to bring home her second Olympic gold medal.
The American captain reflects on her greatest achievements both on and off the ice ahead of his final Olympics in Milano Cortina.
“We’ve got some crazy amount of creativity and skill that we’ve been able to develop the last few years,” she said.
Data provided to CBC Sports from Shoreview Sports Analytics gives the Americans a 77.4 per cent chance of winning Olympic gold.
One lopsided Rivalry Series aside, history shows things are always much closer between the Canadians and Americans, with the biggest prizes often decided by just one goal.
The Canadians have won two world championships over the last four years, the same as the Americans. And, of course, it was the Canadians who came out on top in the Olympic final in 2022.
That’s why the Americans aren’t taking anything for granted going into the Olympics.
“Not to say those [Rivalry Series] games aren’t important, but what lies ahead is the most important thing, I think, that’s been on our minds for the past four years,” defender Megan Keller [Boston Fleet] said.
“So I think as a group, we’re just taking in the confidence that we built together over the past four years. We’ve got a lot of belief in one another and we trust one another. We’re prepared for this moment and looking to show the world.”
Changing of the guard
Twelve American players will make their Olympic debuts at Milano Cortina 2026, including all three goaltenders on the team.
Frankel and backup Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa Charge), who also shared goaltending duties at Northeastern University, hardly feel like rookies, though.
Frankel has faced more pucks than else in the PWHL since it launched in 2024, and trails only Canadian Ann-Renée Desbiens in save percentage, with Philips in third.
Pressure doesn’t seem to get to Philips. She took over for an injured Frankel in the middle of the world championship title game last spring, just before leading the Charge to the Walter Cup final, where she was named the playoff MVP.
“Any time you have such a good relationship with your goalie partner, it helps the team and it pushes you to be better,” Frankel said.
It’s a significant overhaul from the team that competed in Beijing in 2022. Even some players who were on that roster, like Murphy and University of Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey, are slated to play much bigger roles this time around.
The emphasis over the last four years was getting younger players more experience and taking the time to prepare them for an Olympics, Knight said.
Players like Penn State forward Tessa Janecke and Wisconsin defender Laila Edwards have been integrated into the team over the last few major tournaments.
“I think our staff has done a good job of gaining that exposure for different players and having this very delicate balancing act of veteran core and infusing new sort of youthful energy, while preparing everyone at the same time to be ready for the world’s biggest stage,” Knight said.
Murphy, Harvey, Edwards, Janecke and Wisconsin forward Kirsten Simms should all be top picks in next year’s PWHL draft, should they declare.
Murphy was arguably the Americans’ best player at the Rivalry Series. Not only can she get under the skin of opposing players, but she has the skill to back it up.
“There’s nobody like her in women’s hockey,” Murphy’s coach at the University of Minnesota, Brad Frost, said earlier this season. “You look on the guys’ side and you’ve got those agitators that have some skill and they’re respected and they’re people [you] want on their team.”
The 23-year-old has put up her best collegiate season yet, with an eye-popping 61 points in 26 games.
“Her game has just taken so many steps recently,” Knight said. “I’m scared for the professional league. She has quite the fire that she’s got in her and really can get under people’s skin, but can back it up with her level of play and can continue to push the pace.”
Top PWHL prospects on display
Harvey trails Murphy in the NCAA points race, and projects to be a generational defender for the team that chooses her in the PWHL. She spent a lot of the last Olympic tournament on the bench, but her hockey IQ has quickly moved her up the American depth chart.
Edwards plays as a forward with Wisconsin, but has made the transition to defence with the national team. It’s a transition that’s worked well, and the six-foot-one Edwards remains a shooting threat from the blue line and deeper in the offensive zone, too.
She was the world championship MVP in 2024, and will be the first Black woman to play on the American women’s Olympic hockey team.
Minnesota Frost forward Taylor Heise feels like one of the veterans on this American team, but she will also make her Olympic debut in Milan, Italy.
At her best, Heise is one of the most dynamic centres in the world, something everyone saw when she earned playoff MVP and her first of two Walter Cups in 2024. Her chemistry with Murphy only continued to bloom at the Rivalry Series, where Heise led all players with nine points.
On the back end, Haley Winn (Boston Fleet) and Rory Guilday (Ottawa Charge) are heading to their first Olympic Games after strong starts to their rookie PWHL campaigns.
USA Hockey could capitalize on what’s been the best defensive pairing in the PWHL by sticking Winn beside Keller. After the first half of the season, Winn has logged more average time on ice than any other player in the league, with Keller right behind her.
The rookie credited the PWHL with helping her prepare for her first Olympics.
“Every day you get to practise with some of the best in the world, obviously shooting on [Frankel], having [Keller] as my D partner, and all the great players we have on our team,” Winn said.
‘A great mix’
Behind the Americans’ youth movement is a solid core of veterans who’ve won with this team, including Keller, Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota Frost), Lee Stecklein (Minnesota Frost), Kelly Pannek (Minnesota Frost) and Alex Carpenter (Seattle Torrent)
Knight is the all-time leading scorer at the women’s world championship and led the PWHL in points last season, earning her an MVP nomination. There’d be nothing she would love more than to cap off her Olympic career with another gold medal.
“To be able to go to the Olympics, to be part of Team USA, to represent your country, I mean, what an incredible honour,” Knight said. “What an incredible opportunity. To have an opportunity to do that five times, I’m just really grateful.”
This season in Seattle, Knight is playing on a line with American teammates Hannah Bilka and Carpenter, which could be an easy plug and play combination for U.S. head coach John Wroblewski.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota duo of Coyne Schofield and Pannek both rank top five in PWHL scoring.
“We have such a great mix and we’ve come together so well over these past four years,” Keller said. “[We’re] just looking forward to showcasing that on the world stage.”
The Americans open their tournament against Czechia on Feb. 5 at 10:40 a.m. ET.
Preliminary round action between the U.S. and Canada is set for Feb. 10 at 2:10 p.m. ET, with full coverage available on CBC and CBC Gem.
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