Breaking down USA's 2026 Olympic women's hockey roster

For the eighth time, the best female hockey players in the United States will get a chance to represent their country on the biggest stage in sports. Despite being one of the sport’s powerhouses, the Americans are looking for just their third gold medal at the Winter Olympics.

However, the U.S. is a heavy favorite heading into Milan. Not only is the team the defending IIHF Women’s World Champions, but they also lambasted Canada in the Rivalry Series, winning the four-game set in convincing fashion. Much of the group that has been together for the past couple of years will run it back with Olympic gold on the line.

FORWARDS (13)

Hannah Bilka (SEA)
Alex Carpenter (SEA)
Britta Curl-Salemme (MIN)
Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN)
Joy Dunne (2027)
Taylor Heise (MIN)
Tessa Janecke (2026)
Hilary Knight (SEA)
Abbey Murphy (2026)
Kelly Pannek (MIN)
Hayley Scamurra (MTL)
Kirsten Simms (2026)
Grace Zumwinkle (MIN)

DEFENDERS (7)

Cayla Barnes (SEA)
Laila Edwards (2026)
Rory Guilday (OTT)
Caroline Harvey (2026)
Megan Keller (BOS)
Lee Stecklein (MIN)
Haley Winn (BOS)

GOALTENDERS (3)

Aerin Frankel (BOS)
Ava McNaughton (2026)
Gwyneth Philips (OTT)

Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V.

That’s pretty much what John Wroblewski has done with his main roster from the Rivalry Series, with only a few changes from last year’s Women’s Worlds roster. Out is Savannah Harmon, Anna Wilgren, Jesse Compher and Lacey Eden. Some of that goes to the roster limit the U.S. has to deal with. The other is based on performance.

Hannah Bilka would’ve worn the red, white and blue in Czechia last spring, but an injury suffered at the Rivalry Series kept her out for the rest of the season. Rory Guilday has been impressive through the first months of her rookie season with the Charge, giving her an honest edge over the likes of Harmon and Wilgren.

Everything else seems to be status quo for this U.S. team. Hilary Knight is heading into her final Olympics, as Captain America hopes to lead her team to its first gold medal since 2018. Kendall Coyne Schofield, Megan Keller and Alex Carpenter are part of that veteran core that can still be difference makers. Knight and Carpenter were playing on a line with Penn State star

The young core is what has made this U.S. team so strong for the past couple of years. From Edwards winning MVP honors at the Women’s Worlds in 2024, to seeing the absolute gift of skill that is Harvey, the Americans are littered with stars from the University of Wisconsin, with Simms and McNaughton also on the roster. We all remember how Janecke was a strong presence on that top line with Knight and Carpenter, playing the hero at the WWC. Harvey is quietly becoming one of the best defenders in hockey, regardless of what level, and Edwards’ size, strength and talent make her a force at both ends of the rink.

This team is certainly put together to score its way out of problems, but if they ever get beat, they have two of the best goaltenders in the world to save their butts. Frankel was sensational in last year’s Women’s Worlds and could’ve probably taken tournament MVP honors had she not been injured in the gold medal game in Czechia. Even when that happened, Philips came in to save the day. That catapulted the Charge netminder into stardom, leading Ottawa to the PWHL Final and earning her postseason MVP.

All in all, this is a stacked roster that has very few holes in it and is more than capable of winning it all in Italy.

Biggest Reach

I don’t have too many quarrels about this roster. I would like to complain about the choices made for the extra defenders, but let’s be honest, it was kind of a crapshoot after you got past the top six. Wilgren would’ve been fine, as would’ve Harmon or Jincy Roese.

That said, I was slightly puzzled by the decision to bring back Scamurra as the extra forward. Sure, the 31-year-old was on the U.S. team in 2022 and has been a depth player at the Women’s Worlds, and it has paid off, as she has been part of three world championship teams. I wonder, though, if the U.S. has another detrimental injury as it had in Beijing with Brianna Decker, can she provide enough offense to fill the gaps?

In any of her previous national team endeavors, the Buffalo native hasn’t posted more than three points in a tournament. As a fourth-liner or 13th forward, Scamurra is great, but I’m just not sure she could play higher up in the lineup if need be.

Who would I put in Scamurra’s place? Well…

Biggest Omission

I know this isn’t supposed to be the Wisconsin Americans, but Lacey Eden has shown time and again that she can be a solid secondary scoring option for the U.S. In just 20 games with the Badgers thus far, the super senior has scored 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points, placing her tied for fourth in the NCAA in scoring. She has chemistry with Simms and Edwards (when she jumps back up to forward).

If something were to happen to anyone in the top six, I have much greater faith in Eden producing and being a potential power-play threat than Scamurra. Eden’s going to be a first-round pick in next year’s PWHL Draft, and it seems like a spot on the Olympic roster would be fitting.

That said, I guess a team must be pretty good when we’re arguing over who should be the extra forward on a national team.

Burning Question

Are the Americans too confident heading into the Olympics?

I know, the U.S. has only won two of the first seven Olympic tournaments, but how this team is built, they seem too good to lose, right? They avenged losing on home ice in 2024 by winning in the WWC in thrilling fashion last spring. They erased years of disappointment in the Rivalry Series by walloping the Canadians each and every game. They have youthful exuberance that Canada can hardly match, and an immense amount of confidence heading into this year’s tournament.

However, are we getting ahead of ourselves? You have to look back to the lead-up to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, when the Americans won eight straight meetings against Canada, only to lose in the gold medal game. Dating back to the end of the 2024-25 Rivalry Series, the U.S. has defeated its northern rivals in each of the past six matchups, outscoring Canada 26-11 over that span.

That said, the veteran core not only understands how good their competition will be in Italy, but also remembers what happened in 2022 and how things can unravel in a short tournament. I expect to see a very focused and determined American squad taking the ice in Italy next month.

Projected Lines

Tessa Janecke – Alex Carpenter – Hilary Knight
Kendall Coyne Schofield – Taylor Heise – Abbey Murphy
Hannah Bilka – Kelly Pannek – Kirsten Simms
Joy Dunne – Britta Curl – Grace Zumwinkle
Hayley Scamurra

Megan Keller – Laila Edwards
Caroline Harvey – Cayla Barnes
Lee Stecklein – Haley Winn
Rory Guilday

Aerin Frankel
Gwyneth Philips
Ava McNaughton