2026 women’s Olympic hockey: Burning questions, predictions, picks

The puck is set to drop on what is shaping up to be a thrilling couple of weeks in Milan.

The women’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics has many storylines heading into it. The PWHL has led to an uptick in interest in the women’s game, giving the world’s best players an opportunity to hone their craft daily.

Along with that, there’s an undertone of a shift in power, as the usual powers of the United States and Canada could be challenged by some of the top European teams in Italy.

Our Daily Faceoff experts take a look at some of the big questions heading into the tournament, and which country will be atop the podium with the gold medal.

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Which player is destined to shine in Milan?

Ben: Taylor Heise has been with the USA for so many years that she feels like a veteran at this point, but she still hasn’t been to an Olympic Games, a completely different level from what she’s seen at the World Championships. She recently hit 50 points all-time in the PWHL and is the powerhouse of this American team — destined for success, to be sure. 

Tyler: How can you not be excited to see Kristýna Kaltounková play on this stage? There has been no player who has been more impressive in the PWHL this season than the reigning first-overall pick. The New York Sirens forward isn’t only in the running to be named the league’s rookie of the year, but also in the MVP race. Heading into her maiden Olympic voyage. Kaltounková has the chance to lead Czechia to the semifinals and beyond.

Hunter: I’m going to take Kaltounková’s Sirens teammate in Sarah Fillier, who shone for the Canadians at Beijing 2022, where she scored eight goals en route to helping Canada win gold. Fillier has struggled to match the production from her MVP-caliber 2024-25 campaign, as she’s scored just one goal in 15 games this season. But a few weeks of passing the puck with the best players in the world could awaken the dominant forward we’ve seen the last few seasons.

Who’s the goaltender to watch this year?

Ben: For a Canada-based writer, my picks are quite American. At least I’m a dual citizen of both countries. Now that that’s out of the way, I’m going with USA’s Aerin Frankel, who is enjoying a spellbinding season with the Boston Fleet this year. Can’t get much better than a .946 save percentage entering the crease for the Americans on the biggest stage

Tyler: In a short tournament like this, stellar goaltending can help underdogs rise to the top. Enter Sandra Abstreiter. It was only two years ago that the current Montreal Victoire backstop led the Germans to first place in Group B in the IIHF Women’s World Championship, earning goaltender of the tournament honors. Along with being able to help Germany finish atop its group in Milan, Abstreiter has the ability to steal a game against one of the favorites from Group A.

Hunter: The safe bet would be reigning PWHL Goaltender of the Year Ann-Renee Desbiens, but Sanni Ahola is making her Olympic debut for Finland after leading the country to two World Championship bronze medals in 2024 and 2025. Ahola has only played two games this season with the Ottawa Charge, serving as a backup for Gwyneth Philips, but she has the ability to steal wins and give Finland a chance at their fifth Olympic medal in women’s hockey.

Who is a dark horse to compete for a medal?

Ben: For any team to challenge the big two of Canada and the USA is one thing, but the gap to crack the big four of Canada, the USA, Czechia, and Finland could be just as much of a challenge. Germany likely has the best chance on paper, but I’m going with Sweden, with PWHLers Lina Ljungblom and Sara Hjalmarsson as my pick here, should they be able to win the group and avoid the North Americans in a quarterfinal. 

Tyler: For the sake of being different, and the fact that I just touted the team’s goaltender, give me Germany to cause chaos in Italy. This group is hungry to make the most out of its first Olympic appearance in 12 years. They have shown they can be competitive at the Women’s Worlds, coming one goal short of playing in the semis in 2024. If they get a favorable quarterfinal matchup, they could provide a scare and sneak into the final four.

Hunter: You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts! Switzerland finished fourth at Beijing 2022, losing in the bronze medal game to Finland, and earned a bronze medal at Sochi 2014. While they only have two PWHL players on the roster (one of whom, Nicole Vallario, has played just two games), there are plenty of highly skilled veterans in European leagues, and they’re led by Andrea Brandli in net, who is arguably the Swedish league’s best goalie.

Who’s capable of beating USA, Canada?

Ben: The North American powerhouses are very different this time around — simply put, beating the Americans is a much more challenging task than getting past the Canadians. With Canada relying on experience in a short tournament, I think the possibility of them tripping up at some point is likely. I’ll give Canada a near-perfect group stage, but they’ll fall to Czechia on the power of Kaltounková in the semifinal.  

Tyler: I mean, yeah, Czechia. I’d love to say there’s more than one team capable of providing the upset, but the only country that has anywhere close to the depth that the North American powers have. Kaltounková has shown in the PWHL that she can take over a game. There’s Vanišová, Křížová, and Mlynkova, all of whom can put the puck in the back of the net. Sure, Klára Peslarová might have to stand on her head to pull off an upset, but you need sensational goaltending to knock off the Canadians and/or the Americans. 

Hunter:  I have no quantifiable proof, but one of Canada or the U.S. is going to lose a preliminary tournament game. I can’t explain it. It’s going to happen — it just is! If you were going to bet on it, the safe money would be Czechia, but Finland has talented forwards like Susanna Tapani and Michelle Karvinen up front, who are two of the country’s greatest hockey players. This may be Finnish captain Jenni Hiirkoski’s last Olympic Games, and going out with a win over one of Canada or the U.S. — or both — would be a perfect send-off.

Group Predictions

Hunter:

Group A
1. USA
2. Canada
3. Czechia
4. Finland
5. Switzerland

Group B
1. Germany
2. Sweden
3. Japan
4. Italy
5. France 

Ben:

Group A
1. Canada
2. USA
3. Czechia
4. Finland
5. Switzerland

Group B
1. Germany
2. Sweden
3. Italy
4. France
5. Japan

Tyler:

Group A
1. USA
2. Canada
3. Czechia
4. Finland
5. Switzerland

Group B
1. Germany
2. Sweden
3. Italy
4. Japan
5. France

Medal predictions

Hunter:
Gold: Canada
Silver: USA
Bronze: Finland

Ben:
Gold: USA
Silver: Czechia
Bronze: Canada

Tyler:
Gold: USA
Silver: Canada
Bronze: Czechia

The tournament begins on Thursday with four games on tap. The quarterfinals will begin on Feb. 13 and conclude the following day. Both semifinals are taking place on Feb. 16. The tournament will wrap up on Feb. 19 with both the gold and bronze medal games.