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With the current announcement that the NHL shall be permitted to take part in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy, it’s delivered to query what gamers from PWHL Minnesota shall be invited to partake on the ladies’s facet. Eight of their gamers have participated in previous Olympics, and mixed, they’ve 5 gold medals, seven silvers, and two bronzes.
While previous Olympians will possible make the roster once more, in addition they have a participant who might be a first-timer. PWHL Minnesota is stacked with expertise from all areas of the recreation, and on this article, we’ll take a look at who might be on the rosters for the 2026 Olympics. It remains to be two years away, so issues can change and gamers age, however we’ll take a look at Team USA first.
Team USA
Most of PWHL Minnesota is product of gamers from the United States, with chunk of them hailing from Minnesota. We’ll get to the Minnesotans in a minute. First, we’ll begin with their beloved captain, Kendall Coyne Schofield who’s from Illinois. She’s been in three Olympics, profitable a gold and two silvers. Plus, in 2022, she was captain of Team USA. When 2026 rolls round, she’ll be 33 years previous, however so long as her play doesn’t decelerate, which it exhibits no indicators of that, she’ll be on the roster once more.
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Coyne Schofield has turn into one in every of the poster ladies for the PWHL and is understood for her time on the Olympic groups. She’s performed in 9 video games up to now this season and has three targets, one help for 4 factors, and 27 pictures on objective. She’s not afraid to shoot the puck, and in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, she performed in seven video games and registered three targets and three assists for six factors. She’s an ideal chief and general participant and could be an ideal addition to Team USA.
Next up is Kelly Pannek, who has a gold and silver medal on her resume and has loads of time so as to add extra. She is extra of a passer than a shooter; in 9 video games this season, she has one objective and 6 assists for seven factors on simply 11 pictures. She tied Coyne Schofield in the 2022 Olympics with six factors; nonetheless, she had two targets and 4 assists to make up these factors.
While Grace Zumwinkle has already began to make a reputation for herself in the PWHL, she’s additionally been by an Olympic ceremony. She gained silver with Team USA in the 2022 Winter Olympics alongside lots of her present PWHL Minnesota teammates. She performed in all seven video games in 2022 however recorded only a single help for one level. Her offense has clearly improved in the two years since these video games. This season, she’s performed in 9 video games and has six targets plus two assists for eight factors off 35 pictures.
If Zumwinkle’s offense can maintain heading in the course it’s trending, in two extra years, when the Olympics roll round, she could also be a scoring machine and earn a roster spot on Team USA. Another participant who has been racking up the factors is her defensive teammate Lee Stecklein, a previous Olympian.
Like Coyne Schofield, Stecklein is a three-time Olympian, profitable a gold and two silvers in her time competing. She’s an offensive defenseman who’s nice at establishing her teammates. This season, she’s performed 9 video games and has tallied one objective plus 5 assists for six factors. During her most up-to-date Olympics in 2022, she registered one objective that additionally turned out to be the game-winner of their 4-1 victory over Czechia. Hopefully, she’ll have the ability to proceed to arrange teammates for Team USA if she earns a roster spot for 2026.
The remaining two members who’ve been Olympians in the previous for PWHL Minnesota and can possible land the spot once more are goaltenders. The first is Nicole Hensley, who’s began most PWHL Minnesota video games. She’s performed in six video games and has a file of 4-2 with a save proportion (SV%) of .934 and a goals-against common (GAA) of 1.98. As far as the Olympics go, in 2022, she performed in a single recreation, which turned out to be a shutout win over the Russian Olympic Committee.
Maddie Rooney is the different goaltender on the PWHL roster who’s a previous Olympian and might be once more. This season, she’s performed in three video games and has earned a file of 1 win in a shootout and two extra time losses with a .897 SV% and a 2.28 GAA. Her most up-to-date stint in the Olympics wasn’t the best, as she performed in only one recreation, but it surely was a win. She grew to become well-known in the 2018 Olympics when she helped Team USA win gold. She performed in 4 video games and went 2-1-1 with a .945 SV% and a 1.16 GAA. Hopefully, she will be able to muster a few of that gold-winning play, and she or he’ll once more have an opportunity to win gold.
Securing a goaltending spot on any roster is tough, and the Olympics aren’t any completely different. There are normally solely two spots accessible, and lots of check out, so it’ll be attention-grabbing to see who will get these spots for Team USA. While they’ve been teammates on Team USA in the previous and are presently teammates on PWHL Minnesota, they might compete for a roster spot in the future.
Team Finland
PWHL Minnesota has only one Finnish participant on their complete roster, and she or he’s a three-time Olympian hoping to be a fourth. Susanna Tapani has performed in 9 video games this season and registered two targets and three assists for 5 factors. She has gained two bronze medals with Team Finland in the previous, and in her most up-to-date look, she performed in seven video games and had six targets plus two assists for eight factors.
Team Finland couldn’t get previous Team USA or Team Canada in the previous couple of Olympics, however their workforce continued to develop stronger as the years went on. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see what occurs in 2026, however certainly, Tapani shall be part of that roster.
Team Czechia
The remaining workforce on our listing with a former Olympian is Team Czechia with Denisa Křížová who has been an Olympian simply as soon as with no medals but. Again, like Finland, their workforce has been enhancing over time and can hopefully proceed to enhance every year. This season with PWHL Minnesota, she’s performed 9 video games and recorded two assists for two factors.
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During her time in the Olympics, she performed in 5 video games and tallied two targets and two assists for 4 factors. Hopefully, her scoring abilities will present a bit of extra this season and proceed into 2026, the place she will be able to present her abilities on the nationwide stage.
2026 Olympic Hopefuls
While the listing above is for gamers prone to be on Olympic rosters in 2026 as they’ve been on rosters in the previous, there’s another participant who isn’t assured a roster spot however needs to be thought-about. That participant could be on Team USA, and it needs to be Taylor Heise. With her expertise this season, it’s onerous to imagine she wasn’t on an Olympic roster earlier than. However, Team USA has been stuffed with expertise over the years.
Roster spots are onerous to come back by on each workforce, and there could also be a participant or two that could be a full shock in 2026, however these gamers ought to undoubtedly be Olympians as soon as once more or, in Heise’s case, first-timers who will simply be getting began. Two years might look like a very long time proper now, but it surely’ll transfer quicker than everybody expects, and it’ll be enjoyable to see who makes their nation’s respective rosters.
Olympic stats courtesy of IIHF.com
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