2024 Worlds Recap: United States
Team USA fell short of the ultimate goal, but there's still positives to take from their 2024 tournament.
Team USA may have had their home-soil gold medal dreams spoiled by Canada, but it was still a strong showing from the youth-infused team. They were undefeated until the gold medal game, and young players and veterans alike shined bright throughout the tournament.
Final Record
Silver Medalists
Overall Record: 5-1-1-0.
- Group Stage: 3-1-0-0
- Knockout Rounds: 2-0-1-0
Team MVP
Laila Edwards
There was no shortage of MVP options on Team USA, which featured the top seven scorers in the tournament plus goaltenders who combined for five shutouts in seven games. It’s splitting hairs as to who was the best of the bunch, but I have to go with the tournament MVP. Edwards was a revelation in her first senior tournament, scoring six goals on ten shots, including a semifinal hat trick. She showed remarkable confidence and a knack for scoring big goals that will be invaluable to Team USA in the coming years. Plus, she did all of this while breaking barriers and becoming the first Black woman to score a goal for a senior Team USA. Despite being just 20 years old, she showed up when the lights were brightest and proved their future is bright, so she’s your Team USA MVP.
Key Moment
Kirsten Simm’s OT winner vs Canada in the preliminary round.
Simms’ first senior national team goal could not have come at a much better time. After a thrilling game, she was the hero who secured the top seed for the United States by finally cracking Canada’s Ann-Renée Desbiens in overtime. The U.S. still lost the one that mattered most to Canada, but securing that top seed was a big boost since it provided the easiest path in the knockout rounds and gave them the last change every game to help with matchups. So, in a tournament full of memorable moments from the youth and veterans alike, Simms’ goal stands out as perhaps the biggest individual moment.
What’s Next
Keep the youth movement going.
While they didn’t recapture gold, the youth movement was a big success for the United States. The speed and new energy they brought to the team made a big difference, and it’s fun to think about how much better they will get as they get better acclimated to the senior level. While Team USA and Canada are perennial contenders regardless of what they do, if the U.S. keeps the youth movement up, it could soon be a big advantage over Canada. Canada has not been integrating many young players recently despite the aging core, and if they don’t start soon, there may be a bit of an awkward “rebuild” period once their current stars hang up the skates. However, the U.S. is already setting itself up for long-term success and it’s something they need to continue if they hope to secure another gold medal soon.
Where to Watch Team USA’s Players Now
Team USA brought a strong mix of PWHL and NCAA players to the Worlds, and here’s how you can keep an eye on them going forward.
Current PWHL Players:
- Boston
- Aerin Frankel (G)
- Megan Keller (D)
- Hilary Knight (F)
- Minnesota
- Kendall Coyne Schofield (F)
- Taylor Heise (F)
- Nicole Hensley (G)
- Kelly Pannek (F)
- Grace Zumwinkle (F)
- New York
- Alex Carpenter (F)
- Ottawa
- Savannah Harmon (D)
- Hayley Scamurra (F)
Current NCAA Players:
- Clarkson University
- Hayley Winn (D)
- Colgate University
- Sydney Morrow (D)
- Cornell University
- Rory Guilday (D)
- Ohio State University
- Joy Dunne (F)
- Penn State University
- Tessa Janecke (F)
- University of Minnesota
- Abbey Murphy (F)
- University of Wisconsin
- Lacey Eden (F)
- Laila Edwards (F)
- Caroline Harvey (D)
- Kirsten Simms (F)
Soon-to-Be NCAA Graduates (and likely declaring for the PWHL draft):
- Hannah Bilka (F, Ohio State University)
- Britta Curl (F, University of Wisconsin)
- Cayla Barnes (D, Ohio State University)
- Gwyneth Phillips (G, Northeastern University)
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