2025 Worlds Preview: United States

It’s that time of year again: the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championships are right around the corner! Today, I'm looking at how Team USA stacks up, with details on their roster, schedule, players and storylines to watch, and finally a prediction that surely won't make me look silly in a few weeks.

What Happened Last Year?

The U.S. entered last year’s tournament as the defending champs with the chance to repeat on home soil in Utica, NY. They fell just short of that mission, falling to arch-rival Canada 6-5 in overtime in the gold medal game. However, one big positive was the success of the youth movement. Their new energy, speed and skill made a huge impact on the team, and their continued growth will be pivotal to the Americans' success in this tournament.

Roster

Below you can find Team USA’s roster for Worlds, along with each player's current team. For some roster analysis, check out my initial breakdown here.

Forwards (14):

• Alex Carpenter (New York Sirens/PWHL)
• Jesse Compher (Toronto Sceptres/PWHL)
• Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota Frost/PWHL)
• Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota Frost/PWHL)
• Joy Dunne (Ohio State University/NCAA)
• Lacey Eden (University of Wisconsin/NCAA)
• Taylor Heise (Minnesota Frost/PWHL)
• Tessa Janecke (Penn State University/NCAA)
• Hilary Knight (Boston Fleet/PWHL)
• Abbey Murphy (University of Minnesota/NCAA)
• Kelly Pannek (Minnesota Frost/PWHL)
• Hayley Scamurra (Ottawa Charge/PWHL)
• Kirsten Simms (University of Wisconsin/NCAA)
• Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota Frost/PWHL)

Defenders (8):

• Cayla Barnes (Montréal Victoire/PWHL)
• Laila Edwards (University of Wisconsin/NCAA)
• Savannah Harmon (Toronto Sceptres/PWHL)
• Caroline Harvey (University of Wisconsin/NCAA)
• Megan Keller (Boston Fleet/PWHL)
• Lee Stecklein (Minnesota Frost/PWHL)
• Anna Wilgren (Montréal Victoire/PWHL)
• Haley Winn (Clarkson University/NCAA)

Goaltenders (3):

• Aerin Frankel (Boston Fleet/PWHL)
• Ava McNaughton (University of Wisconsin/NCAA)
• Gwyneth Phillips (Ottawa Charge/PWHL)

Schedule

Below is the full schedule for Team USA at the Worlds. All games are at Budvar Arena in České Budějovice, Czechia, and will be broadcast on NHL Network in the United States.

Preliminary Round

• Wed, April 9 vs Finland- 9 a.m. ET (3 p.m. local)
• Fri, April 11 vs Czechia- 1 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local)
• Sun, April 13 vs Canada- 1 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local)
• Tue, April 15 vs Switzerland- 1 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local)

Also, below are all the potential timeslots for the knockout rounds, beginning April 17.

Knockout Rounds

• Quarterfinals: Thu, April 17- 4 a.m./7:30 a.m./11 a.m./2:30 p.m. ET (10 a.m./1:30 p.m./5 p.m./8:30 p.m.)
• Semifinals: Saturday, April 19– 7:30 a.m./11 a.m. ET (1:30 p.m./5 p.m. local)
• Medal Games: Sunday, April 20
  • Bronze- 8 a.m. ET (2 p.m. local)
  • Gold- 12 p.m. ET (6 p.m. local)

Player to Watch

Laila Edwards. 

The reigning Worlds MVP is coming off a stellar year with Wisconsin which saw her lead the country in goals (35) and finish third in points (71) (including playoffs). She also finished top-three in the Patty Kazmaier Award voting, given annually to the top player in NCAA women's hockey. However, in the November leg of the Rivalry Series (the only one NCAA players appear in), Edwards switched to defense for Team USA, and that’s where she’ll stay this tournament. It’s a switch born out of a logjam at forward, a desire for a bigger and more offensively-minded U.S. blueline, and Edwards’ desire to try out the position. It’s not unheard of for U.S. players to switch positions (Gigi Marvin and Monique Lamoreux-Morando come to mind as somewhat recent examples). That said, it is a bit unusual to see such a talented goal-scorer do it while still playing forward on her primary team. Regardless, Edwards has all the tools to succeed on defense, so keep an eye on her this tournament to see just how much of an impact she makes.

Storyline to Watch

How does the U.S. handle their goaltending?

This year, the U.S. roster features just one goaltender with prior senior national team game experience. Phillips was on the roster for the first time last year, but she did not get in a game. She’s an outstanding goaltender with a proven track record of success, and she has earned the opportunity to back up Frankel. However, it was a bit surprising to see the U.S. bring McNaughton instead of someone with more experience in case something happens to either of them. The U.S. has tended to go with young third goaltenders recently to get them experience, but they've had the likes of Nicole Hensley as the primary backup. Yet, Hensley's play has not been up to par for the Minnesota Frost this season, and who else is there besides maybe Maddie Rooney, who was last rostered in 2022? The move gets less surprising the more you dive into the other options, but it's still an unusual look between the pipes for the Americans.

Given this is one of head coach John Wroblewski's final chances to see his players together ahead of the 2026 Olympics (if not the final, with next year's plans still up in the air), Phillips will almost certainly see at least one start during this tournament. The real question is: how much will they trust her? Who will she play against? If she plays well (and one imagines she will), will we see her more than once?

Prediction

As always, the U.S. enters this tournament with a “gold or bust” attitude. However, that feeling is heightened this year with Canada’s goaltending injuries. Starter Ann-Renée Desbiens is still battling a lower-body injury sustained on March 18, and while she will be traveling to Czechia, it feels increasingly unlikely that she will be at 100% health if she plays at all. Meanwhile, typical backup Emerance Maschmeyer was left off the roster entirely due to her lower-body injury sustained on March 11. That leaves Kristen Campbell as the only fully healthy netminder who’s been a part of the senior national team before, but even she’s only played in one game across four years. She should be fine, and the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Ève Gascon is also an excellent goaltender, so it’s hard to imagine the Canadians are in too much trouble. That said, Aerin Frankel remains arguably the best goaltender in the world, giving Team USA a clear advantage in net as things currently stand. They must take advantage of it. I predict they’ll do so and return from Czechia with some new shiny gold hardware.

The 2025 IIHF Women's World Championships will take place from April 9-20 at Budvar Arena in České Budějovice, Czechia.