2025 Worlds Quarterfinal Preview: Czechia vs Switzerland, Canada vs Japan

After twenty games played in the round robin, the 2025 Women’s World Championship enters the quarterfinals.

The host team Czechia will play Switzerland in its preferred timeslot, which translates to 11:00am ET, while Canada will face Japan at 2:30pm ET.

Czechia vs. Switzerland

Czechia: 1-0-0-3, 4th in Group A // Switzerland: 0-0-0-4, 5th in Group A

Czechia’s only win in the preliminary rounds was a 3-0 victory over Switzerland in each team’s first game of the tournament. After that, they suffered a shutout defeat to the US, lost 4-2 to rival Finland, and went down hard against Canada. They will be looking for redemption in the form of a podium finish despite a disappointing round robin.

Switzerland fared even worse than Czechia, scoring only one goal across their four preliminary round games. That goal came from Boston Fleet forward Alina Müller, unassisted. Müller leads Team Switzerland in shots on goal and is second in total minutes. Andrea Brändli started in net against Canada, the US, and Czechia, receiving no goal support. Saskia Maurer played against Finland, taking the loss in the 2-1 game.

No player on Team Czechia has more than two points. Kristýna Kaltounková leads the team with two power play goals, while Adéla Šapovalivová has a goal and an assist, and Andrea Trnková and Kateřina Mrázová have each logged two assists. 

Starter Klára Peslarová has a .896 save percentage earned in three games against Switzerland, Canada, and Finland. Meanwhile, Dartmouth's Michaela Hesová earned the same number in her impressive start against the US, and in her relief appearance against Canada.

What to expect:

As each game is now do-or-die, it would be a surprise not to see Brändli and Peslarová in net. Peslarová already shut out this team, and Brändli is Switzerland’s starter for a reason. She can steal a game if her skaters provide her support.

Up front, both of these teams have the ability to score. Czechia should come out firing on all cylinders, eager to please the home crowd after disappointing losses. They went 3-0 against the Swiss last week, with a perfect penalty kill and a power play goal, and will seek to replicate that success.

At this point, Switzerland needs a win not only for medal contention reasons, but to prove that they still belong in Group A. Although the Groups as we see them in this tournament won’t be here next year, placement is still meaningful. If Switzerland should fall at this hurdle, they’d be facing a hot team coming out of Group B to compete for the fifth place spot, and they’re not the favorites in this game.

Canada vs. Japan

Canada: 3-0-0-1, 2nd in Group A // Japan: 3-0-0-1, 2nd in Group B

Canada allowed only three goals in four games during the preliminary round, falling to rival Team USA 2-1. They earned shutouts against Finland and Switzerland.  Another gold medal is firmly in sight for the reigning champs despite the loss to the Americans. 

Captain Marie-Philip Poulin leads the tournament in points with three goals and five assists across four games. Her linemate Jennifer Gardiner tied her and Sweden's Ebba Hedqvist for tournament leads with three goals apiece. Poulin, Gardiner, and Laura Stacey have combined for the best line in the tournament so far, just as they have been one of the best lines on the Montreal Victoire this season.

Canada's goaltenders Kristen Campbell and Ann-Renée Desbiens lead Group A with .977 and .956 save percentages, respectively. Campbell has allowed only one goal in her first two games played for the senior national team, although this is her fifth Women’s World Championship on the roster for Team Canada. 

Meanwhile, Japan has only allowed four goals in four games of preliminary action, shutting out Hungary and Germany. Their +4 goal differential and second place finish in Group B is a notable improvement over last year, when they finished third with a -5 differential and avoided relegation by a single win. 

WWC veterans Suzuka Maeda and Makoto Ito lead the team with three points apiece. The bad news is that Akane Shiga, who has two goals in the tournament, went down with a serious-looking lower body injury against Germany. If she is unable to play, Japan would lose one of their biggest finishing threats against Canada, and their only player with PWHL experience. Rui Ukita is the team’s other skater with two markers at this tournament, and as a reliable goal-scorer she would have a lot of pressure without Shiga opposite her on the top line. Shiga and Ukita have both registered over 20 SOG across four games; no other Japanese players has hit nine.

In net, 23-year-old Miyuu Masuhara has played all four games for Japan, posting a .965 save percentage. The 5’2” goaltender earned her first two shutouts from her 16 games across four WWC tournaments.

What to expect:

I predict that we’ll see Miyuu Masuhara and Kristen Campbell between the pipes. Canada has been cautious with starting Desbiens the way they normally do. We may even see Ève Gascon earn some time in net, particularly if Canada has a good lead by the third period.

If they choose, Canada could take this game to try out some new combinations and lines. Young defenders Chloe Primerano and Sophie Jaques have been rotated into the lineup during their first WWC tournament. They could see more time in the quarterfinal matchup.

Japan has yet to score a power play goal this year. That could be their best weapon against Canada, who are averaging five PIM per game. They will also need to learn on their three veteran captains, defenders Shiori Koike, Ayaka Hitosato, and Akane Hosoyamada. 

Canada is the favorite here, but stranger things have happened. This Japanese team was in Group A in 2022, and 16 players on this Japanese squad played then as well. They know what it’s like to play in the tougher group, to play against Canada. If Japan plays good defense, Masuhara shows up strong, and Ukita or another Japanese player manages to put one behind a Canadian goalkeeper, something could be cooking here.