Breaking: USWNT to play “Team NWHL” twice in January

Don’t you just love when we get great news in the world of women’s hockey? We sure do. Today the NWHL announced a select squad of the league’s best players will play the United States Women’s National Team for two exhibition games on January 13th and 15th.

The games will serve as a final tune-up for the national team before the 2018 Olympics begin in February. Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan are wrapping up The Time is Now Tour tomorrow in San Jose, California with a final exhibition game against Team Canada.

“The NWHL is honored to be welcomed by USA Hockey and to participate in this pair of important exhibition games,” NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan said. “Our players, coaches and staff are excited to have this opportunity. The NWHL will do its best to give the players some strong competition so they’re ready to bring home the gold in February.”

Of course, this game also represents a huge opportunity for some of the NWHL’s most talented players, some of whom are former or possibly future members of the national team. It’s also another big step towards growing the game in an Olympic year for the league. Needless to say it’s already been a big year for the NWHL because of the league’s partnership with Twitter and the Riveters partnership with the New Jersey Devils.

Perhaps the biggest question mark going into these two games is who will be on Team NWHL?

What we know

• Team NWHL will have players from all four NWHL franchises.
• Hayley Moore, Deputy Commissioner and former Boston Pride general manager, will serve as the GM for Team NWHL. She will be consulted by coaches from all four of the league’s teams.
• Chad Wiseman, head coach of the currently undefeated Metropolitan Riveters, will be the Team NWHL’s head coach. Thomas Poeck and Lindsay Berman from Boston will also be behind the bench for Team NWHL.
• The Whale play the Beauts in Pittsburgh on January 14th. As a result we will likely see an abundance of players from the Riveters and Pride in Florida.
• The roster will be announced before the end of the year./

Both games will take place at the Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, the official training complex of the national team. Tickets to the games will cost fans $10, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to the USA Hockey Foundation’s Friends of Women’s Hockey Fund.

So, if you’re Team NWHL’s general manager who would you send to Florida?