10 Nations 10 Questions For The Women's World Championships

The IIHF

Austria made it clear, they aren't just entering the IIHF's top division in women's hockey for the first time to participate, they're heading to Denmark with the intent of winning games and staying up. With Anna Meixner, Theresa Schafzahl, Annika Fazokas, and the Luggin sisters, they have players that should be able to achieve that, but they also landed in a difficult pool. The goal is clear, now it's up to Austria to execute. 

There were times in Canada’s two game exhibition against USA that 18-year-old Rosalie Tremblay was clearly Canada’s best forward. How quickly her potential and her performance can fully align is something everyone will watch in Denmark. She’s already a top line player, and looks poised to be Canada’s best sooner than later.

It seems like a simple question, but Czechia has struggled to form a meaningful offensive attack against Canada and USA. They put up big numbers in their final pre-tournament games against Finland and Switzerland, which is promising, and with all of their PWHL performers, including Kristyna Kaltounkova healthy, Czechia seemed positioned to do more. But they must find a way to play the best, not just beat the next best. Without Tereza Vanisova and Denisa Krizova, the task becomes even more difficult.

When Denmark hosted the top division of the 2022 World Championships, it resulted in relegation. It won't be any easier for Denmark this time around as they're the odds on favorites to be sent down again. The nation's talent pool hasn't grown significantly deeper, and they'll be in the fight of their life to not go down again.

Finland's system has not been producing top prospects at the rate other nations including Canada, USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, and Czechia, among others, have managed. They still have good depth, but the Finns were relegated from the top division at the U-18 World Championships, and it wasn't a result of bad luck, it's a result of the nation ignoring the development of girls and women's hockey domestically. The Auroraliiga is one of Europe's weakest leagues, and Finnish players need to leave the country for any hope of reaching the highest levels. The state of Finnish women's hockey has never been worse, and their current national team is a collection of the best, with few reinforcements remaining outside the group. 

Germany has stayed competitive internationally with depth, and a hard working balanced style. It hasn't however, allowed Germany to emerge from the middle of the pack. This year however, they bring Alexandra Boico to the tournament. While she remains too young to truly make an impact this season, the Bishop Kearney forward and Wisconsin commit is Germany's best hope to have a true offensive leader in their midst in the last decade...or more.

Japan seems happy being in the top division at the World Championships, but never developing a national plan to challenge for a medal. Since 1990, Japan has finished higher than 7th only twice. They'll be lucky to finish better than 7th this time around as they'll be a bottom qualifier for the quarterfinals at best. This year, Japan has three players on their national team competing in North America, which is a new advent for a program that seemingly has remained on the same path with no plan to turn the corner in more than 35 years.

They played for bronze at the Olympics, and have beat Finland and Czechia in European competitions. There’s nothing standing in Sweden’s way to win bronze, and they remain the European nation with the best prospects, and most well developed system outside North America. With some of those young stars stepping to the forefront like Hilda Svensson, Mira Hallin, and Mira Jungaker, and more on the way, if Sweden can get over the hump, they’ll be tough to unseat long term. 

Only nine months ago Switzerland was celebrating a bronze medal at the 2026 Olympics. Fast forward and they're entering this tournament without captain Lara Stalder, without top defender Lara Christen, and coming off some challenging starts at the Women's Euro Hockey Tour. New head coach Shannon Miller will not be measuring success by wins and losses at this event, as the program ushers in younger talent this time around. A quarterfinal win at this tournament would be a huge success for the Swiss.

At the Olympics USA outscored their opponents 33-2. It was a completely dominant performance. After falling to Canada in their preseason opener, USA found their legs and dominated Canada in the second and final tune up. Nobody is expected to come close to USA in this tournament, and aside from the risk of a one-game miracle against Canada in the gold medal game, USA remains a roster that will be nearly untouchable in this tournament, and who could enter the medal round having not allowed a goal.