A new national team cycle is underway. Here's a look at five players who look ready to join their national programs this winter.
A new national team cycle is underway. Here's a look at five players who look ready to join their national programs this winter.
As the 2023-2024 season kicks off, every national team will be watching how their prospects perform in preparation for the 2024 World Championships in Utica, New York. Canada will look to change their fate and recapture gold, a move that could involve inserting youth to their roster.
Czechia will look to three-peat as bronze medal champions, and continue to close the gap looking for a historic upset over Canada or USA, and the remaining top nations - Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, and Japan will all look to push their programs forward.
Here's a look at five players who look ready to join their senior national teams and make an impact.
Kristyna Kaltounkova, Czechia - When you watched how Czechia competed, their team defence, physicality, and consistent netminding, there's little to point at in terms of needs. The biggest need Czechia has when lining up against Canada and USA is high end scorers. Czechia has youngsters like Adela Sapovalivova, Tereza Plosova, and Tereza Pistekova who will help bridge this gap, but Kristyna Kaltounkova needs to be part of this solution as well. Kaltounkova finished fifth in NCAA scoring last season with 57 points in 39 games for Colgate, directly behind Alina Muller, Grace Zumwinkle, Taylor Heise, and Danielle Serdachny. It's elite company. At the U-18 Worlds, Kaltounkova represented Czechia four times. In her last three tournaments she recorded 17 points in 15 games. Czechia has the role players, they have all the intangibles, so finding room for Kaltounkova's scoring is a must.
Thea Johansson, Sweden - Sweden is an international program on the rise, and the strength of the SDHL has allowed some of their veterans to hang around with the national team, but the next generation is ready to take Sweden into the mix alongside Canada, USA, Czechia, Finland, and Switzerland to fill out a more competitive top group. The country's top players - Hilda Svensson, Maja Nylen Persson, Emma Soderberg, Sara Hjalmaarsson, Lina Ljungblom, Mira Jungaker, Hanna Olsson - are all entering their prime, and bringing Johansson into that mix immediately will only help Sweden. She scored 36 points in 37 games as a rookie with Mercyhurst last season, and is off to a torrid start this season. Sweden brought Johansson to the 2022 Worlds before leaving her off the 2023 roster, but it's almost a certainty that decision will be reversed moving forward. Looking at Sweden's roster, it seems obvious that Johansson will take the space of Fanny Rask, Lisa Johansson, or Olivia Carlsson. She's ready for the next step, and Sweden needs players like Johansson in the lineup getting reps.
Laila Edwards, USA - At the 2023 Worlds, it was NCAA standouts Taylor Heise, Hannah Bilka, Tessa Janecke, Caroline Harvey, and Abbey Murphy who drove the team to gold. Yes, the veterans played a role, but without the group mentioned above, USA's gold medal hopes would have vanished. With Amanda Kessel taking a year away from the national team, or perhaps moving on from hockey altogether, a top six forward spot has opened and Wisconsin's Laila Edwards will be knocking at the door. Her Wisconsin teammate Kirsten Simms is right there as well, but Edwards has the inside track being in USA's national pool that will begin playing Rivalry Series games soon. Edwards sees the ice so well as a playmaker, but using her 6-foot-2 frame, Edwards can also play a power forward game around the net. She was the 2022 U-18 World Championships MVP, and last season was a WCHA All-Rookie team member on the national champion Wisconsin Badgers. If it's not Kessel's spot, which will also see competition from players like Grace Zumwinkle and Jesse Compher, it could be taking the roster spot of other Wisconsin Badgers players like Britta Curl or Lacey Eden, or ushering a Team USA veteran like Kelly Pannek or Hayley Scamurra off the roster.
Naemi Herzig, Switzerland - Sometimes, good things can't wait. Czechia and Sweden moved their top young stars to their national teams this year, and it will be hard for Switzerland to deny Naemi Herzig this year. She's already playing alongside Swiss captain Lara Stalder with EVZ, and that mentorship and the chemsitry they are forming should translate well to the international stage. Herzig is considered the next big thing out of Switzerland following Alina Muller and Stalder, and it's hard to imagine Switzerland waiting until the twilight of Stalder's career to bring Herzig into the mix.
Julia Gosling, Canada - Let the debate begin on this one, because obviously there is huge debate surrounding defender Sophie Jaques. Speaking of defenders, the real discussion should more likely surround how quickly Canada can bring Chloe Primerano to the senior national team. One player who is likely not discussed as much, but is certainly worthy of a long look at least in Rivalry Series competition is Julia Gosling. Gosling's 5-foot-11 frame is imposing and she uses it to win pucks and create space for herself in scoring position. Gosling had a breakout season with St. Lawrence University last season scoring 46 points in 39 games and is off to a hot start this year. Canada needs to get younger, and Gosling fits the mold to begin replacing Canada's old guard.