The 2025 women's World Championships are in the books. Team USA came away with gold as Tessa Janecke scored the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over Canada. While she didn't win gold, Canada's Marie-Philip Poulin was named tournament MVP.
Players now enter a five day period where they will rejoin their PWHL teams with the season restarting April 26. For many others from Europe and the NCAA, the season is over and free agency, or potentially, the PWHL Draft await.
With the 2025 IIHF women's World Championships complete, here's 10 takeaways from the tournament.
1. Gwyneth Philips Is A Big Moment Goaltender
Gwyneth Philips was the first goalie chosen in the 2024 PWHL Draft. She was coming off back-to-back NCAA First Team All-American honours, and was the 2023 NCAA Goaltender of the Year. This is a goalie with elite accolades already to her name, and she just won the World Championship gold medal game in fascinating circumstances. After Aerin Frankel was injured midway through the third period, Philips stepped in to make 17 saves, including 10 in overtime, to backstop USA to gold. And they weren't just any routine saves. In extra time, she faced the best Canada had time and again and ate up every puck that came her way. It the Ottawa Charge can ride this wave with Philips in net, they could be dangerous come playoffs.
2. Carla MacLeod May Not Be The Coach To Get Czechia Over The Hump
It felt far too similar. Carla MacLeod standing behind the bench with her team up 3-0 heading into the third period. A few weeks ago that scenario resulted in a 6-3 loss to the last place New York Sirens. They were nearly guaranteed points that could cost the Charge a playoff spot. In the 2025 World Championship bronze medal game, Czechia entered the third up 3-0. The game ended with a devastating 4-3 overtime loss to Finland in front of a rambunctious home crowd.
MacLeod is an incredible motivator. She could make an ant believe it was an elephant. But it needs to be considered, that the tactical decisions and strategies aren't cutting it. Motivation can take a team so far, but when the pressure is on, tightly constructed systems, the ability to read and react instantaneously, and the deploy the right people in the right situations are what makes wins. One can be excused, two is on the coach.
3. Abbey Murphy's Embellishment Will Catch Up With Her
Abbey Murphy drew more penalties than any other NCAA player last season. She averaged 1.26. In the gold medal game, she drew two. "Drew" might be a little generous. She created two penalties. She scripted two penalties. Throughout the tournament, while Murphy's antics fooled officials on the ice, they didn't fool fans or media. By the end of the tournament, even American fans were remarking online about the cirque do soleil act Murphy was putting on. There's a line between being an effective pest, and losing respect. Murphy is walking that line, because she's not drawing penalties through hard play, her speed, and dynamic skill set, she's drawing penalties by diving shift after shift. In the PWHL, she'll need to find a balance. Officials will get wise, and eventually, she'll take herself out of a play diving and it will cost her team.
Few are more exciting to watch than Abbey Murphy, but her skill set and her physicality alone, not to mention her pesky play, will draw plenty of penalties by themself. It's fun to watch Murphy jump over the boards and play her game. It's not fun to see her jump over the board like it's got a 3m spring to begin a diving routine.
4. Kristyna Kaltounkova Is A Franchise Player
When Kristyna Kaltounkova gets to the PWHL next year, she's going to be a game changer. It would not be a stretch for Kaltounkova to quickly be considered a franchise player. She was named a tournament All-Star in her first World Championship, and led Czechia in scoring. She has a thunderous shot, and is a physical presence. There were multiple moments where she took on the biggest and best the PWHL has to offer head on and came out on top. Stylistically, her game resembles Marie-Philip Poulin.
That comparison will likely come more frequently when Kaltounkova is taking on Poulin regularly...or playing beside her. It expansion happens, Kaltounkova could become a star in Vancouver, or any other city. It will be interesting to see how high Kaltounkova goes. There's no world she's now a top five pick, and it would not be a stretch to see her go first overall.
5. Jennifer Gardiner Has Arrived
Jennifer Gardiner finished second in tournament scoring with 10 points in seven games. She led the tournament in goals with six. Not only was she Canada's second best scorer behind only linemate Marie-Philip Poulin, but she was strong off the puck as well.
It was the one goal Gardiner never had a chance to score that was confusing. Canadian coach Troy Ryan kept Gardiner on the bench through 17 minutes of overtime, never giving her a look alongside Poulin who she gelled with so well throughout the tournament. Gardiner and Poulin connected on a brilliant pass and finish earlier in the game. Canadian fans will look back at Troy Ryan's overtime decisions with valid critique that went far beyond Gardiner, but benching the tournament's leading goal scorer in overtime takes the cake.
Regardless of that blown opportunity, Jennifer Gardiner arrived for Team Canada, and she won't be going anywhere, except Milano Cortina for the 2026 Olympics, and anywhere else Team Canada is headed for the next several seasons.