Increased opportunity at the professional level, primarily through the PHF, is helping to propel the growth of women's international hockey.
If you cannot beat them, join them.
The growth of professional opportunities for women’s hockey in the United States and Canada has also afforded European players chances to hone their skills. And now, they are having positive impacts by returning to their national teams to share those learned insights.
"I feel like I got even more professional and learned what professional athletes do, how they behave and those mental things that are really important," said Hungarian captain Fanni Gasparics, who played for the PHF's Metropolitan Riveters last season.
"Our leadership was really good. I learned from them a lot, from our Finnish players and from our captains. I kind of use those leadership skills to improve my leadership here."
Thanks to infrastructure set in place to handle immigration matters, the Premier Hockey Federation welcomed 24 international players representing seven non-North American countries last season.
This year, nine Europeans and the United States’ Becca Gilmore are among PHF players competing at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Brampton.
The nations outside North America represented in the PHF last season were Czechia, Finland, Hungary, Sweden and Switzerland, which are participating in the top level, as well as Austria and Slovakia. The latter two will compete in Division I-A in China in August.
The Metropolitan Riveters iced the federation’s most cosmopolitan club, with its players representing six countries. Behind the bench were three-time Finnish Olympian Venla Hovi and Ivo Mocek of Czechia.
“The team culture was just amazing,” Gasparics said. "I loved to walk into the dressing room and be with my teammates. And the league was pretty good."
The experience of playing on a smaller ice surface alongside teammates who developed under the gold standard of NCAA hockey has provided a level of development which can be difficult to attain overseas.
Hungary's Reka Dabasi, who played alongside Gasparics with the Riveters said being exposed to a faster style of play has made a difference in her own game.
“One thing is you really don't have much time to think on the ice," Dabasi said. "That definitely helps us on this (international) level, too, We heard some feedback when we went back for the national team camp in February. They could tell we were playing in a higher-pace league, so I think it definitely helped us."
Czechia's Denisa Krizova, who spent three seasons with Brynas in the SDHL before returning to join the Minnesota Whitecaps, agrees.
"The NHL-size rinks are better and so the game gets faster and that way you also have to be faster with the puck and everything," Krizova said. "That's something I feel has a little advantage now than the European (club) teams."
In the past, there have been concerns continued dominance by Canada and the U.S., and a lack of progress by international teams could lead to exclusion of the women's game at the Olympic level. As seen in the most recent iterations of the Women’s World Championship and Women’s U18 event, that may no longer be an issue.
While the Canadians and Americans still lead the way, their stranglehold is loosening. The double-digit blowouts of the past are declining. In playoff rounds, the difference makers for Canada and the U.S. sometimes come down to mere bounces and inches.
Canada's Sarah Nurse, who skates for the PWHPA during the season, said it shouldn't be a surprise to see such a shift.
“I put it back on the media to look at the other nations,” said Nurse. "The other countries are developing and they're good. That's something we've been trying to say for years now. It's not like there's this huge divide anymore between Group A and Group B. Things are getting closer. Everybody needs to show a little respect to the countries in Europe, not solely focus on Canada and the U.S."
Europeans are even making their mark on the North American game, too.
In the PHF last season, Riveters defender Minttu Tuominen of Finland led the federation in power play goals with six. Czechia’s Tereza Vanisova’s overtime snipe delivered Toronto Six its first Isobel Cup. And during the PHF’s All-Star Weekend in January, Team World endeared itself to the women’s hockey community with it’s flashy style of play, underdog persona and unforgettable celebration — the unicorn.
Leaving the comforts and familiarity of home can be difficult for players. There is also the internal conflict of whether to remain in their homeland to inspire and develop the game at the grassroots level.
But those who have made the move express gratitude for the professional and personal growth.
"I'm not going to lie -- it wasn't an easy thing to do at first," Dabasi said. "You really have to fight for ice time and that can be mentally hard sometimes when you don't get that much. But I would not change a thing that I went there. I would definitely recommend everyone who gets the chance to try it out."