The 2023-2024 Canada-USA Rivalry Series is entering the final games, so it's only logical to look toward the future of North America's national team rosters.

Today's international stars will again be on display at February's three stops on the Rivalry Series between Canada and USA with games in Saskatchewan and Minnesota.

One unique aspect about this round of Rivalry Series games is that no NCAA players will be in the mix, meaning both nations are fielding entirely professional contingents from the PWHL.

But the NCAA houses the future for both nations. Here's a look at the depth for both nations for the future.

Players With Rivalry Series and National Team Experience

You're going to find a clear trend here. When it comes to players currently in the NCAA, every age group favours the USA. The same goes for players in the NCAA who have already made their national team debuts. For Team USA this year that group includes national team staples like Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin), who was named USA Hockey's player of the year in 2023, and led the 2023 World Championships in scoring. That group also includes players with Olympic or World Championship gold medals like Hannah Bilka, Cayla Barnes, Rory Guilday, Haley Winn, Britta Curl, Lacey Eden, Abbey Murphy, and Tessa Janecke. USA's depth also includes players with national team experience at the Rivalry Series including Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards, Anna Wilgren, Ally Simpson, and Casey O'Brien. Canada's current NCAA group is minuscule by comparison. Sarah Fillier and Danielle Serdachny are the only two to appear in international competition with Canada. Beyond this duo, Canada's group with Rivalry Series experience from this season includes Julia Gosling, Nicole Gosling, Anne Cherkowski, and Jennifer Gardiner. This category favors USA immensely.

Looking At The NCAA's Upper-Class

NCAA players with three or more seasons of experience are rapidly approaching a future that includes the opportunity to play professionally in the PWHL. Some of those players may still get looks from USA and Canada. The NCAA's scoring leader this season is USA's Izzy Daniel (Cornell), and the reigning NCAA Goaltender of the Year Gwyneth Philips (Northeastern) highlight the American group. Other American players that could earn a look from this group include Kiara Zanon, Madeline Wethington, Syndey Bard, and Ella Hartje. One position Canada appears to have more depth is in the net. In these upper years, players like Colgate's duo of Kayle Osborne and Hannah Murphy both have promise as future Canadian national teamers. On the blueline, Canada's top prospects outside the national team in their upper years of college eligibility include Megan Carter and Stephanie Markowski. Canada has also followed USports defender Rylind MacKinnon closely. Defenders Kendall Cooper and Mae Batherson also deserve consideration here.

The Youth

Looking at NCAA players in their first two years of college eligibility, USA has another group of impressive players ready for the next step. Whether it's Joy Dunne (Ohio State), or Elyssa Biederman (Cornell), Sydney Morrow (Colgate), or Sammy Taber (Boston College), there's ample talent scoring regularly in the NCAA. Ava McNaughton and Annelies Bergmann fit USA's new prototype in net as big, positional goalies, who are both putting up impressive numbers as young NCAA goalies. Other names in this group of youth include Jordan Ray, Grace Dwyer, Emma Peschel, Cassie Hall, Ava Lindsay, Ella Boerger, Molly Jordan, and Vivian Jungels. There's more Canadian depth in the crease here with Eve Gascon and Hailey MacLeod. Canada has some promising players in this group including Emmalee Pais, Jocelyn Amos, Sara Swiderski, Ava Murphy, Keira Hurry, Karel Prefontaine, Piper Grober, Kahlen Lamarche, and Jade Iginla. Considering several managers of this youth movement from the USA are already playing prominent roles in the national program, this again favors USA.

The Future

If there's one age bracket that decidedly favors Canada, it's the wave of players yet to join the NCAA. Chloe Primerano could become the best player on the planet. She's close in terms of skill and vision now, but as she continues to physically mature, the sky is the limit. Canada also features record breaking goal scorer Caitlin Kraemer, who passed each of Marie-Philip Poulin's records at the U-18 level. Beyond this duo, there's still no shortage of prospects with national team potential including Abby Stonehouse, Emma Venusio, Morgan Jackson, Claire Murdoch, Sara Manness, and many others. While USA won gold at the U-18 Worlds, they didn't need to face Canada, who dominated them in each meeting at the summer series. Maggie Scannell and Josie St. Martin, as well as Layla Hemp were the leaders of USA's team, but the American's also had four 2008 born players on their roster, including 5-foot-11 blueliner Maggie Averill.