Ivana Wey has been a breakout star for Switzerland at the 2026 Olympic Games. She'll join the NCAA next season, but already looks ready to compete with and against the best pros in the world.
For years, Switzerland's international success has largely relied on Alina Muller and Lara Stalder up front. Without the pair, Switzerland's offense over the last decade would have been incapable of challenging for medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games.
Even with the duo, the Swiss remain a team that often relies on performances like Andrea Brandli's 40-save shutout in Switzerland's 1-0 Olympic quarterfinal win over Finland to advance. The only goal in that game was unsurprisingly scored by Muller.
But Switzerland has a new layer of talent on the rise, perhaps none more clearly than Ivana Wey.
Wey turned 20 the day before the 2026 Olympics opened, and next season she will play at Muller's alma mater with Northeastern University in the NCAA.
In Switzerland's PostFinance Women's League this season, Wey trails only Stalder in league scoring playing alongside the veteran with EV Zug. She's totalled 18 goals and 48 points through 28 games.
On the ice, Wey combines power elements to get game, as she often mixes it up and plays with an edge, with creativity and vision. She's a strong passer, but has shown her willingness to put the puck on her stick and create offensively in other ways. Two seasons ago prior to making her senior national debut with Switzerland, Wey scored two lacrosse-style "Michigan" goals in Switzerland's second league. Wey enjoys trying new things on the ice, as creativity is part of who she believes she is a player.
In Italy, Wey's flashed those skills multiple times. She scored the shootout winner for Switzerland over Czechia in a crucial preliminary round game, and also assisted with a beautiful pass on one of Muller's goals.
Alongside Wey, Switzerland has a group of up and coming players like current Northeastern defender Alessia Baechler, and Holy Cross forward Naemi Herzig, 17-year-old Laure Mériguet who made her Olympic debut at the tournament, as well as U-18 captain Norina Muller, who was not at the Olympics, but has a dynamic skill set that should have her contributing for Switzerland soon.
While Switzerland still has a long way to go to close the gap and consistently find themselves among the best in the world in women's hockey, they did it by leaning on their best assets at the 2026 Olympics, and via key contributions from their next wave, headlined by future star Ivana Wey.