Here's a look at some of the names to watch at the upcoming IIHF Division IA women's World Championship as teams play for promotion.
Six teams will fight for promotion to the top tier of the IIHF women's World Championships this month in China.
From the spring's World Championship tournament in Brampton, Ontario, France and Hungary were relegated to the Division IA group, opening the door for two teams to win their way up. Those teams include Slovakia, Norway, Austria, China, Denmark, and Netherlands.
While the top division gets the bulk of attention, Division IA is also filled with talented players. Here's a look at the top players to watch in the Division IA women's World Championship tournament.
Hannah Miller, F, China - The 27-year-old is a unique player having twice representing Canada at the U-18 World Championships, and now playing for China. She represented China at the Olympics and last year's World Championship tournament, helping China earn promotion by scoring 12 points in five games, being named tournament's best forward. The St. Lawrence grad captained KRS Shenzhen last season totalling 25 goals and 48 points in 32 games. She'll be central to China's chances.
Emma Bergesen, D, Norway - A First Team All-Canadian defender, Bergesen is coming off a season where she scored the national championship overtime winner with Mount Royal University. Bergesen is also the reigning top defender from the IIHF Division IA tournament and was the top scoring blueliner in Canada West this season scoring 22 points in 28 games. Bergesen loves to join the rush, but is equally effective in her own zone, particularly when it comes to transporting the puck out of her zone.
Leah Lum, F, China - Lum leads a large contingent of Canadian and American born players representing China. She played for Team World at the PHF All-Star weekend this year and won an Isobel Cup with the Toronto Six. The former UConn standout spent four seasons playing in China. She has soft hands combined with on ice intelligence and vision. Her puck possession style of game was crucial for China earning promotion to Division IA this year, as she led the Division IB tournament in scoring last year with 15 points in only five games.
Anna Meixner, F, Austria - Meixner captained Austria last year as they held ground in Division IA scoring a point per game, and was named Austria's top player. This season in the SDHL, Meixner had the best season of her career, scoring 26 goals and 23 points in only 30 games, before adding another 11 points in eight playoff games. She was named the SDHL's Most Valuable Player. She'll be crucial to Austria's attack, and is slated to return to the SDHL with Brynas next season.
Tia Chan, G, China - If it's not veterans like Lum and Hannah Miller leading the way for China, it's NCAA standouts including Anna Segedi, Kasundra Betinol, and Tia Chan, who have China positioned as one of the fastest rising nations in the world of women's hockey. Chan recently finished her third NCAA season with the University of Connecticut posting a winning record, and a 1.67 GAA and .935 save percentage in 27 games. She backstopped China in each of their five wins at last year's Division IB tournament. The 20-year-old, Hamilton, Ontario product is positioned to be China's goalie of the present and future.