USA Hockey named their 25 player roster for the IIHF U-18 women's World Championships scheduled to take place this January in Nova Scotia, Canada.
USA has named their U-18 national team for the 2026 IIHF U-18 World Championships coming to Sydney and Membertou, Nova Scotia from January 10-18, 2026.
USA's 25 player roster features 10 returnees from their 2025 silver medal winning team from Finland including Kylie Amelkovich, Maggie Averill, Haley Box, Jane Daley, Sloane Hartmetz, Maddy Kimbrel, Annabelle Lovell, Christina Scalese, Morgan Stickney, and Chyna Taylor. It is the third U-18 World Championship for Averill and Box.
USA did however choose to leave behind a group of potential returnees including Mary Derrenbacher and Sydney Stoughton, who remain among the best in the nation, off the roster.
Joining Stickney in net will be Texas product Bianca Birrittieri who plays for the Pittsburgh Pens Elite program, and 2009 netminder Cecilia Wielenberg.
USA's blueline will be guided by Averill, Taylor, and Hartmetz who should all be part of the American attack as well. Joining the veteran trio on the back end are four Minnesota products in Addison McLay, Taylee Manion, Mia Miller, and Kateryna Sander, as well as Averill's Assebet Valley teammate Ava Decourcey.
Up front, Box is USA's top returning scorer and will be counted upon again this year to score for USA along with the rest of America's returning cohort of Amelkovich, Daley, Kimbrel, Lovell, and Scalese. Filling out their forward group are Lindsay Stepnowski, Bailey Rupp, Emily Pohl, Jillian McLaughlin, Lily Bromley, Alaina Gnetz, Talla Hansen, and Catherine McCool.