USA is the reigning Olympic gold medalists and World Champions. They've not just won gold, but they've dominated at every step on that journey.

At the Olympics they outscored opponents 33-2, including two wins over Canada.

They also for the first time in program history swept Canada in Rivalry Series play. They bring a mix of veterans like Hilary Knight, Alex Carpenter, Lee Stecklein, Megan Keller, and Kelly Pannek, with younger but established professional stars such as Taylor Fox, Haley Winn, Aerin Frankel, and Gwyneth Philips, and an impressive wave of recent college grads and NCAA players like Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Abbey Murphy, and Joy Dunne.

The mix has worked, exceptionally. 

New players will step into the lineup headlined by New York Sirens forward Casey O'Brien and PWHL Las Vegas draft pick Lacey Eden, who seized their opportunity as spots opened with the absences of Kendall Coyne Schofield and Britta Curl-Salemme.

The only other player not returning from their Olympic gold medal winning roster is third goalie Ava McNaughton, who was return to Wisconsin where she'll get playing time while USA brings Sirens netminder Callie Shanahan as their third goalie.

At the 2026 World Championships in Denmark, USA will will no longer face the top tier of opponents exclusively as the IIHF has done away with tiered groupings. It means USA will play Czechia, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria in pool play before crossing over for a quarterfinal against another weaker opponent. USA should have an easy walk through to the semi-finals and finals, which are the only points in the tournament they could face rival Canada.

All eyes will be on Team USA's PWHL rookies. Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Abbey Murphy, Lacey Eden, Emma Peschel, and Tessa Janecke will play key roles not only with USA, but with their new PWHL teams as well. Harvey was the number one overall pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft and enters this tournament as the reigning Olympic MVP and Patty Kazmaier Award winner. She's expected to dominate yet again.

While she's not a newcomer, watching the evolution of Joy Dunne as a power forward who could be poised to someday replace the role held by Hilary Knight is also of interest. In particular, Dunne is expected to go first overall in the 2027 PWHL Draft if she declares, and this will be her only opportunity to showcase herself head-to-head against PWHL competition this season.

In net, Aerin Frankel remains USA's starter, but Gwyneth Philips is there to push. How USA handles the duo will be interesting to watch, and it will also be a point to watch to see if either falters heading into a PWHL season where both will need to be at the top of their game professionally.

Anything less than another gold medal for USA will be considered a failure at this tournament, especially given the state of Canada's younger and less experienced roster that will still provide their biggest threat.

USA should easily roll through the round robin and it's hard not to anticipate a few lopsided games in their favor. USA will look to keep their foot on the gas while giving depth players repetitions so that when the medal round opens, this well oiled machine is moving as one.

This is USA's gold medal to lose.

Goaltenders (3): Aerin Frankel, Gwyneth Philips, Callie Shanahan

Defenders (8): Cayla Barnes, Laila Edwards, Rory Guilday, Caroline Harvey, Megan Keller, Lee Stecklein, Emma Peschel, Haley Winn.

Forwards (14): Hannah Bilka, Alex Carpenter, Joy Dunne, Taylor Fox, Tessa Janecke, Hilary Knight, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Hayley Scamurra, Kirsten Simms, and Grace Zumwinkle, Jesse Compher, Lacey Eden, Casey O'Brien.