United States women's national ice hockey team

The United States women's national ice hockey team represents the United States in women's international ice hockey. The team operates under USA Hockey, the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United States.

Team USA has been one of the most successful women's ice hockey national teams in international play. The team has medaled in every major tournament, most recently winning gold at both the 2026 Winter Olympics and the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship.

At the Olympic Games, the team has won three gold medals (1998, 2018, 2026), along with four silver medals (2002, 2010, 2014, 2022) and one bronze (2006), and has medaled at every tournament since women's ice hockey was finally included starting in 1998. At the IIHF Women's World Championship, the United States has won eleven gold medals (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2025) and more than twenty total medals, establishing itself as a top contender and forming one of the sport's most prominent rivalries with Canada, with the two nations dominating international competition for decades.

History Women's ice hockey became an Olympic sport at the 1998 Winter Olympics, where the US won the gold medal in an upset over perennial world champions Canada. As of 2026, in five of the last six Winter Olympics the gold medal match was between the United States and Canada, with the United States winning gold in 2026 Winter Olympics. Since their inclusion in the Olympics' the women's team has appeared in all but one gold medal match with each appearance playing against the Canadian women's team.

On March 15, 2017, players for the U.S. women's ice hockey team announced that they would boycott the 2017 World Championship over inequitable support and conditions for women's ice hockey unless concessions were made by USA Hockey. Members of the team including captain Meghan Duggan made public statements regarding poor pay and conditions for female hockey players. The players were publicly supported by the players' associations for the NBA, WNBA, MLB and the NHLPA. On March 28, 2017, the players agreed to play in the World Championship after an agreement was struck with USA Hockey to increase player pay and support for women's development.

In 2023, team member Laila Edwards became the first black woman to play for the US, and became the first black woman of any country to win a gold medal in women's hockey in 2026. In May 2025, Olympic team captain Hilary Knight announced that the 2026 Winter Olympics would be her fifth and final Olympics, Knight is the only United States female player to win five medals at the Olympics.

During the 2026 Winter Olympics the women's team was undefeated with a perfect record allowing for only one point in their opening game against Czechia during the preliminary rounds prior to the gold medal. The team outscored all of their opponents at 33–2 and won all seven of their games. Megan Keller scored a overtime goal to defeat Canada at 2–1, after Hilary Knight tied the game in the final moments of regulation. Members of the team were named to Olympic all star teams with Caroline Harvey being named a MVP and best Defender, Harvey, Laila Edwards, and Hannah Bilka being named to the Media All-Star Team. Of the 23-person team, nine players are 23 or younger, 12 are newcomers and four made their Olympic debut in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

After the 2026 Winter Olympics men's ice hockey teams gold medal game, President Trump called the men's team and joked that he would also need to invite the Women’s Olympic team–who had also won gold–to the White House and State of the Union or risk being impeached. The women's team rejected the invite to the White House, with captain Hilary Knight calling the joke distasteful and lamented the overshadowing of the teams' connections, and highlighted a good learning point about how women in sports are discussed. During the Olympics the women's team met and dined with actor Stanley Tucci in Milan, Italy. The women's team was also invited by Flavor Flav along with other female Olympian and Paralympian athletes to celebrate their achievements in July 2026 through the She Got Game weekend event.

Rivalry with Canada

Team USA has a long-term rivalry with Canada. Since women's ice hockey was introduced to the Winter Olympics in 1998, every Olympic gold medal game except one has featured the United States against Canada, with the U.S. winning multiple titles in those meetings. This rivalry often draws significant media attention and fan interest. The U.S.–Canada rivalry has produced historic moments and elevated women's ice hockey in both countries while raising the bar for excellence in the sport worldwide.

Historically, the rivalry has been most visible during the Winter Olympics and World Championships. While Canada initially dominated the early Olympic competitions, the United States has also won Olympic gold in head-to-head finals, including a dramatic 2–1 overtime victory over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. At the IIHF Women's World Championships, the two nations have frequently met in gold-medal games, largely dominating the sport and consistently competing for the top spot.

Rivalry Series Beyond major tournaments, USA Hockey and Hockey Canada have formalized the rivalry through the Rivalry Series, an annual set of exhibition games designed to showcase top international women's hockey and prepare both teams for major championships. It has been played annually since its inception in 2018–19. The 2025 Rivalry Series featured four games between the two nations, with the United States sweeping all four matchups and outscoring Canada by a combined 24–7. Players and media describe the rivalry as exceptionally competitive and emotionally charged, with elite talent and exciting games becoming the norm whenever the teams meet. Team USA players have emphasized that beating Canada is a central focus of many national team cycles, with heightened preparation and intensity leading up to the Olympics.

Tournament record Olympic Games Year Result Position GP W L T GF GA Coach Captain 1998 NaganoGold medal 6 6 0 0 36 8 2002 Salt Lake CitySilver medal 5 4 1 0 33 4 2006 TurinBronze medal 5 4 1 0 24 6 2010 VancouverSilver medal 5 4 1 — 40 4 2014 SochiSilver medal 5 3 2 — 22 8 2018 PyeongchangGold medal 5 4 1 — 17 5 2022 BeijingSilver medal 7 5 2 — 30 11 2026 MilanGold medal 7 7 0 — 33 2 Total 3 titles 8/8 45 37 8 0 235 48 colspan=2

IIHF Women's World Championship Year Result Position GP W OTW OTL L GF GA 1990Runner-up 5 4 0 0 1 50 15 1992Runner-up 5 4 0 0 1 37 16 1994Runner-up 5 4 0 0 1 41 10 1997Runner-up 5One game for Drawn 3 0 0 1 29 7 1998Not held during 1998 Winter Olympics 1999Runner-up 5 4 0 0 1 31 6 2000Runner-up 5 4 0 1 0 44 8 2001Runner-up 5 4 0 0 1 43 4 2002Not held during 2002 Winter Olympics 2003Cancelled due to SARS outbreak in China 2004Runner-up 5 4 0 0 1 29 6 2005Champions 5 4 1 0 0 28 4 2006Not held during 2006 Winter Olympics 2007Runner-up 5 3 0 1 1 27 11 2008Champions 5 4 0 1 0 23 8 2009Champions 5 4 0 0 1 28 3 2010Not held during 2010 Winter Olympics 2011Champions 5 4 1 0 0 35 5 2012Runner-up 5 4 0 1 0 43 7 2013Champions 5 4 0 1 0 17 7 2014Not held at top level during 2014 Winter Olympics 2015Champions 5 5 0 0 0 37 11 2016Champions 5 4 1 0 0 23 2 2017Champions 5 4 1 0 0 28 5 2018Not held at top level during 2018 Winter Olympics 2019Champions 7 6 1 0 0 41 5 2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2021Runner-up 7 5 0 1 1 28 10 2022Runner-up 7 6 0 0 1 53 7 2023Champions 7 6 0 1 0 43 12 2024Runner-up 7 5 1 1 0 36 9 2025Champions 7 6 1 0 0 27 6Total 11 Titles 24/29 132 105 7 8 11 821 184

IIHF Women's Pacific Rim Championship Year Result Position GP W OTW OTL L GF GA 1995Runner-up 5 4 0 1 0 35 6 1996Runner-up 5 3 0 0 2 27 9Total 0 Title 2/2 10 7 0 1 2 62 15

4 Nations Cup Year Result Position GP W OTW OTL L GF GA / 1996Runner-up 5 2 1 0 2 12 10 / 1997Champions 5 2 0 0 2 18 14 1998Runner-up 4 2 0 1 1 10 10 1999Runner-up 5 2 0 0 3 15 16 2000Runner-up 4 3 0 0 1 23 6 2001Withdrew due to September 11 attacks 2002Runner-up 4 2 0 0 2 17 14 2003Champions 4 4 0 0 0 17 2 2004Runner-up 4 2 0 0 1 14 7 2005Runner-up 4 2 0 0 2 8 8 2006Runner-up 4 2 0 0 2 14 10 2007Runner-up 4 2 0 0 2 9 9 2008Champions 4 3 0 0 1 13 9 2009Runner-up 4 3 0 0 1 11 9 2010Runner-up 5 3 1 1 0 17 6 2011Champions 4 2 1 0 1 23 6 2012Champions 4 3 0 0 1 23 4 2013Third place 4 2 0 0 2 21 8 2014Runner-up 4 2 0 1 1 12 6 2015Champions 4 3 1 0 0 19 4 2016Champions 4 3 0 0 1 17 6 2017Champions 4 4 0 0 0 22 5 2018Champions 4 4 0 0 0 17 5 2019Cancelled due to contract disputes between Swedish Ice Hockey Association and Swedish national team / 2020Not scheduled due to COVID-19 pandemicTotal 9 Titles 22/25 92Two game for Drawn 57 4 3 26 352 174

Team Current roster Roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Head coach: John Wroblewski

No.Pos.NameHeightWeightBirthdateTeam 2 D Minnesota Frost 3 D Seattle Torrent 4 D Wisconsin Badgers 5 D – A Boston Fleet 6 D Ottawa Charge 8 D Boston Fleet 9 F Wisconsin Badgers 10 D Wisconsin Badgers 12 F Minnesota Frost 13 F Minnesota Frost 16 F Montreal Victoire 17 F Minnesota Frost 21 F – C Seattle Torrent 22 F Penn State Nittany Lions 23 F Seattle Torrent 24 F Ohio State Buckeyes 25 F – A Seattle Torrent 26 F Minnesota Frost 27 F Minnesota Frost 30 G Wisconsin Badgers 31 G Boston Fleet 33 G Ottawa Charge 37 F Minnesota Golden Gophers

Development team roster Roster for the 2026 Collegiate Series.

Head coach: John Wroblewski

No.Pos.NameHeightWeightBirthdateTeam 2 F University of Wisconsin 3 F University of Minnesota Duluth 4 D Harvard University 5 D Yale University 6 D Cornell University 7 F University of Minnesota 8 F Ohio State University 9 F University of St. Thomas 11 D Boston College 12 F Ohio State University 13 D Princeton University 15 F — A University of Wisconsin 16 F University of Minnesota 17 D Minnesota State University 18 F University of St. Thomas 22 D — A University of Wisconsin 24 F — C University of Wisconsin 25 D Penn State University 27 F University of Minnesota 30 G University of Wisconsin 31 G Minnesota State University 33 G Princeton University 36 F Boston University 37 F Boston College 38 F Ohio State University

IIHF World Championship directorate awards

Since 1990, the IIHF has given awards for each championship tournament to the best goalie, defenseman, and forward, and Most Valuable Player (MVP). The following team members have won awards:

Year Player Award 1990 Kelly Dyer Goalie 1992 Cammi Granato Forward 1994 Erin Whitten Goalie 1999 Jenny Potter Forward 2000 Angela Ruggiero Defenseman 2001 Karyn Bye Defenseman 2004 Angela Ruggiero Defenseman 2005 Chanda Gunn Goalie 2005 Angela Ruggiero Defenseman 2005 Krissy Wendell MVP 2007 Molly Engstrom Defenseman 2008 Angela Ruggiero Defenseman 2008 Natalie Darwitz Forward 2011 Monique Lamoureux-Kolls Forward 2012 Kelli Stack Forward 2015 Hilary Knight Forward 2015 Hilary Knight MVP 2016 Hilary Knight Forward 2016 Hilary Knight MVP 2017 Brianna Decker Forward 2017 Brianna Decker MVP 2019 Kendall Coyne Schofield Forward 2021 Lee Stecklein Defenseman 2022 Nicole Hensley Goalie 2022 Taylor Heise Forward 2022 Taylor Heise MVP 2023 Caroline Harvey Defenseman 2024 Alex Carpenter Forward 2024 Laila Edwards MVP 2025 Aerin Frankel Goalie 2025 Caroline Harvey Defenseman

See also List of United States women's national ice hockey team rosters List of Olympic women's ice hockey players for the United States

References

Further reading

External links

IIHF profile