Hilary Knight is set to make her fifth Olympic appearance, and this time lead a younger, faster U.S. women’s national team that’s favored to win gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month.
The 36-year-old Knight headlines the list as USA Hockey released its 23-player Olympic women’s roster on Friday. It’s a group that returns just 11 members from the team that won silver at the 2022 Beijing Games, and features several newcomers, highlighted by defender Laila Edwards.
From Cleveland, the 21-year-old Wisconsin senior is set to become the first Black female hockey player to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics.
“It still hasn’t really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true,” Edwards said. “Always had dreams of playing in the pros, but the biggest dream was to go the Olympics for sure.”
As for Knight, she will set a U.S. women’s hockey record for most Winter Games appearances after winning gold in 2018 and three silver medals. The Seattle Torrent captain previously announced these will be her final Winter Games, while planning to continue her PWHL career.
The U.S. roster features various familiar faces, including forward Kendall Coyne Schofield and defender Lee Stecklein, who will both be competing in a fourth Winter Games. Other returnees include forwards Alex Carpenter and Kelly Pannek, and defenders Megan Keller and Caroline Harvey, who at 23 is completing her senior season at Wisconsin.
The roster has otherwise been transformed under coach John Wroblewski, who placed an emphasis on a youth movement upon being hired in June 2022.
The Americans relied mostly on veterans and appeared a step behind in finishing 5-2 — with both losses to Canada — in Beijing under former coach Joel Johnson.
This year’s team features seven players still competing at college, with 20-year-old Ohio State forward Joy Dunne being the youngest. The goalie trio is also new, with projected starter Aerin Frankel, projected backup Gwyneth Philips, and third-stringer Ava McNaughton set to make their Olympic debuts.
Wroblewski’s imprint on the roster was evident particularly in the most recent Rivalry Series, in which the Americans swept all four games by out-scoring the Canadians by a combined margin of 24-7. The U.S. is also the defending world champions after a 4-3 overtime win against Canada in April.
The Americans open the Olympics facing the Czech Republic on Feb. 5, with the gold-medal game set for Feb. 19.
The U.S. is favored to win its third Olympic gold medal, and first since defeating Canada at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games. The Americans also won the inaugural tournament at Nagano in 1998, with the Canadians winning gold at the other five Olympic competitions.
These are the first Olympics since the PWHL began play in 2024, with the now eight-team league expected to make an impact by raising the level of international competition and bridging the gap among nations trailing the two global powers U.S. and Canada.
The U.S. roster features 16 PWHL players.
___
AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
