2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship: The top players heading into the quarterfinals

With the group stage of the IIHF Women’s World Championship in the books, it’s time to look back at who stood out in the opening week of the tournament, and what is on the horizon.

From goal-scoring threats to defensive stalwarts, several players contributed to their respective teams’ success.

Kendall Coyne Schofield (F, United States)

After not playing in the tournament last year, and not joining PWHL Minnesota until shortly before the season started in January, Coyne Schofield has returned top form in recent weeks, which has paid off for the U.S.

The 31-year-old started the tournament with a goal against Switzerland, with her two goals last Saturday against Finland helping the hosts pick up a 5-3 win.

The only game Coyne Schofield did not register a point in was the 1-0 win over Canada.

On a line with captain Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter, Coyne Schofield has been part of one of the most productive trios in the group stage.

Through four games, she has three goals and three assists, tied for the most points among skaters with Natalie Mlynkova of Czechia.

Josefin Bouveng (F, Sweden)

Speaking of dominant lines, Sweden has a couple of offensive units that stood out in the first four games, with Bouveng being one of the most consistent scorers for Damkronorna.

Part of a trio with Sara Hjalmarsson and Sofie Lundin, Bouveng came up big in moments, especially against Japan, when the Golden Gopher registered three points in a 6-2 win.

The 22-year-old ended the group stage with four goals and an assist, tied for third in the tournament in points with Carpenter and Finland captain Jenni Hiirikoski. Bouveng’s ability to utilize her quickness and skill to get into prime scoring areas is going to be key in the knockout stage.

Kristin O’Neill (F, Canada)

It was hard for me to not just add the entire fourth line for Canada, because they have been such an exciting trio to watch. Along with Danielle Serdachny and Juila Gosling, O’Neill has been a spark plug for a Canadian team that has not been the traditional offensive juggernaut we have seen in past tournaments.

O’Neill actually led the Canadians in the opening four games of the tournament with four points. Three of those points came in the first period on Sunday against Czechia, where the PWHL Montreal forward scored two goals in a 5-0 victory.

The fact that this line is down the Canadian lineup shows how deep this team is, which will be crucial if they want to reclaim the gold medal.

Caroline Harvey (D, United States)

The Wisconsin Badger is just proving what we already know–she is one heck of a defender.

Yes, it is easy to see that she led all blueliners in scoring during the round-robin, but Harvey further showed her ability to be reliable in her own zone. Her vision with the puck is elite as well, hence why the 21-year-old posted six assists in the four games, including setting up Kirsten Simms’ overtime winner against Canada on Monday.

Harvey leads a talented blueline for the U.S., but she is certainly one of the young leaders of this wave of American talent.

Paula Bergstrom (D, Sweden)

You wouldn’t necessarily think a player who has not scored a goal all season, in any competition, is a top player. However, that legitimizes what kind of an impact Paul Bergstrom has made for Sweden.

There is nothing really flashy for the product out of Minnesota-Duluth. She plays confidently in her own zone, is a solid asset on the penalty kill, but can also chip in offensively if need be. All three of her assists came in Sweden’s 8-1 over China last Friday, two of them primary.

The 25-year-old finished the group stage as plus-5 in four games, tied with Harvey for the best plus/minus rating among defenders.

Sandra Abstreiter (G, Germany)

The only reason Germany finished first in Group B was because of Sandra Abstreiter.

Coming into the tournament, many questioned what kind of condition the 25-year-old would be in, as she had only played twice all season with PWHL Ottawa. However, rust was certainly not an issue for Abstreiter, as she gave up just two goals on 74 shots in her three starts.

Her best outing came on Monday against Sweden, with the Freising native turned away all 32 shots to help Träger der Adler finish first in their group for just the second time ever.

It is going to be tough for Germany to make it to the semifinals for the first time since 2017, but if they do, it’s probably going to be because of Abstreiter.

Honorable Mention

Akane Shiga (F, Japan): Two goals and five points helped Japan sneak in the final quarterfinal spot in Group B.

Jenni Hiirikoski (D, Finland): The leader of Finland was second in defender scoring in the group stage with five points.

Ann-Renée Desbiens (G, Canada): Almost single-handedly beat the Americans on Monday night, proving even more that she is an all-world goaltender.

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Quarterfinal Preview (April 11)

(5) Switzerland vs. (4) Finland – 10 a.m. ET (NHL Network, TSN)

Finland’s lone win came at the expense of Switzerland. With a 5-2 victory over the Swiss on Monday, the Finns get the “home-ice” advantage on Thursday.

The Finnish side has many assets that can put the puck in the net, especially Petra Nieminen and Susanna Tapani. Switzerland, which lost all four games in regulation, will rely on Andrea Braendli to come up big if the team wants to advance to the semifinals for the third straight tournament.

(6) Germany vs. (3) Czechia – 1:30 p.m. ET (NHL Network, TSN)

Germany finished first in Group B for just the second in the team’s history and hopes to use its defensive structure to pull off an upset on Thursday. Led by Abstreiter, the Germans had the third-best goal differential in the round-robin.

Czechia, the two-time reigning bronze medalists, showed some confidence in their group-stage finale against Switzerland, which they look to bring into the knockout stage.

(7) Sweden vs. (2) Canada – 5 p.m. ET (ESPN+, TSN)

This is a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals, in which Canada prevailed in overtime in Brampton.

Canada’s offense might not be as prevalent as it has been in the past, but their defense, especially goaltending, was solid. The team only gave up two goals in the group stage.

Sweden stumbled to second in Group B following a 1-0 loss to Germany on Monday. They have a lot of firepower to give the Canadians fits like they did last season. But they will be without Hjalmarsson, who was suspended for the quarterfinals due to a cross-checking incident against Germany.

(8) Japan vs. (1) United States – 8:30 p.m. ET (NHL Network, TSN)

The U.S. went a perfect 4-0, finishing first in Group A after their overtime win over Canada on Monday. With the healthy mix of college players in the lineup, the Americans do not have man chinks in their armor.

They take on a team from Japan that snuck into the quarterfinals by beating Denmark in the final game of the group stage on Tuesday. Japan has never made it to the semifinals.

For the full schedule, go to IIHF.com