2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship: Top standouts from Day 1

After a long wait, the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship is finally underway.

The tournament, now moved to the fall to accommodate the Professional Women’s Hockey League, kicked off on Friday in Denmark with four games, with the two gold medal favorites in action. A couple of returning nations also hoped to cause a stir on Day 1.

Let’s look back at what happened in Herning and Esbjerg on Friday, and which players stood out:

Austria 1, Czechia 4

Few could’ve expected the valiant effort Austria would put forth in their first-ever game in the top division at the Women’s Worlds. Yet, the Lady Eagles kept things close with Czechia for most of the contest, with a lot of the credit going to goaltender Selma Luggin. Austria even went out in front first, with captain Anna Meixner scoring a beautiful goal just past the seven-minute mark of the opening period.

However, Czechia’s pressure eventually broke through late in the first, as captain Aneta Tejralova made a great play to set up Klara Hymlarova to tie the game at one. The Czech’s attack persisted well into the second period, with Natalie Mlynkova giving her team the lead in the latter half of the frame. Though Austria tried to hang on in the final period of regulation, a pair of goals from Katerina Mrazova put the game away.

Czechia ended up outshooting the Austrians 46-12, including a ridiculous 22-3 in the third period. Czechia’s Klára Pešláková only had to make 11 saves in the victory. Austria went 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Czechs failed to capitalize on five chances on the player advantage.

Czechia

#16 Katerina Mrazova, F (Ottawa Charge): Czechia’s offense was critically bad at the worst times in Milan nine months ago. Thankfully, the Lionesses’ top line came ready to play on Friday. The veteran Mrazova showed that vision and playmaking ability that made her one of the top Euros in women’s hockey. Along with her two tallies in the third, the 34-year-old picked up an assist on Mlynkova’s goal in the second, which ended up being the game-winner.

#19 Natalie Mlynkova, F (San Jose): Mlynkova is such a spark plug, and I love to watch her play with her countrymates. She was able to show that offensive prowess against Austria, scoring a goal and an assist, registering three shots on goal in the victory. If she gets hot, Mlynkova can be a real difference maker against the top teams in the group.

Austria

#25 Selma Luggin, G: I know it’s easy to pick the goaltender who faced the brunt of the opposing team’s pressure (you’ll see that a lot today), but one half of the Luggin sisters did everything she could to give Austria a chance against the Czechs. She never seemed out of sorts in net, and hardly seemed phased by the pressure as well. Whenever an underdog comes into a tournament like this, you know a goaltender is going to have to be sharp in order to keep the games reasonable. Luggin did more than that on Friday, nearly stealing the game for Austria.

Sweden 1, Canada 5

Many thought that, after their impressive run at the Olympics last February, Sweden could give Canada a little push in the race for first in Group B.

Canada left no doubt on Friday, showing they are the unquestionable leader in the group. The superpower came out swinging early and often, and a lot of newcomers stepped up. 18-year-old Rosalie Tremblay picked up her first WWC point, an assist on Jessie Eldridge’s goal in the opening minutes of the game.

After Emily Clark made it 2-0 near the halfway mark of the first, Rebecca Leslie scored her first goal at the Women’s Worlds, and Canada was off and running.

Canada got into penalty trouble in the second period, with four players going to the box, with Kendall Cooper finding the back of the net on the player advantage right before the halfway mark of the frame. Swedish defender Nicole Hall, who was given a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for slew-footing Canada forward Daryl Watts.

Sweden got on the board, shorthanded, early in the third period, with Hanna Thuvik putting home a rebound. Yet, it was far from enough to start any comeback. Eldridge’s second of the game past the halfway mark of the third put the game on ice.

The Canadians outshot Sweden 41-14, asserting their dominance over a team many had pegged to finish second in the group. Outside of the fluke goal allowed, Ann-Renee Desbiens was solid in net for Canada, making 13 saves. Canada went 2-for-9 on the power play, while Sweden went 1-for-3.

Canada

Jessie Eldridge, F (Montreal Victoire): What a solid return to the national team. Eldridge played her way onto the Canadian roster after a sensational third season in the PWHL, and she showed what made her one of the league’s top scorers against Sweden, by putting herself in the right place at the right time. Her hand-eye coordination led to the first goal of the tournament, and knowing where to be on the power play resulted in her scoring again in the third. She also picked up a helper in the second period, giving her a three-point night.

Kendall Cooper, D (Las Vegas): With a rather heavy overhaul on the blue line, many were curious to see who would shine on defense for Canada. Early returns are positive for Kendall Cooper, who was noticeable everywhere against Damkronoma. It was her shot that Eldridge tipped in in the first period, with Cooper finding space for Eldridge to feed her in the slot, leading to Cooper scoring her first goal at the WWC. It’s that two-way ability that has made her a very capable blueliner in the PWHL.

Sweden

#1 Ebba Svensson Traff, G: Poor Svensson Traff had all sorts of traffic throughout the entire game, resulting in her getting knocked around by the Canadian attackers. Yet, the 21-year-old continued to battle, making 36 saves in the losing effort. One could easily argue that, had she not made some great saves, Sweden would’ve lost by an even wider margin.

#7 Mira Jungaker, D: When Sweden saw Canada on its schedule in Denmark, everyone knew that the young Jungaker was going to have her hands full. Yet, the Ohio State product gave it her best, only being on the ice for one goal against on Friday. It was her shot from the point that beat Desbiens in the third, only for it to ring off the post before Thuvik tapped it in. Jungaker’s ability to step up against the other team’s top scorers is what makes her a prominent prospect in the 2028 PWHL Draft.

Switzerland 0, United States 7

In jerseys that were even uglier than Canada’s, the United States looked flawless against a Swiss team hoping to build off their bronze medal performance from the Winter Games. While they only found the back of the net once in the first period, the reigning world champions and Olympic gold medalists continued to put the pedal to the metal as the game continued, wearing Switzerland down before adding three goals in the third period.

The Americans saw several players flex their offensive muscles, with many of the young wave of talent generating offense. Casey O’Brien registered a goal and an assist, with Lacey Eden and Taylor Fox posting a pair of assists in the convincing win. Former Wisconsin teammates Kirsten Simms and Laila Edwards also scored in the win, with Edwards finding the back of the net twice.

The U.S. outshot Switzerland 38-8, with goaltender Aerin Frankel having one of the easier shutouts of her career. The Americans had just one power play, leading to Edwards’ first goal of the game in the second period. Switzerland went 0-for-3 on the player advantage.

United States

#23 Hannah Bilka, F (Detroit): Just like she did in Milan, Bilka was a firecracker in the first game at the Women’s Worlds. She created plenty of her own scoring chances, but used her speed and strength to make the lives of the Swiss D-corps a living nightmare. Both of her goals were a result of her simply going hard to the net, an aspect of her game we don’t typically see in the PWHL. Yet, she continues to amaze with her versatility on the offensive end.

#4 Caroline Harvey, D (Vancouver Goldeneyes): Hey! Did you know Caroline Harvey is a good hockey player?

The reigning first-overall pick in this year’s PWHL Draft was prominent in her country’s colors once again, picking up three assists against the Swiss. While not all of them were primary helpers, how the Patty Kazmaier Award winner can simply generate offense on a whim is what makes her one of the best offensive defenders in the game today.

Switzerland

#20 Andrea Brandli, G (Detroit): I mean, are you surprised? Whenever Switzerland is tasked with Canada or the U.S., Brandli is relied upon to try to make her team seem somewhat competitive. Sure, the wheels fell off in the third, but some of the saves made by the former Frolund backstop kept the Americans from blowing the doors off the Swiss in the opening 40 minutes of the contest. Switzerland knows what Brandli is capable of, so expect her to get some rest before her next start.

Denmark 1, Finland 4

The crowd in Herning was jacked to see their home team in action to cap off the night. However, despite a boisterous crowd, it was Finland who sucked the life out of the building.

Suomi was all over the Danes from the opening puck drop, not allowing the host nation any time to create sustained offensive zone time. The Finns outshot Denmark 26-0 in the opening period, and only surrendered two shots through 40 minutes. Finland broke through just a few minutes into the contest thanks to a wicked shot from Elisa Holopainen.

While Denmark netminder Emma-Sofie Nordstrom did what she could against a daunting Finnish attack, she couldn’t stop the Nuutinen sisters from cashing in. Emma and Sofia scored exactly two minutes apart, putting the game seemingly well out of reach.

The Danes did get on the board in the third, with Nikita Bergmann scoring on just the team’s third shot of the game, but Petra Nieminen capped off a dominating effort with a goal for Finland just a few minutes later.

The final shots on goal were 59-6 in favor of Finland, with Sanni Ahola only needing to make five saves in the win. The Danish side killed off all three of its penalties, though the team failed to score on its two chances on the power play, with Sofia Nuutinen’s goal coming shorthanded.

Finland

#10 Elisa Holopainen, F (New York Sirens): That shot by Holopainen was the perfect example of why she has been one of the SDHL’s top scorers for the past few years, and what the Sirens hope she brings to the table this coming season. She ended up with five shots on goal in the win, second only to Nieminen, who was on a nearly unstoppable line with Susanna Tapani and Michelle Karvinen.

#61 Emma Nuutinen, F: While her sister’s goal was a back-breaking shorty, Emma Nuutinen’s tally was a thing of beauty. She danced through the Danish defense, finishing off the exceptional play with a great shot over the shoulder of Nordstrom.

Not a bad way to score your first WWC goal. For Finland, who couldn’t score a goal to save their life in Italy, they need help from everywhere in the lineup. If the Nuutinen sisters can build their confidence, they can prove to be key assets in the later rounds.

Denmark

#33 Emma-Sofie Nordstrom, G (Hamilton): 55 saves isn’t a terrible way to start off the tournament. Sure, it was a losing cause, but Nordstrom, arguably the second-best goaltender from the 2026 draft class, continued to battle, even when it was pretty well certain that Finland wasn’t going to lose. As I said in my tournament preview, if the Danes want any chance of avoiding regulation, it’s going to be off the back of the former St. Lawrence netminder’s play.

Standings

Group A

1. USA (1-0-0-0), 3 points
2. Czechia (1-0-0-0), 3 points
3. Austria (0-0-0-1), 0 points
4. Switzerland (0-0-0-1), 0 points
5. Germany (0-0-0-0), 0 points

Group B

1. Canada (1-0-0-0), 3 points
2. Finland (1-0-0-0), 3 points
3. Denmark (0-0-0-1), 0 points
4. Sweden (0-0-0-1), 0 points
5. Japan (0-0-0-0), 0 points

Coming up…

Only two games are on the docket for Saturday. Austria completes its back-to-back against rested Germany (9 a.m. ET), while host Denmark looks for a better outing against Japan (1 p.m. ET).

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