2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship: Top standouts from Day 6

Nov 11, 2026, 15:34 EST

The final day of the group stage of the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship had its drama.

Varying storylines took place in Denmark, with some nations trying to secure higher seeds in their respective groups, while others were simply trying to get out of the preliminary round.

Let’s see which teams are advancing to the knockout stage, and who stepped up when it mattered most:

Germany 3, Switzerland 1

How about that, Germany (of all teams) takes advantage of the new format. They first beat ‘Group A’ power Czechia on Tuesday, following that up with an exceptional effort against border rival Switzerland on Wednesday. Even though the Swiss scored first, with Alessia Baechler finding the back of the net for the first time in the first period, Trager der Adler controlled the play for most of the contest.

The Germans took control in the second period with two of their stars finding the back of the net in quick succession. Not long after a potential Germany goal was called back due to goalie interference, Laura Kluge and Nina Jobst-Smith scored less than a minute apart a little past the halfway mark of the contest.

Even as Switzerland tried to put together some sort of a rally, Germany didn’t fret. Emily Nix potted her first of the tournament, giving her team enough insurance to pick up their third win of the group stage and lock in second place in Group A.

The Germans outshot the Swiss 31-21 in the contest. Sandra Abstreiter stopped 20 shots in the victory, while Saskia Maurer was handed the loss, despite the 28-save effort. Germany’s power play faltered, going 0-for-5 on Wednesday, but they killed off all three of their penalties.

Germany

#25 Laura Kluge, F (Boston Fleet): I think many of us have been waiting for Kluge to have one of the exceptional outings that she’s been known to put together in the preliminary round. She certainly did that against the Swiss, posting a goal and an assist, finishing the game with a plus/minus of +2. The Fleet winger can be a true game-changer when given time and space, something she created prior to scoring her first of the tournament.

#11 Nicola Hadraschek, F: The line of Kluge, Hadraschek and Nix was fun to watch against Switzerland, with Hadraschek fitting the role of playmaker. Her play off the puck led to Kluge’s tying goal, before she picked up a second assist on Nix’s goal to cap off the win. The ECDC Memmingen star is building off an impressive performance at the Winter Olympics, where she posted four points in five games.

San Jose SharksTeam Cap Summary

Cap Summary

2026-27

2027-28

Projected Cap Hit

$100,930,358

$83,797,916

Projected Cap Space

$3,069,642

$29,702,083

Current Cap Space

$3,917,833

$29,702,083

Active Players

22/23

18/23

Draft Picks

Round

'27

'28

Switzerland

#82 Alessia Baechler, D: In a game where the Swiss looked pretty gassed following a hard-fought win over Austria on Tuesday, Baechler was very noticeable on the offensive end. A very solid puck-moving blueliner, the 21-year-old showed off her shot on her first Women’s Worlds goal, sniping Abstreiter in the opening frame. She ended the contest with 20:33 of ice time, third among Swiss skaters in the loss.

Canada 2, Finland 0

In a game that Canada needed to have a good result to win Group B, they were met with some true pushback from Finland, who had brought up many question marks earlier in the tournament.

Yet, despite giving up an early goal to Caitlin Kraemer in the opening minutes of the contest, Suomi kept things close against the Canadians.

They had plenty of chances in the middle frame, but couldn’t solve Ann-Renee Desiens. Canada extended their lead with Sarah Fillier finding the back of the net minutes into the second, her second goal of the tournament. The superpower shut things down in the third, going undefeated in the group stage for the first time since the 2023 Women’s Worlds. Finland has to settle for third in the pool.

Canada outshot Finland 38-25, failing to score on their one power play. Yet, the red and white killed off all four penalties in the win.

Canada

#11 Cailtin Kraemer, F: I wasn’t totally shocked when Canada kept Kraemer off the Olympic roster earlier this year…but after watching her play with Canada so far in Denmark, maybe Troy Ryan and Gina Kingsbury made a mistake (what else is new?). The Minnesota Duluth star was very active in the offensive attack, finishing the game second on her team with six shots on goal. If she can continue to heat up, Kori Cheverie will give her the big-time matchups in the team’s quest for gold.

#35 Ann-Renee Desbiens, G (Montreal Victoire): For Canadian goaltenders, the group stage can be tough to stay focused, consistently outmatching their opponents. Yet, Desbiens was very active on Wednesday against the Finns. In the second period, she was tasked with facing 10 shots on goal, turning them away. The winningest netminder in WWC history earned her fourth career shutout at the tournament.

Finland

#1 Sanni Ahola, G (Ottawa Charge): Outside of that early goal from Kraemer, Ahola played her best game of the group stage. The veteran backstop has had her share of struggles at times against teams like Canada and Team USA, but there is no doubt that Finland would’ve lost by a few more goals if Ahola didn’t make some big saves. Even though she suffered a loss, you have to think this is a little bit of a confidence builder for her.

#6 Jenni Hiirikoski, D: Prior to the game, Finnish defender Jenni Hiirikoski was honored for becoming the first woman to play 100 games at the Women’s Worlds. The veteran, competing in her 17th WWC, celebrated the occasion by leading her team in ice time, logging 21:16 in the loss. Yet, the fact that Hiirikoski is able to play at such a high level for so long is something to behold.

United States 8, Czechia 1

In the United States’ one true “test” of the opening round, the defending world champions passed it with flying colors.

Abbey Murphy kicked things off with her second goal of the tournament, scoring on the team’s first shot on goal just 53 seconds into the game. That was when captain Hilary Knight decided to take over. After giving the U.S. a 2-0 lead late in the first period, Captain America ripped a shot by Aneta Senekova.

That goal sparked a four-goal frame for the Americans, with Muprhy, Grace Zumwinkle and Laila Edwards all adding to the onslaught.

Knight capped off the impressive win by completing the hat trick, giving her a tournament-leading six goals.

The game ended with the teams trading goals, as Alex Carpenter scored for the U.S., while Natalie Mlynkova broke the shutout for Czechia.

The Americans finished the group stage undefeated for the third straight Women’s Worlds. They outshot Czechia 52-11. Aerin Frankel made 10 saves for the U.S., while Senekova, giving Klara Peslarova some rest before the knockout stage, made 44 stops.

Thanks to their loss to Switzerland earlier in the tournament, Czechia, which has made it to the semifinals in each of the past four Women’s Worlds, falls to fourth place in Group A.

United States

#21 Hilary Knight, F (Detroit Clutch): It was an exceptional performance from one of the greatest players of all time. Knight showed, in her 91st WWC appearance, that she can still keep up with the best of them. Her shot and ability to create scoring chances still reign supreme, as she’s on a quest to add another gold to her mantle.

#27 Taylor Fox, F (Minnesota Frost): It’s strange that Fox has yet to find the back of the net so far in this tournament, but she’s still one of the most productive players in the tournament. Her playmaking abilities that make her elite were shown on Wednesday, as the two-time Walter Cup champion posted three assists in the win, giving her eight in the tournament. Not only does that lead all skaters in Denmark, but Fox is now tied for second in tournament scoring with Swedish defender Mira Jungaker, both right behind Caroline Harvey.

Czechia

#4 Daniela Pejsova, D (San Jose Sea Lions): It’s hard to find any positives from what was another disappointing performance from the Czechs. So, I’ll give Pejsova some pity points. The experienced rearguard led the team in ice time, and was only a -1 against the daunting American attack.

Japan 0, Sweden 5

The Swedes continue to gear up for what many believe could be a long run in the knockout stage. Like the U.S., Sweden got on the board on their first shot on goal, with Thea Johansson scoring for the second game in a row. Later in the frame, Mira Jungaker scored her first of the tournament, and her team-leading eighth point. Sweden continued to bombard Japan in the offensive zone, with Ebba Hedqvist making 3-0 before the end of the first.

Damkronoma didn’t let up as the game wore on. Wilma Sundin, who hadn’t dressed for a game in Denmark before Wednesday, posted a pair of goals to add even more distance between the two squads. Sweden was on cruise control from there, solidifying their second-place finish in Group B.

Sweden outshot the Japanese, 41-14. Ebba Svensson Traff picked up her second win of the preliminary round with her first shutout in her Women’s Worlds career. Miyuu Masuhara gave up five goals in a little over 45 minutes of play before Rei Halloran came in relief. Each team went 0-for-1 on the power play.

With the loss, Japan will be relegated to the D1A World Championship for the first time since 2017. They will play Austria in the relegation game on Friday.

Sweden

#13 Wilma Sundin, F: Sundin’s story is something else. Despite having played twice at the Women’s Worlds, and being in the lineup when Sweden qualified for the 2026 Winter Games, the MoDo Hockey product was left off the roster that made it to the bronze medal game in Milan. Yet, the 23-year-old made her way back onto the team ahead of the WWC, and though she didn’t play in the first three games, she made the most of her opportunity, driving Sweden’s offense to victory.

#11 Josefin Bouveng, F (Vegas Vanguards): Bouveng, who was disappointingly quiet at the Winter Games in February, showed the creative juices that made her a star at Minnesota, and an eventual impact player in the PWHL. She registered a pair of assists, including a primary helper on Hedqvist’s marker late in the first. If she can find that next gear, the Swedes will be well on their way to playing for a medal.

Japan

#13 Yumeka Wajima, F: I’ve been impressed watching Wajima over the past couple of years. She might not always get on the scoresheet, but her speed and creativity make her one of Smile Japan’s most exciting players on the offensive end. If she continues to grow alongside some other youngsters on the national team roster, Japan will be back in the top division soon enough.

Standings

Group A

1. USA (4-0-0-0), 12 points
2. Germany (2-1-0-1), 8 points
3. Switzerland (1-1-0-2), 5 points
4. Czechia (1-0-2-1), 5 points
5. Austria (0-0-0-4), 0 points

Group B

1. Canada (4-0-0-0), 12 points
2. Sweden (3-0-0-1), 9 points
3. Finland (2-0-0-2), 6 points
4. Denmark (0-1-0-3), 2 points
5. Japan (0-0-1-3), 1 point

Coming up…

The eight remaining teams get a day off before the quarterfinals take place on Friday. Here are the matchups:

USA v. Denmark
Canada v. Czechia
Germany v. Finland
Sweden v. Switzerland

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