2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey quarterfinal preview: Czechia vs. Sweden
The quarterfinals of the women’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics are here. One of the most intriguing matchups in the early days of the knockout stage pits Czechia against Sweden.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Czechia hung on for a third-place finish in Group A, despite winning just one game in the preliminary round. Their shutout win over Finland was enough to give them a matchup against a Group B opponent, as the Czechs lost to both the United States and Canada, handily, and suffered a stunning shootout loss to Switzerland.
Sweden trekked out its best team at the Olympics since the last time the Winter Games were in Italy, which happened to be when the Swedes took home the silver medal. While they were in the lesser Group B, Damkronoma looked by far the better team, winning all four games and finishing first, outscoring their opponents 18-2. It marked the first time Sweden went unbeaten in the preliminary round at the Olympics.
WHEN THEY LAST MET
Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Czechs and Swedes at the Winter Games. The last time these two met in a major international competition came during the group stage of the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship, which saw Czechia win 3-0 on its way to the bronze medal.
TOP SCORERS
Czechia
Natalie Mlynkova, 4 pts
Barbora Jurcikova, 2 pts
Kristyna Kaltounkova, 2 pts
Seven players with one point
Sweden
Thea Johansson, 6 pts
Hanna Olsson, 6 pts
Sara Hjalmarsson, 5 pts
Hanna Thuvik, 4 pts
Lisa Johansson, 4 pts
SCOUTING REPORT
Czechia
Czechia has been a country on the rise for several years and has brought an exceptional roster to Italy. Led by PWHL Rookie of the Year frontrunner (and potential MVP candidate) Kristyna Kaltounkova, the Czechs have a solid forward group that includes Natalie Mlynkova and Tereza Vanisova. However, in going up against the best in Group A, they haven’t had the chance to get consistent offense.
They have some players on the D-Corps, but if Czechia wants to make it to the semifinals, they’ll need top-notch goaltending from Klara Peslarova, who helped the nation win back-to-back bronze medals in 2022 and 2023.
In just their second Olympic appearance, the Czechs are looking to play for a medal for the first time.
Sweden
As I said, some of Sweden’s numbers might be a little inflated based on the level of competition it saw in the group stage, However, the team used the first three contests as an opportunity to fine-tune its game for when things really heat up. Milan has been Thea Johansson’s coming-out party. The Minnesota Duluth senior has been effective from the opening day of the tournament.
Defensively, Maja Nylen Persson and Mira Jungaker lead a strong blue line, while Ebba Svensson Traff has taken over the starting role in goal from Emma Soderberg, and has done so admirably. In three games, she posted a 0.67 goals-against average, a .964 save percentage and a shutout.
Damkronoma hasn’t played in an Olympic semifinal since that Cinderella run in 2006.
BURNING QUESTIONS
Will Czechia bounce back after a disappointing group stage?
I think some of us might’ve been a little too high on Czechia heading into Milan. That loss to the U.S. quickly showed that the Czechs still have some work to do to hang with the best in the world. It’s not easy going from facing teams in the top group to Group B, but Czechia will need to come together if they want to make it to the final four.
Is Sweden about to turn to prominence?
It has been a long time since the Swedes have been considered a true medal contender. They came close at the 2023 WWC, taking Canada to OT in the quarterfinals. However, Sweden has mostly struggled against the top countries on the international stage for the past two decades. Yet, with a strong team and renewed confidence, anything can happen in a single-elimination game.
PREDICTION
I might’ve been riding the Czech bandwagon heading into this tournament, but I’m jumping off and hitching my trailer to Sweden. With the level of goaltending they’ve received and the confidence this team has shown early on, I think they pull off the upset.
Czechia and Sweden are set to do battle on Friday in Milan, with puck drop scheduled for 10:40 a.m. ET.