2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey Preview: Italy
They say there’s no bigger pride than donning your nation’s colors on the Olympic stage. For several members of the Italian women’s ice hockey team, they will have the chance to do that next month on home ice.
Italy has a mix of both homegrown players and nationalized talent, with some even having notable experience on the international stage. The team might face an uphill battle to get out of the group stage, but they sure are going to put up a fight.
LOOKING BACK TO 2006
Yep, it has been that long since Italy’s women’s team played in the Olympics. The last time the Olympics were held in the country marked the only time the Italians competed. Things didn’t quite go so well for the hosts back in Turin. Having to go up against the likes of Canada, Russia and Sweden, the Italian scored just one goal, finishing last in the eight-team tournament.
While Italy automatically qualified for the Olympics, what might give the team a little bit of confidence heading into this year’s tournament is how they performed last spring. With much of the same roster, Italy finished first in the IIHF Women’s D1B World Championship, earning promotion to the second tier of the Women’s Worlds.
OFFENSE
Similar to some of the other European teams, there’s a ton of familiarity on this roster. On top of training together in Montreal leading up to the Winter Games, a lot of this team had been playing for the EV Bozen Eagles of the European Women’s Hockey League, only deepening the camaraderie with this core.
One of the many North American-born athletes playing for Azzurre is Kristin Della Rovere. Currently on the Toronto Sceptres’ reserve list, the Ontario native moved to Italy, and made an immediate impact with the Eagles, leading the EWHL with 48 points in 20 games last year. It was just a couple of years ago that the 25-year-old was playing with the Ottawa Charge during their inaugural season, but she elected to set aside her pro career to have a shot at playing in the Olympics.
Kayla Tutino brings a plethora of experience to the Italian roster. The Real Torino forward was an exceptional scorer at Boston University alongside Marie-Philip Poulin, and was part of some pretty good Montreal Canadiennes teams in the old Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
I’m really excited to see what Matilde Fantin can do on the Olympic stage. The Como native has been with the senior national team since she was 16, and led all skaters in scoring during the D1B worlds last year with 10 points in five games. She’s had a great start to her freshman season at Penn State. In seeing some time in the top six, Fantin has potted eight goals and 10 assists for 16 points, sitting tied for fifth on the team in goals, despite not having played with the team since Jan. 3.
Lack of scoring depth might be one of the team’s biggest concerns heading into Milan. While Manuela Heidenberger and Anna Caumo have shown they can produce on the international stage, it might be tough for them to excel against some of the strong teams in their group.
DEFENSE
The top four for Azzurre doesn’t look too bad, all things considered. First off, they have someone who has been here before and has been successful. Laura Fortino is best remembered for helping Team Canada win gold in Sochi in 2014, while also taking home a silver four years later. An assistant coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs, she started play in in Italy not long after the PWHL was formed, and now is gearing up for her third Olympics, wearing different colors. There’s no question that her ability and experience will be important for Italy.
Another Montreal native, Kristen Guerriero has been a solid player at both ends of the rink, as shown in the EWHL and the Swiss Women’s Hockey League. She was second in scoring for Italy at Worlds last year, and has been over a point-per-game player with EV Bozen for the past two seasons.
I can’t believe I almost forgot to mention team captain Nadia Mattivi. The reigning SDHL Defender of the Year has been a key part of Luleå HF’s success ever since she graduated from Boston University, where she also captained the Terriers for two seasons. Another blueliner who is reliable and tough to play against in her own zone, while having great vision and awareness on the offensive end.
From there, the talent sort of tails off. Amie Varano, a native of Duxbury, Mass. has been a solid defender with the Malmo Redhawks for the past few years, and Franziska Stocker has also been playing the NDHL, Sweden’s second-tier league, but they might be in tough if caught out against some of Sweden, Japan and Germany’s top offensive weapons.
GOALTENDING
Martina Fedel has been the backbone of the Italians for several years. She posted shutouts in all four games she played during last year’s Women’s Worlds, and has been one of the best backstops in the D1B tournament in the past two tournaments. On top of her play on the world stage, the Trento native has been one of the best netminders in the OUA with the University of Guelph. Along with posting at least 10 wins in her past three seasons, she’s never had a goals-against average above 1.50, nor a save percentage below .930.
If Fedel isn’t up to par, don’t be surprised if 19-year-old Margherita Ostoni gets a sniff of the net. She came close to helping Italy’s U-18 team earn promotion to the top division at the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship twice. She’s performed well in her first season and change in the NDHL with Haninge Anchors HC and IF Björklöven.
COACHING
While Stephanie Poirier was the one behind the Italian bench for the past couple of years, helping the team earn promotion at the Women’s Worlds, Italy’s general manager and Montreal Victoire GM, Danièle Sauvageau, made the decision to hire Eric Bouchard, formerly an assistant with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataracts.
While Bouchard has only been with the program since October, he brings in a list of experience, especially in the women’s game. Along with working for Shawinigan and the Val-d’Or Foreurs, the 33-year-old was also an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiennes of the old Canadian Women’s Hockey League for two seasons. He had the chance, at one time, coach the likes of Emerance Maschmeyer, Marie-Philip Poulin, Caroline Ouellette and Melodie Daoust. Not to mention Kayla Tutino, who played for Montreal in 2017-18.
While he hasn’t been with the team long, having the chance to help the team train for the past couple of months will give him the familiarity to help lead the team into the Olympics.
BURNING QUESTION
Does Italy have enough to get more than one win?
Italy is just one of two hosts not to win a game in a women’s hockey tournament. As I said earlier, the odds were stacked against them in 2006. That said, unlike other countries, many players have pushed their club careers aside to centralize and train as a group in Montreal. Also, with the team playing in the lesser Group B, the door is open for the team to make some noise.
Sure, beating Sweden and Germany is a tough ask, even for the nationalized players. However, Japan isn’t as strong as it has been in the past, and France is a wild card. If this team can get a couple of goals from the likes of Tutino and Della Rovere, along with some timely saves, Azzurre might not just get one victory, but two on home ice.
PREDICTION
While picking up a victory isn’t completely out of reach for the Italians, getting out of the group stage will be a tall order. They just don’t have the depth to match up with Sweden, and scoring on German netminder Sandra Abstreiter is tough enough for any team. I think Japan’s talent might be too much for Italy, but I like their odds against France. The quarterfinals aren’t a reality for the host nation, but a win and a fourth-place finish in the group is certainly attainable.
FULL ROSTER
Forwards
Aurora Enrica Abatangelo (HC Davos, SWHL A)
Eleonora Bonafini (EV Bozen Eagles, EWHL)
Anna Caumo (HC Pustertal Junior, Italy)
Kristin Della Rovere (EV Bozen Eagles, EWHL)
Matilde Fantin (Penn State, NCAA)
Manuela Heidenberger (HPK, Auroliga)
Sara Kaneppele (EV Bozen Eagles, EWHL)
Marta Mazzocchi (ASD Aosta Gladiators, Italy)
Greta Niccolai (HC Ambrì-Piotta, SWHL A)
Justine Reyes (MoDo Hockey, SDHL)
Rebecca Roccella (HC Davos, SWHL A)
Carola Saletta (HC Fribourg-Gottéron, SWHL A)
Kayla Tutino (Real Torino, Italy)
Defenders
Laura Fortino (Real Torino, Italy)
Kristen Guerriero (EV Bozen Eagles, EWHL)
Laura Lobis (SV Kaltern-HC Caldaro, Italy)
Nadia Mattivi (Luleå HF, SDHL)
Jacqueline Pierri (EV Bozen Eagles, EWHL)
Franziska Stocker (Sodertalje, NDHL)
Amie Fielding Varano (Malmo Redhawks, NDHL)
Goaltenders
Gabriella Francesca Durante (Real Torino, Italy)
Martina Fedel (University of Guelph, U SPORTS)
Margherita Ostoni (IF Björklöven, NDHL)
PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE
- Thursday, Feb. 5: Italy vs. France, 8:40 a.m. ET
- Saturday, Feb. 7: Sweden vs. Italy, 8:40 a.m. ET
- Monday, Feb. 9: Japan vs. Italy, 6:10 a.m. ET
Tuesday, Feb. 10: Italy vs. Germany, 10:40 a.m. ET