The 2023-2024 iteration of the USA-Canada women's hockey Rivalry Series kicks off this week, with the first game on Wednesday, November 8 at 7:30 PM Mountain time (9:30 PM Eastern) at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona. The teams will then travel to Los Angeles, California for a 1:00 PM Pacific (4:00 PM Eastern) matchup at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, November 11. Both games will be broadcast on NHL Network.
The Rivalry Series will continue with two games in Ontario in December, followed by a pair of games in Saskatchewan in February. The final game will be in Minnesota, also in February. These rosters only apply to the November games as there may be changes to future matchups.
Canada Roster
| NO. | NAME | POS. | DOB | S/C | HOMETOWN | CURRENT TEAM/ RIGHTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Ashton Bell | D | 12/7/1999 | R | Deloraine, MB | Ottawa (PWHL) |
| 40 | Blayre Turnbull | F | 7/15/1993 | R | Stellarton, NS | Toronto (PWHL) |
| 19 | Brianne Jenner | F | 5/4/1991 | R | Oakville, ON | Ottawa (PWHL) |
| 17 | Ella Shelton | D | 1/19/1998 | L | Ingersoll, ON | New York (PWHL) |
| 26 | Emily Clark | F | 11/28/1995 | L | Saskatoon, SK | Ottawa (PWHL) |
| 27 | Emma Maltais | F | 11/4/1999 | L | Burlington, ON | Toronto (PWHL) |
| 23 | Erin Ambrose | D | 4/30/1994 | R | Keswick, ON | Montreal (PWHL) |
| 25 | Jaime Bourbonnais | D | 9/9/1998 | R | Mississauga, ON | New York (PWHL) |
| 47 | Jamie Lee Rattray | F | 9/30/1992 | L | Kanata, ON | Boston (PWHL) |
| 16 | Jessica DiGirolamo | D | 2/13/1999 | L | Mississauga, ON | Boston (PWHL) |
| 9 | Jessie Eldridge | F | 12/17/1997 | R | Barrie, ON | New York (PWHL) |
| 3 | Jocelyne Larocque | D | 5/19/1988 | L | Ste. Anne, MB | Toronto (PWHL) |
| 88 | Julia Gosling | F | 2/21/2001 | L | London, ON | St. Lawrence Univ. |
| 43 | Kristin O’Neill | F | 3/30/1998 | L | Oakville, ON | Montreal (PWHL) |
| 7 | Laura Stacey | F | 5/5/1994 | R | Kleinburg, ON | Montreal (PWHL) |
| 29 | Marie-Philip Poulin | F | 3/28/1991 | L | Beauceville, QC | Montreal (PWHL) |
| 14 | Renata Fast | D | 10/6/1994 | R | Burlington, ON | Toronto (PWHL) |
| 10 | Sarah Fillier | F | 6/9/2000 | R | Georgetown, ON | Princeton Univ. |
| 20 | Sarah Nurse | F | 1/4/1995 | L | Hamilton, ON | Toronto (PWHL) |
| 2 | Sophie Jaques | F | 10/16/2000 | R | Toronto, ON | Boston (PWHL) |
| 30 | Corinne Schroeder | G | 8/17/1999 | L | Elm Creek, MB | New York (PWHL) |
| 38 | Emerance Maschmeyer | G | 5/10/1994 | L | Bruderheim, AB | Ottawa (PWHL) |
| 50 | Kristen Campbell | G | 11/30/1997 | L | Brandon, MB | Toronto (PWHL) |
Unsurprisingly, this Canada roster includes most of the same roster we saw in Brampton for Worlds earlier this year. Sarah Fillier, Sarah Nurse, and Marie-Philip Poulin, Canada's top three scorers at Worlds, are back in the red & white, as are mainstays like Renata Fast, Jocelyne Larocque. and Laura Stacey.
For the most part, this is an already well-proven roster. Nearly the entire team is likely destined to play in the PWHL in the coming months, with just two current NCAA players. Sarah Fillier is, of course, no surprise, since she's been representing Canada since 2016 and has recorded 11 points at each of the last two Worlds tournaments. She already has eight points in seven games with Princeton this season. Julia Gosling has only represented Canada a few times previously, but had 46 points last season with St. Lawrence and is on an even better pace this season, with 21 points in 11 games.
It is interesting and refreshing to see a few new names pop up on the Hockey Canada radar. Jessica DiGirolamo, for one, spent last season with Team Adidas in the PWHPA following five years at Syracuse. She captained the team her senior year before returning for a fifth season and ended her NCAA career with 95 points in 163 games. This will be her first time representing Canada on the international stage.
The same is true of Corinne Schroeder, who basically gave Hockey Canada no choice but to consider her after an outstanding season with the PHF's Boston Pride last season. In 22 games, she had a 1.67 GAA and .955 save percentage and went 19-1-0. The former Boston University & Quinnipiac netminder had a 1.69 GAA and 14 shutouts in her five years playing NCAA hockey. It's great to see her finally get a chance, and this could be a stepping stone towards a tournament roster spot for her in the future.
A few members of the Worlds team have been left off this iteration of the Rivalry Series roster, including Natalie Spooner, Rebecca Johnston, Micah Zandee-Hart, and Ann-Renee Desbiens. Spooner's play at Worlds was extra special, considering she was just four or so months postpartum. Johnston is now serving as a player development and grassroots hockey coordinator with the NHL's Calgary Flames.
USA Roster
| NO. | NAME | POS. | DOB | S/C | HOMETOWN | CURRENT TEAM/RIGHTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Cayla Barnes | D | 1/7/1999 | R | Eastvale, Calif. | Ohio State University |
| 23 | Hannah Bilka | F | 3/24/2001 | L | Coppell, Texas | Ohio State University |
| 24 | Natalie Buchbinder | D | 1/12/1999 | R | Fairport, N.Y. | PWHL Minnesota |
| 25 | Alex Carpenter | F | 4/13/1994 | L | North Reading, Mass. | PWHL New York |
| 17 | Britta Curl | F | 3/20/2000 | L | Bismarck, N.D. | University of Wisconsin |
| 7 | Lacey Eden | F | 5/2/2002 | R | Annapolis, Md. | University of Wisconsin |
| 14 | Laila Edwards | F | 1/25/2004 | R | Cleveland, Ohio | University of Wisconsin |
| 31 | Aerin Frankel | G | 5/24/1999 | L | Chappaqua, N.Y. | PWHL Boston |
| 10 | Becca Gilmore | F | 2/15/1998 | R | Wayland, Mass. | PWHL Ottawa |
| 6 | Rory Guilday | D | 9/7/2002 | L | Minnetonka, Minn. | Cornell University |
| 15 | Savannah Harmon | D | 10/27/1995 | L | Downers Grove, Ill. | PWHL Ottawa |
| 27 | Taylor Heise | F | 3/17/2000 | R | Lake City, Minn. | PWHL Minnesota |
| 29 | Nicole Hensley | G | 6/23/1994 | L | Lakewood, Colo. | PWHL Minnesota |
| 36 | Gabbie Hughes | F | 10/4/1999 | L | Lino Lakes, Minn. | PWHL Ottawa |
| 22 | Tessa Janecke | F | 5/12/2004 | L | Warren, Ill. | Penn State University |
| 5 | Megan Keller | D | 5/1/1996 | L | Farmington Hills, Mich. | PWHL Boston |
| 21 | Hilary Knight | F | 7/12/1989 | R | Sun Valley, Idaho | PWHL Boston |
| 30 | Abbey Levy | G | 4/2/2000 | L | Congers, N.Y. | PWHL New York |
| 37 | Abbey Murphy | F | 4/14/2002 | R | Evergreen Park, Ill. | University of Minnesota |
| 12 | Kelly Pannek | F | 12/29/1995 | R | Plymouth, Minn. | PWHL Minnesota |
| 11 | Abby Roque | F | 9/25/1997 | R | Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. | PWHL New York |
| 16 | Hayley Scamurra | F | 12/14/1994 | L | Buffalo, N.Y. | PWHL Ottawa |
| 38 | Anna Wilgren | D | 11/11/1999 | L | Hudson, Wis. | University of Wisconsin |
| 8 | Haley Winn | D | 7/14/2003 | R | Rochester, N.Y. | Clarkson University |
| 13 | Grace Zumwinkle | F | 4/23/1999 | R | Excelsior, Minn. | PWHL Minnesota |
By and large, this United States team includes most of the big-name talents you'd expect to see, including most of the gold-medal-winning World Championships team – but there will also be some new faces on the ice.
Wisconsin sophomore forward Laila Edwards will make her debut, becoming the first Black woman to represent the United States on the senior national team. The 19-year-old has 14 points (3G, 11A) in 10 NCAA games this season, after putting up 27 points in 41 games last year. She previously appeared in the 2022 U18s as an alternate captain and scored eight points in just five games.
Also from Wisconsin, defender Anna Wilgren will skate in her first Team USA event since the 2022 Collegiate Series and her first senior Rivalry Series event. She also previously participated in the 2021 "My Why" Tour and was invited to the 2022 Olympic residency program & 2021 national team selection camp. As of writing, she has 11 points (1G, 10A) in 10 NCAA games this season.
Natalie Buchbinder also make her return to the national team for the first time since the 2022 Collegiate Series. She previously participated in the 2019-20 Rivalry Series and won a silver medal at the 2021 Worlds and gold at the 2017 U18s. Buchbinder recently finished her collegiate career at Wisconsin and was drafted by PWHL Minnesota.
Just as the United States has a lot of talent on this roster, there's also a fair bit of talent that we won't see at the November Rivalry Series games. Kendall Coyne Schofield hasn't played since December 2022 and will return to the ice in regular competition next year with PWHL Minnesota for the first time since giving birth to her son in July. Amanda Kessel has taken a year away from playing hockey to focus on her full-time job with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
Other notables missing: Lee Stecklein, Hannah Brandt, Jincy Roese (Dunne), Jesse Compher, Maureen Murphy, and Maddie Rooney. Also sitting out the November series is Wisconsin sophomore Caroline Harvey, who led all skaters with 14 points in seven games at the last Worlds.
Predictions?
Like last year's Rivalry Series, I'd expect this year's iteration to be a closely-matched contest for the most part. Last year, the United States won the first three meetings before dropping the final four games to Canada. Four of the seven games were decided by one goal, including one overtime and one shootout decision.
The United States has more new faces, and is generally younger/less experienced, but both teams already have plenty of chemistry. Expect that to ramp up further in the 2024 games, as many of these players will also be playing with or against one another in the PWHL.
The Rivalry Series is also a great opportunity for both teams to try out different personnel and experiment with matchups outside of an actual IIHF tournament. It's competitive, but also a little looser than we might see in official competition – which is part of the fun.
These are the top teams in international women's hockey; they're going to play hard, they're going to be fast and skilled, and they're not going to give one another a lot of space to work with. It'll be exciting hockey, regardless of who ends up winning.