Switzerland
2022 Olympic finish
4th
Lost the bronze medal game 4-0 to Finland
2025 IIHF Women's World Championship finish
5th
Defeated Sweden 3-2 in the 5/6 placement game. Rahel Enzler scored twice and assisted Lara Stalder on the team's third goal.
IIHF World Ranking
5th overall
The IIHF uses results from four years (2022-2025) to determine these rankings. New rankings will be released after the Olympics.
Forwards
Leoni Balzer, Rahel Enzler, Naemi Herzig, Sinja Leemann, Lena-Marie Lutz, Alina Marti , Alina Müller, Kaleigh Quennec, Lisa Rüedi, Vanessa Schaefer, Lara Stalder, Ivana Wey, Laura Zimmermann
Defense
Alessia Baechler, Annic Büchi, Lara Christen, Laure Mériguet, Shannon Sigrist, Nicole Vallari, Stefanie Wetli
Goaltenders
Andrea Brändli, Saskia Maurer, Monja Wagner
Head coach
Colin Muller
He's been at the helm since July 2019.
Recent results against Olympic opponents (last two seasons):
v. USA: L 5-0 (15 April 2025)
v. Canada: L 4-0 (11 April 2025)
v. Finland: W 4-3 (11 December 2025), L 2-1 (5 November 2025), L 5-0 (30 August 2025), L 2-1 (14 April, 2025), L 3-1 (6 February 2025), L 4-0 (13 December 2024), L 3-0 (6 November 2024), L 2-1 (31 August 2024)
v. Czechia: L 2-1 (10 December 2025), L 1-0 (8 November 2025), L 4-3 (SO) (29 August 2025), L 3-0 (9 April, 2025), L 4-2 (8 February 2025), L 2-0 (14 December 2024), L 3-0 (9 November 2024), W 2-1 (SO) (30 August 2024)
v. Sweden: W 4-2 (1 February 2026), L 5-2 (12 December 2025), W 2-1 (SO) (7 November 2025), W 4-0 (28 August 2025), W 3-2 (19 April 2025), W 5-4 (OT) (6 April 2025), L 2-1 (8 November 2024), L 4-1 (29 August 2024)
v. Germany: L 3-2 (OT) (3 April 2025)
(results in italics are from official IIHF tournaments)
Background & Analysis
Watching Switzerland at the last few World Championships, it honestly surprised me to remember that Switzerland took fourth at the last Olympics and is ranked fifth in the IIHF World Rankings. To put it mildly, they've struggled. Coach Colin Muller has not held back his frustrations about the lack of depth (because of a lack of talented players) on his team.
The senior Women's World Championships have continued to have weighted groups (this changes in 2026). Switzerland's only win at each of the last two World Championships was in the 5/6 placement game. That has allowed them to stay in the top group. In 2025, they scored just one goal in group play. It's a shame, really, because Lara Stalder and Alina Müller are spectacular, but they cannot do it alone.
I've been a big fan of Ivana Wey since I saw her at the 2023 IIHF U18 Women's World Championships. She quickly joined the senior team and she's now committed to play at Northeastern next season. Naemi Herzig has had a great start to her collegiate career at Holy Cross and looks to be coming into her own and gaining confidence. Laure Mériguet is the only player who was just at the U-18 Women's World Championships that will now compete in Milan. She's just 17, but she is strong and physical, something she told IIHF reporters in Sydney she thought helped get her named to the senior team. She has played in a senior Worlds and this was her fourth U18 Worlds, having been on the team since she was 14.
The team overall has more players with NCAA experience, which has helped pick up their pace of play and ability to have a more well-rounded game. I do think they can be more competitive, but I'm not sure their development has kept pace with the other middle-of-the-rankings teams. There are slivers of promise, but they need more than that to really break through.
While Andrea Brändli was the main starter at the 2022 Games, Saskia Maurer has continued to pull more and more starting minutes from her. The normally very stout Brändli was very, very not good at the 2025 World Championships. She's having a good season in the SDHL, but is also sharing time there. I don't know that we'll have one goalie take a starting role here. Expect a shared net and for Muller to possibly go with whoever looks to be strongest as the Games move into elimination games.
I'd love to be surprised, but I don't know that there's a lot positive to look forward to here for the Swiss. They do have a young group - they really only put this group together for the last World Championship. They're not very experienced, but they could be setting the group up for better outcomes in the future by getting these players used to the international game early in their careers.
Sweden
2022 Olympic finish
8th
Lost to Canada 11-0 in the quarterfinals.
2025 IIHF Women's World Championship finish
6th
Lost to Switzerland 3-2 in the 5/6 placement game.
IIHF World Ranking
6th
The IIHF uses results from four years (2022-2025) to determine these rankings. New rankings will be released after the Olympics.
Forwards
Josefin Bouveng, Nicole Hall, Mira Hallin, Ebba Hedqvist, Sara Hjalmarsson, Lisa Johansson, Thea Johansson, Lina Ljungblom, Sofie Lundin, Hanna Olsson, Hilda Svensson, Hanna Thuvik, Felizia Wikner-Zienkiewicz
Defense
Jessica Adolfsson, Linnéa Andersson, Mira Jungåker, Ida Karlsson, Anna Kjellbin, Maja Nylén-Persson, Jenna Raunio
Goaltenders
Tindra Holm, Emma Söderberg, Ebba Träff Svensson
Head coach
Ulf Lundberg
Since March 2020
Erika Holst has already been announced as the new head coach for the program and will take over after the Olympics.
Recent results against Olympic opponents (last two seasons):
v. Finland: L 2-1 (OT) (8 November 2025), L 5-2 (29 August 2025), L 3-2 (17 April 2025), L 3-2 (SO) (4 April 2025), W 2-1 (15 December 2024), L 3-1 (9 November 2024), W 7-5 (30 August 2024)
v. Czechia: W 4-1 (5 November 2025), L 2-1 (30 August 2025), W 3-0 (13 December 2024), L 2-1 (OT) (6 November 2024), L 6-3 (31 August 2024)
v. Switzerland: L 4-2 (1 February 2026), W 5-2 (12 December 2025), L 2-1 (SO) (7 November 2025), L 4-0 (28 August 2025), L 3-2 (19 April 2025), L 5-4 (OT) (6 April 2025), W 2-1 (8 November 2024), W 4-1 (29 August 2024)
v. Japan: W 2-0 (13 April 2025)
v. Germany: W 5-2 (9 April 2025)
(results in italics are from official IIHF tournaments)
Background & Analysis
I can't be the only one who finds Sweden a little baffling. But somehow the individual talent of this team never seems to come together as more than the sum of its parts. It feels like there is massive potential here, but they have not yet come close to reaching it.
Twenty years ago in Italy, Sweden upset the Americans in the semifinals and won silver, but that was their last medal in the Olympics. It would certainly make for a great narrative if they could take a big step forward at the 2026 games. With this roster, they should be clear favorites to win Group B, but as those results above show, this team has struggled with Switerland in particular. Sweden plays a physical game - that was true before the SDHL added more legal contact. They'll have to be careful with that here so it doesn't lead to penalty trouble. But they are stronger and more solid on their skates overall than Switzerland, they have more depth and they are solid on defense and in the net.
With Hilda Svensson leading the way, this team has to become more offensive. She has been a stalwart of this senior since she was 16. Now she's got 2/3 of an NCAA season under her belt and she showed that she had no problem making the transition. She's among the highest scorers not just among freshman, but across all skaters this season. She has been particularly good at dishing the puck and setting up teammates at Ohio State, but I think she needs to be more focused on shooting and putting the puck to the net in Milan.
But the rest of the forwards have all had convincing seasons. Scoring simply should not be an issue for the Swedes here and if it is, I think they have a lot of questions to answer about why it's not coming together Thea Johansson has taken a big step up in her game after transferring to Minnesota Duluth, Josefin Bouveng continues to be a great complement to Abbey Murphy at Minnesota. Hanna Thuvik is third in the SDHL in goals with Lisa Johansson (6th) and Ebba Heqvist also in the top 10.
It will be interesting to see how Sweden splits time in net. Emma Söderberg has been a stalwart for them for awhile, but Ebba Träff Svensson has been spectacular with Linköping and also got several starts throughout the Women's Euro Hockey Tour. She might be the future that we get to see starting to shine now.
Being in Group B puts them in a tough spot. Winning the group means playing the third best team on Group A, which will likely be Czechia or Finland, both teams they've had little success against in recent years. But they have to start somewhere with climbing up. They have a really great group of young, but internationally experienced players that are just starting to hit their prime. They have to take advantage and not waste any of the opportunity available to them.
(Sweden Photo: Tre Kronors/FB, Switzerland Photo: Swiss Ice Hockey/FB)
