The IIHF Women’s World Championship is coming back to upstate New York for the first time in three decades, as the reigning world champion Team USA will host the world’s top women’s players in the 23rd edition of the tournament from 03-14 April, with all games held at the Adirondack Bank Centre in Utica.

Group A returns to its usual status quo, with Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Czechia joined by Finland returning to the top group, with the final tilt between Canada and the U.S. expected to determine top of the group, with Canada looking to avoid a repeat disappointment in 2023, with their epic Rivalry Series comeback and group round victory over the Americans all for naught, after a definitive 6-3 U.S. win in the Gold Medal Game. The ever-improving Czechs will be the wild-card of this group, not looking just for their third straight Bronze medal, but to share echoes of Finland à la Espoo 2019 and upset one of the big two, especially with Czechia hosting the Worlds for the first time next season in the Bohemian city of České Budějovice.

Group B has Japan returning down a level, facing off against Sweden, Germany, and the newly promoted Denmark and China, with only the top three squads qualifying for the medal rounds. There is a strong likelihood that it will be the Danes and Chinese being relegated after just a one-year stay on the top, particularly in China’s case, after the team made the stunning announcement that dual-citizen players, many of whom helped China return to the Top Division for the first time in 15 years, would no longer be eligible to play. The Japanese, Swedes and Germans, with relegation unlikely, will instead look to play spoiler in the Quarterfinals, looking to book a ticket to Group A in 2025, and help their chances of qualifying for the 2026 Olympics.

Click here to see the full World Women’s Championship schedule

From the perspective of the IHLC, a few interesting facts related to this year’s Women’s World Championship, starting on 03 April:
– Canada enters as incumbent IHLC champions for the third straight year, and for the seventeenth time in tournament history (1990-2000, 2005, 2007-09, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022-24)
– Team USA is looking to win its second consecutive Gold for the first time since 2015, when they won their second of five straight World Championship titles (2013-19)
– this will be the fifth time the United States will host (1994, 2001, 2012, 2017, 2024), and just the second tournament hosted in the state of New York, after Lake Placid hosted in 1994
– this year’s tournament sees the return of China and Denmark to the Top Division for the first time since 2009 and 2022, respectively, replacing relegated France and Hungary in Group B
– this year’s tournament standings will dictate the first six qualification spots for the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy, with the hosts, Canada and the United States already having booked their tickets; the three remaining spots will be decided in a final qualification tournament in February 2025
– returning stars from 2023’s tournament include tournament MVP, Top Forward and tournament All-Star Sarah Fillier (Canada), Top Defender and tournament All-Star Caroline Harvey (United States), Top Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens (Canada), and All-Stars Marie-Philip Poulin and Renata Fast (Canada), Emma Söderberg (Sweden) and Petra Nieminen (Finland)

Photo Credit: 2023 Women’s World Championship – IIHF – HHOF – IOC