Hillary Knight is set for her fifth Olympic appearance and will lead a young, dynamic U.S. Women’s National Team that is a favorite to win gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month.
The 36-year-old Knight headlined USA Hockey’s 23-player Olympic women’s list released on Friday. It’s a group that returns just 11 members from the silver medal-winning team at the 2022 Beijing Games and includes several newcomers, highlighted by defender Layla Edwards.
The 21-year-old Wisconsin senior from Cleveland is set to become the first Black female hockey player to compete for the US at the Olympics.
“It still hasn’t really started yet. It’s a dream come true to get that call,” Edwards said. “Always dreamed of playing in the pros, but the biggest dream was definitely to go to the Olympics.”
As for Knight, she will set the US women’s hockey record for most Winter Games appearances after winning gold and three silver medals in 2018. The Seattle Torrents captain previously announced that these would be her final winter games, although she plans to continue her PWHL career.
The US roster includes several familiar faces, including forward Kendall Coyne Scofield and defender Lee Stecklein, who will both compete in their fourth Winter Games. Other returnees include forwards Alex Carpenter and Kelly Panek and defenders Megan Keller and Caroline Harvey, who at age 23 is completing her senior season at Wisconsin.
The roster has been otherwise overhauled under coach John Wroblewski, who emphasized youth movement when he was hired in June 2022.
The Americans relied mostly on veterans and looked to be a step back in Beijing under former coach Joel Johnson, going 5-2 with both losses to Canada.
Seven players on this year’s team are still competing in college, with 20-year-old Ohio State forward Joey Dunn being the youngest. The goalkeeper trio is also new, with projected starter Erin Frankel, projected backup Gwyneth Phillips and third-stringer Ava McNaughton set to make their Olympic debuts.
Wroblewski’s imprint on the roster was especially evident in the most recent rivalry series, in which the Americans won all four games, outscoring the Canadians by a combined margin of 24–7. The United States is also the defending world champion after a 4–3 overtime win against Canada in April.
The Americans open the Olympics on Feb. 5 facing Czechia, with the gold medal game scheduled for Feb. 19.
The United States is favored to win its third Olympic gold medal and first since defeating Canada at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. The Americans also won the inaugural Olympic women’s tournament in Nagano in 1998, while the Canadians won gold medals in the other five Olympic competitions.
Marking the first Olympics since the PWHL launched in 2024, the now eight-team league is expected to raise the level of international competition and bridge the gap between the two global powerhouses: the United States and Canada.
There are 16 PWHL players on the US roster.
