U.S. names 26-player roster for 1st leg of Rivalry Series vs. Canada
The United States announced its 26-player roster for the first three games of the 2024-25 Rivalry Series versus Canada on Wednesday.
The group features 24 players who represented the U.S. at the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship, when the country claimed silver and fell to Canada in the gold-medal game. The roster also includes 17 PWHL players, five of whom were selected in this past summer's draft.
Team USA will clash with Canada on Nov. 6 in San Jose, Nov. 8 in Utah, and Nov. 10 in Idaho. The final two games of the series are scheduled for Feb. 6 in Nova Scotia and Feb. 8 in Prince Edward Island.
There have been four editions of the Rivalry Series since 2018-19. The United States has lost back-to-back events despite holding a 3-0 series lead on both occasions.
Forwards
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Hannah Bilka | Boston (PWHL) |
| Alex Carpenter | New York (PWHL) |
| Kendall Coyne Schofield | Minnesota (PWHL) |
| Britta Curl | Minnesota (PWHL) |
| Joy Dunne | Ohio State (NCAA) |
| Lacey Eden | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| Laila Edwards | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| Taylor Heise | Minnesota (PWHL) |
| Gabbie Hughes | Ottawa (PWHL) |
| Tessa Janecke | Penn State (NCAA) |
| Hilary Knight | Boston (PWHL) |
| Abbey Murphy | Minnesota (NCAA) |
| Kelly Pannek | Minnesota (PWHL) |
| Hayley Scamurra | Ottawa (PWHL) |
| Kirsten Simms | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| Grace Zumwinkle | Minnesota (PWHL) |
Team USA's forward group features eight skaters who weren't on the roster for the final leg of last year's Rivalry Series, which featured PWHL players exclusively.
There's plenty of talent here, including four PWHL players who just won the Walter Cup with Minnesota - Coyne Schofield, Heise, Pannek, and Zumwinkle. Heise also won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award after leading the way with five goals and eight points in 10 postseason games. Zumwinkle, meanwhile, was named PWHL Rookie of the Year for her sparkling season that saw her rank third in the league with 11 goals - including the PWHL's first-ever hat trick - and seventh with 19 points in 24 outings.
On top of Coyne Schofield, there are other iconic veterans in the mix like Carpenter, who was a finalist for the PWHL's Billie Jean King MVP and Forward of the Year award last season, and Knight.
Both Bilka and Curl have played in the Rivalry Series before, as well as major international events, but they were just drafted into the PWHL, going fourth and ninth overall, respectively.
The U.S. hopes Heise will stay healthy for the entirety of the Rivalry Series, as the star got hurt in Game 7 in February and missed five games of the PWHL season with an upper-body injury.
Defenders
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Cayla Barnes | Montreal (PWHL) |
| Rory Guilday | Cornell (NCAA) |
| Savannah Harmon | Ottawa (PWHL) |
| Caroline Harvey | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| Megan Keller | Boston (PWHL) |
| Ally Simpson | New York (PWHL) |
| Haley Winn | Clarkson (NCAA) |
The United States' blue line features four PWHLers, including two fresh faces in Barnes and Simpson, who were taken fifth and 16th overall at this summer's draft, respectively. Barnes, 25, is new to the PWHL, but she's been part of the U.S. national team dating back to the 2018 Olympics.
Harvey, meanwhile, has yet to be drafted into the PWHL but is a fixture of Team USA on the international stage. The 21-year-old star has appeared in four Women's World Championships as well as the 2022 Olympics, and she already has four silver medals and one gold to her name.
Keller was named a finalist for PWHL Defender of the Year during the league's inaugural season. She finished the campaign with 11 assists and 15 points - third most among all blue-liners - in 24 outings while averaging just over 25 minutes of playing time per game. The 28-year-old was also a plus-9 on the season, the best rating for her position.
Goaltenders
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Aerin Frankel | Boston (PWHL) |
| Nicole Hensley | Minnesota (PWHL) |
| Gwyneth Philips | Ottawa (PWHL) |
Both Frankel and Hensley bring tons of experience on the international stage, with the former serving as the United States' primary starter at the past two Women's World Championships.
The two netminders also squared off during the PWHL's inaugural Walter Cup Final in May. Frankel was outstanding in the postseason, logging a .953 save percentage and 1.45 goals against average in eight appearances while serving as the backbone of Boston's inspired run. Hensley, meanwhile, registered a .945 clip and 1.06 goals against average across five games and posted a 17-save shutout to clinch the Walter Cup for Minnesota in Game 5 versus Boston.
Philips was taken 14th overall by the Ottawa Charge at the 2024 PWHL Draft in June and was the first goalie off the board. She won a silver medal with the U.S. at the women's Worlds in April, though she didn't see any game action. The 24-year-old is a product of Northeastern University, where she owns a career .958 save percentage in 104 appearances.