Forza Italia: One player's bold Olympic hockey move

During Women's History Month in March, theScore is publishing stories that illustrate how women in sports lead, inspire change, and navigate their careers.

Kristin Della Rovere never imagined her hockey journey would take her to the Italian Alps, especially after she was part of the PWHL's history-making inaugural season.

The Italian stands aren't packed like they are in North America, and there's no roaring crowd like her former team, the Ottawa Charge, drew at TD Place arena. Women's hockey looks different in Europe, but Della Rovere's chasing a different dream now. With the Milan Winter Games under a year away, the 24-year-old from Caledon, Ontario, is using her family's Italian heritage to earn a spot on the Olympic team. But to be considered, she must first play in Italy for a full season. And while she's doing that with the Bozen Eagles in Bolzano, she's come to appreciate there's something about being there that makes her feel connected. Not just to the game but to a deeper part of herself.

It wasn't an easy choice to leave the PWHL as it was finding its stride, but Della Rovere saw an opportunity to aim for the world's biggest stage. She knows now she made the right call. "The PWHL will hopefully be there forever," she said. "This opportunity was now or never."

Della Rovere leaned on the support of family and friends to make the decision, weighing the kind of choice that could alter her career's trajectory. The PWHL is the pinnacle of women's hockey in North America, an undeniable stage for the best in the world. But Italy offered something different: an opportunity to expand her game, embrace her heritage, and play a leadership role in a growing hockey culture.

"My brother was the one who said, 'Just because you're making one decision doesn't mean you're closing the door on something else,'" she said.

Her new team plays both in the 11-team European Women's Hockey League (EWHL) and the eight-team Italian domestic league. She led the EWHL in scoring with 22 goals and 48 points in 20 regular-season games as Bozen finished third and lost in the playoff semifinals. But her primary goal is clear: "Right now, the hope is just to crack the (Olympic) roster and earn that honor."

While she does that, she's raising the bar for the athletes around her. "She came in with the professionalism and high standards that come from North American hockey," said teammate Jacquie Pierri, a 34-year-old from New Jersey who, like Della Rovere, played college hockey in the Ivy League (at Brown).

"When I heard Kristin was going to play with us, I was surprised, but obviously very excited to be able to coach such a high-level player," her coach Stefano Dapra said via email.

That surprise wasn't unwarranted. Della Rovere established herself in North America. She was captain at Harvard, where she played for five years, before moving to Ottawa for the PWHL's first season with her childhood best friend Zoe Boyd. Despite a season-ending injury last year, Della Rovere developed a reputation for contributing grit to Ottawa's depth. She was a player expected to thrive in North America's growing professional women's hockey ecosystem.

In Italy, she plays a different role. "In my opinion, she can make Italian women's hockey grow a lot," Dapra said. "Not only for those who play on the same team, but also for the other players who see the level that can be reached - not only with talent but with sacrifice and great work ethic."

While Della Rovere mainly centered Ottawa's fourth line during her PWHL season, in Italy she's on the top line. "Della adapted immediately to the new technical reality, showing great commitment and seriousness despite coming from a top technical background like the PWHL," Dapra said. "Playing in the EWHL allowed her to keep a good level and make a decisive impact on the team results and her personal performance."

Her line alone accounted for over 120 points in 20 games. Her vision, her ability to create opportunities, and her relentless work ethic haven't just been lifting her own game - they're transforming those around her.

"It's not just about skill; it's the way she approaches every practice, every shift, every interaction with her teammates," Pierri says. "She brings a lot of offensive prowess that the team really needs. And experience and poise."

While Della Rovere's contributing to Italian hockey, the country's giving something back to her. Her dad's family is from Italy's south and many extended family members are still there. But it wasn't until she moved to Italy that she truly felt that heritage and understood how the culture fits into her own childhood memories and the person she's becoming.

"It's really cute seeing all the nonnas (Italian grandmothers) over here. There are a lot of things I've realized from this culture and living here that are things my nonna brought into our household growing up," Della Rovere said. "She lived with us and spoke broken English and one thing she would always do is keep tissues in her sleeve. It's not something I see a lot of people in North America doing. But here, I notice it all the time. It's those little things that remind me of her."

Della Rovere's immediate family has also taken the opportunity to revisit its roots. "My family's been able to visit, and we share those moments together sometimes," she said. "I can connect with my roots and my nonna and my dad on a different level now."

In her travels playing in the EWHL, Della Rovere meets female athletes from across Europe and a lot of them want to know: what's the PWHL like?

"They see the fans, the lights, the skill - I always get questions about the level of hockey and how hard it is," she said. "And some of the girls went to train in North America over the summer so they always ask me if I got to play against (Marie-Philip) Poulin."

For Della Rovere, those questions allow her to see the bigger picture of the growth in women's hockey. "In the moment last year, there were a lot of hard moments. Being here and hearing the excitement from other people, I know that not only is the game growing in North America, but it's growing in the world."

Della Rovere's part of that growth, but the true test for her chances with the senior Italian team will come at the Division I (Group B) world championship in Scotland in April - her official debut for Italy in an IIHF tournament. Italy's been in Division I since 2012 but hasn't been able to rise to the top division with Canada and the United States.

"I think she's really going to crush it," Pierri said.

After that, the Olympics loom. And while Italy isn't yet a powerhouse in the women's game, there's still national pride on the line, especially as host nation. The last time Italy hosted in 2006, the women's team scored only one goal (vs. Russia) in its three pool-play games and was trounced 16-0 by Canada, registering only five shots on goal in the defeat.

"For the national team, with the Olympics on the horizon, it's very important to have six or seven players of Kristin's level," Dapra said. "Certainly, Della will be one of the strengths of our team at the Olympics. Her experience and skills will allow her to be an important reference point for her teammates and a leader on the ice."

Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.