The five teams that will compete in Group B in women’s ice hockey at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics enter the tournament with different goals and expectations. Two-time medalist Sweden leads the way, followed by Japan, Germany, France and host Italy.

These Olympics mark the last major women’s international hockey event to feature tiered groups, a format that debuted at the 2012 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Starting with the 2026 Worlds this November in Denmark, the groups will be balanced. 

While that means that all five Group A teams automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, the stakes are much higher in Group B – only three of the five will advance. Finishing first in Group B is a significant benchmark as well – the team that does that will face the third-place team from Group A, thereby (probably) avoiding Canada or the USA.  

Sweden

The last time the Winter Olympics were held in Italy, the Swedes took home silver medals – their second of four straight top-four finishes. Not quite the powerhouse it once was, Sweden had to qualify for Milano-Cortina 2026 last February on home ice, outscoring Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands 16-0.

The only remaining link from those Swedish teams is defender Anna Kjellbin, who was on the 2014 team that finished fourth in Sochi. Kjellbin and winger Lisa Johansson are the only two players over the age of 27 on this young squad that features seven NCAA collegiate players in addition to four from the PWHL and 12 from the domestic SDHL. 

PWHLers include Kjellbin, fellow defender Maja Nylen Persson, and forwards Sara Hjalmarsson and Lina Ljungblom. If they are to get far in this tournament, the Swedes will rely heavily on the goaltending of Emma Soderberg, a two-time NCAA Goaltender of the Year and a 2023 Women’s World Championship tournament all-star. 

For the Swedes, who have finished sixth or seventh in each of the last four Women’s Worlds, anything less than winning this group will be a disappointment. However, if they manage to do that and break through with a quarter-final upset over the No. 3 seed (probably Czechia or Finland), these Olympics will be a resounding success. 

Japan

Participants in the last three Winter Olympics, Japan was a heavy favourite to re-qualify and easily did so, outscoring France, Poland and China 17-2 on home ice last February.

Four years ago in Beijing, Japan won Group B thanks to a memorable shootout win over Czechia, and ultimately finished sixth. In the last six World Championships and in every Olympics they’ve played in, the Japanese women have finished between fifth and eighth, and that’s the range they figure to fall into here. Their last Group B game against Sweden could be a big one to determine top spot, but they won’t want to look past their other opponents – particularly Germany, which has given Japan trouble in recent years.

This team is experienced internationally, with several returnees from Beijing and three players – defenders Shiori Koike and Ayaka Hitosato and forward Rui Ukita – who will be playing in their fourth Olympics. Four SDHL players – Hitosato, Haruka Toko and sisters Akane and Aoi Shiga – will face teammates in the game against Sweden. 

Twenty-four-year-old goalie Miyuu Masuhara was the third-stringer in Beijing but has since established herself as Japan’s starter. She played in all five games at the Women’s Worlds in Czechia and should get the lion’s share of work in Milan.

Germany

Thanks to winning a qualifying tournament on home ice in Bremerhaven last February over Hungary, Austria and Slovakia, the German women are back in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. At the Women’s Worlds, Germany has been in the top division since 2017 and is coming off an eighth-place finish last year in Czechia, finishing right behind Sweden and Japan.

The Germans should be in good shape to make the quarter-finals and might have thoughts of moving up in the group if Sandra Abstreiter can duplicate her goaltending performance from the 2024 Women’s Worlds, where Germany beat Sweden and Japan to top Group B, then lost just 1-0 to Czechia in the quarters.

Abstreiter is one of three PWHLers on the German team, the others being Canadian-born defender Nina Jobst-Smith and right winger Laura Kluge. This young team also has four NCAA players, including 23-year-old twins Lilli and Luisa Welcke, and two forwards under the age of 18.

France

France will be competing in the women’s Olympic tournament for the first time this year, having made it by being the highest-ranked second-place finisher at last year’s qualifiers. The French travelled to Tomakomai, Japan, where they beat Poland and China but lost 7-1 to Japan. 

France has played in the top division of the Women’s Worlds twice, most recently in 2023, and has played in Division I Group A ever since. 

France’s roster is a mix of players from several leagues, including the EWHL, Finland’s tier-two Auroraliiga, Sweden’s tier-two HockeyAllsvenskan, the NCAA and Canada’s Usports. The most notable name is left winger Chloe Aurard-Bushee, who played two seasons for the PWHL’s New York Sirens but now plays for the ZSC Lions in Switzerland. 

Alice Philbert, a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal who formerly played tier-three and tier-four men’s hockey in France, is the team’s starting goaltender. The team’s captain is imposing 190cm (6’2”) forward Lore Baudrit. 

Italy

The last time Italy hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006 in Turin is the only previous time Italy has played in the women’s Olympic hockey tournament. That year, the Italians were outscored 32-1 by Canada, Sweden and Russia. The tiered groups should make the scores more respectable this time around, but Italy will still be in tough to win a game – the opener on 5 February against France might be the best shot.

After playing in Division I Group B in the last three Women’s World Championships, Italy won the group last year and will play in Division I Group A this year in Hungary, where their opponents will include France. 

Like France, the Italian roster has players spread across many countries in Europe and North America.

Matilde Fantin, a 19-year-old freshman at Penn State University, led last year’s 1A tournament with 10 points in five games, and could be Italy’s offensive leader this tournament and for years to come, while Kristina Guerrero, formerly of St. Lawrence University, led all defenders with eight points. Goaltender Martina Fedel, who was born in Italy and raised in Sweden, currently plays in Canada at the University of Guelph.