Hilary Knight, Taylor Heise highlight USA’s roster for 2025 Women’s World Championship
The United States is bringing a stacked lineup to Czechia next month.
On Wednesday, USA Hockey announced the roster that will be representing the red, white and blue at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
We've got our group for the 2025 #WomensWorlds! 🇺🇸
Full roster announcement: https://t.co/QOFXZU6vPT pic.twitter.com/zaBTzT8ZfA
Along with 14-time world championship medalist Hilary Knight, national team mainstays Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, Aerin Frankel and Megan Keller are leading the team that hopes to avenge last year’s loss in the gold medal game on home ice.
There have been some notable changes compared to last year’s team, and the squad the Americans iced during the Rivalry Series this season. Arguably, the most notable absence from the roster is goaltender Nicole Hensley. She had been the No. 2 behind Aerin Frankel for the past few years, but has really struggled in the PWHL with the Minnesota Frost, playing her way off the team.
That opens the door for University of Wisconsin netminder Ava McNaughton to join the senior national team for the first time. The 20-year-old was on the U.S. College Select roster at the Four Nations Tournament earlier this season and is expected to be third string behind Frankel and Ottawa Charge netminder Gwyneth Philips.
Also, Boston Fleet forward Hannah Bilka was kept off the roster. The former Ohio State star has been out of action since suffering an undisclosed injury during the Rivalry Series in January and is expected to be out for an extended period of time.
She’ll be joined on the back end by Lee Stecklein, who is rejoining the national team for the first time since the team won gold at the 2023 Women’s Worlds.
Anna Wilgren will also be making her Women’s Worlds debut. The Montreal Victoire defender has been impressive this season, getting some ice time during the Rivalry Series as well.
Other notable names on the roster include Patty Kazmaier Award favorites Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards from the University of Wisconsin, along with University of Minnesota star Abbey Murphy.
General manager of the women’s national team and director of women’s national programs for USA Hockey, Katie Million, says picking the roster wasn’t easy.
“The 25 players selected to represent the U.S. bring skill, talent and passion on the ice,” Million said in a release. “The depth of our player pool never makes these decisions easy, but we’re excited to shift our focus on bringing a gold home from Czechia.”
Longtime head coach John Wroblewski is confident about his team’s chances heading into the tournament.
“The team we’ve selected brings a level of excitement and skill to the ice,” Wroblewski said. “We’re confident in this group and excited to head to České Budějovice.”
The U.S. begins tournament play on Wednesday, April 9, against Finland. They will once again be in Group A along with Canada, Switzerland and host Czechia.
For the full Team USA roster, click here.