2023 Womens Worlds and U18 Women’s Worlds

[slapshot willy]

What do you think of the "youth" movement on Team USA? Was that what made a difference?

Obviously, Hillary Knight was the answer in the gold medal game, but we were missing some big names that have been a part of this team for many years.

I honestly think it did. USA had 10 players born 1999 or earlier vs Canada’s 3. USA Hockey giving the younger ones a chance to show what they can bring to the table at that level. USA also had a Worlds selection camp, Canada did not. The younger USA players were on the ice more than Canada’s younger ones, but having more younger ones like the USA did allows this to happen.

USA went with youth and some guidance from some veterans which is smart for the future.

 

[TovarishchLisa]

Not long after the GMG last night, the third tier Worlds tournament began in Suwon, with a fair few collegiate ties:

-Yale All-American Pia Dukarič is Slovenia's starter, made 50 saves in their first game (a 2-0 loss to Poland).

-BU's Nadia Mattivi and Maine's Anna Caumo are playing for Italy, as is UVM alumna Chelsea Furlani. Also a Canadian college link in goalie Martina Fedel, and Marta Mazzocchi is committed to Division III Trinity.

-Two current D-III players suiting up for South Korea - starting goalie Bee Huh-eun (Connecticut College) and defender Kang Si-hyun (Norwich), as well as USports' Park Yee-un of Toronto Metro. Also has one US college alum (Park Yoon-jung, of Gustavus Adolphus) and one Canadian college alum (Danelle Im, who split time between Wilfred Laurier and Toronto Metro).

-Great Britain has three current D-III players (Lucy Beal and Aimee Headland of Norwich, and Castleton's Emily Harris), along with one current USports (Univ of Calgary's Ella Howard, serving as the backup goalie to the reliable Nicole Jackson). Also, forward Chamonix Jackson is committed to SUNY-Canton, forward (and player of the game in their 1-0 group opening win over Kazakhstan) Kathryn Marsden spent two years at Trinity College, and Katherine Gale is a former player with the U of Toronto.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

Also, forward Chamonix Jackson is committed to SUNY-Geneseo.

Geneseo does not have a women's team.

 

[Still Eeyore]

Geneseo does not have a women's team.

She must really want the education.

 

[Scott_TG]

She must really want the education.

Chamonix is committed to SUNY Canton not Geneseo.

 

[TovarishchLisa]

Chamonix is committed to SUNY Canton not Geneseo.

Brainfart, it's been fixed haha. Knew it was a SUNY but screwed it up in my head.

Pia Dukaric putting on a show for Slovenia...less than 24 hours after saving 50 against Poland, she saves 56 in a 2-1 win over Kazakhstan.

 

[BowWowWow]

Pia Dukaric putting on a show for Slovenia...less than 24 hours after saving 50 against Poland, she saves 56 in a 2-1 win over Kazakhstan.

I'm glad to hear that she's finding success with Slovenia. She is an excellent source of confidence for the Yale squad.

 

[Split-N]

What do you think of the "youth" movement on Team USA? Was that what made a difference?...

Looks like Aerin Frankel (x-Northeastern) has the top goalie slot tied up for the foreseeable future.

 

[ARM]

Looks like Aerin Frankel (x-Northeastern) has the top goalie slot tied up for the foreseeable future.

I wouldn't conclude that. USA doesn't win gold in 2018 if Rooney had yielded three goals in regulation. Goaltending is always hard to predict. It comes down to who is hot coming into a tournament or even on that day.

 

[Timothy A]

Looks like Aerin Frankel (x-Northeastern) has the top goalie slot tied up for the foreseeable future.

Let's see Rigsby in full post childbirth condition first. Where is Rooney at?

 

[BowWowWow]

Where is Rooney at?

Rooney is listed with the national evaluation camp roster as playing in the PWHPA.
In 2022-23, I see that she appears to have played in 9 games, posting 5 wins (1 shutout) and a .911 save %. Frankel was her teammate on adidas; Frankel's stats appear to be especially good, though, including a .937 save %.

 

[Lindsay]

Rooney is listed with the national evaluation camp roster as playing in the PWHPA.
In 2022-23, I see that she appears to have played in 9 games, posting 5 wins (1 shutout) and a .911 save %. Frankel was her teammate on adidas; Frankel's stats appear to be especially good, though, including a .937 save %.

There seems to be a lost generation within USA Hockey, inevitably due to CWHL folding, covid, PHF holdout (which advanced opportunities for others at personal sacrifice), and the overall issue that there are way more qualified players than there are spots on the USA team.

It’s exciting that USA Hockey has a youth movement I guess, but it wasn’t so long ago that Rooney, Brandt, Cameranesi, and Pankowski were the youth movement and what’s their status now? Should Bilka et Al be worried? Compher and Zumwinkle just graduated and didn’t make this team, Britta Curl barely got to play.

Interesting that Canada didn’t even have a camp and Spooner and Johnson made the team.

 

[D2D]

Compher and Zumwinkle just graduated and didn’t make this team, Britta Curl barely got to play.

I was surprised the third leading scorer in the nation, a Top 10 Patty Kazmaier finalist (Zumwinkle) - playing on the second line, didn't make it. And I fully realize there were a half-dozen or more others, with similar credentials, who didn't make the roster as well.

 

[Lindsay]

Spooner was a media or publicity thing.

Starts playing in January 2023 while players in both PHF and PWHPA who are probably part of the HC selection pool are left off the roster or not even considered even after playing a full season. There’s also players who were in the Rivalry Series and the players who were on the 2022 IIHF gold medal team that were left off this recent roster.

And no camp, very strange.

Agreed on Spooner. Obviously a narrative HC wants but anyone who really follows the sport knows she can’t be the best option at this point, no matter how hard she worked or talented she is.

 

[ARM]

It’s exciting that USA Hockey has a youth movement I guess, but it wasn’t so long ago that Rooney, Brandt, Cameranesi, and Pankowski were the youth movement and what’s their status now?

Cameranesi is on record as having retired, I think around the time that she got married. With the current state of professional opportunities, I can't blame anyone who opts to retire fairly young. Especially someone like her, who has realized all of the dreams she likely had when she started out to play hockey. Stecklein apparently was going to retire a few years back, but Joel Johnson convinced her otherwise. That's good for USA Hockey, as she is one of the few D they have who actually seems content to act primarily like a defenseman. More in line with what Larocque has been doing for Canada for eons.

 

[Scott_TG]

Cameranesi is on record as having retired, I think around the time that she got married. With the current state of professional opportunities, I can't blame anyone who opts to retire fairly young. Especially someone like her, who has realized all of the dreams she likely had when she started out to play hockey. Stecklein apparently was going to retire a few years back, but Joel Johnson convinced her otherwise. That's good for USA Hockey, as she is one of the few D they have who actually seems content to act primarily like a defenseman. More in line with what Larocque has been doing for Canada for eons.

I wonder if the PHF's doubled cap can lure some players out of retirement? 35 year old Kacey Bellamy just got $125k from CT, just shy of what Toronto agreed to give 23 year old Daryl Watts.

 

[Chaffron]

I wonder what the score would have been in the gold medal game if Desbiens hadn't played? Maybe the US would have put up double digits?

Perhaps. Not Desbiens's best game in the final but it's not all her fault. First, the Canadian team's powerplay was awful. Really terrible. A problem that was never corrected throughout the tournament by the coach who was assigned PP duties. Secondly, at least two veterans on this team played poorly and they were on the top lines. Thirdly, they can't close out a game at all. I can't believe they gave up 4 unanswered goals in the third period. I also shake my head at how many mistakes they made which led to odd man rushes which led to goals. So many odd man rushes. They looked like they got worse as the tournament went on. All downhill after the QF game against Sweden.

I wonder if the trajectory of this team canada coach will mirror that of Laura Schuler in 2018. Some of the same warning signs as two quadrennials ago. Like the fact that other than Fillier, this team is finding it hard to score goals.

I will find it very hard to want to watch another quadrennial where this team struggles to score goals.

 

[BowWowWow]

Today the IIHF announced seven finalists here for Female Player of the Year. This award will be given for the first time this year (on June 1), and there's going to be a Male Player of the Year award too.

Candidates must have competed in an IIHF tourney and top domestic league. The finalists and their respective affiliations are Sarah Fillier (Canada - Princeton), Caroline Harvey (USA - Wisconsin), Jenni Hiirikoski (Finland - Swedish league), Hilary Knight (USA - PWHPA), Nela Lopusanova (Slovakia U18 - Slovak league), Marie-Philip Poulin (Canada - PWHPA), and Emma Soderberg (Sweden - UMD). Seems they're also accepting write-ins from the voters.

As a second piece of news, in late April, Division 1B concluded, and the Directorate awards for that tourney have gone to Pia Dukaric for Best Goalkeeper (Slovenia - Yale), Nadia Mattivi for Best Defender (Italy - BU), and Park Jong-ah for Best Forward (South Korea - Korean league).

 

[Timothy A]

Today the IIHF announced seven finalists here for Female Player of the Year. This award will be given for the first time this year (on June 1), and there's going to be a Male Player of the Year award too.

Candidates must have competed in an IIHF tourney and top domestic league. The finalists and their respective affiliations are Sarah Fillier (Canada - Princeton), Caroline Harvey (USA - Wisconsin), Jenni Hiirikoski (Finland - Swedish league), Hilary Knight (USA - PWHPA), Nela Lopusanova (Slovakia U18 - Slovak league), Marie-Philip Poulin (Canada - PWHPA), and Emma Soderberg (Sweden - UMD). Seems they're also accepting write-ins from the voters.

As a second piece of news, in late April, Division 1B concluded, and the Directorate awards for that tourney have gone to Pia Dukaric for Best Goalkeeper (Slovenia - Yale), Nadia Mattivi for Best Defender (Italy - BU), and Park Jong-ah for Best Forward (South Korea - Korean league).

Harvey...."In NCAA play, she helped the University of Wisconsin Badgers with the Frozen Four championship." Yeah, her skate sharpening and stick taping was very helpful. At least try and do these players right and try and have a person older than a 4th grader write this stuff, knowledge of hockey is a plus.

 

[BowWowWow]

Harvey...."In NCAA play, she helped the University of Wisconsin Badgers with the Frozen Four championship." Yeah, her skate sharpening and stick taping was very helpful. At least try and do these players right and try and have a person older than a 4th grader write this stuff, knowledge of hockey is a plus.

Ha, I see that! They may have meant to say she helped the Badgers "win the Frozen Four"? That would be more fitting, though, yes, these stories could be much better.