The International Ice Hockey Federation’s Under-18 Women’s World Championship is an important development opportunity for many of the game’s rising stars. The 2023 event wrapped up on Sunday with Canada winning a second-straight gold medal in a 10-0 win over host Sweden, while the United States claimed bronze in a 5-0 victory against Finland.
A total of 55 current Premier Hockey Federation players used this event to gain valuable experience representing their countries on the world stage, before their professional careers. This works out to over 35% of the entire player pool and includes 11 members of the Minnesota Whitecaps, 10 Metropolitan Riveters, eight from the Boston Pride and Toronto Six, seven Connecticut Whale, six Buffalo Beauts, and five Montreal Force.
The list includes talent from eight different national programs including 21 players from Canada, 17 from the United States, five from both Czechia and Finland, two from Austria, Hungary, and Sweden, plus one from Switzerland.
Of the 55 PHF players, 46 have won medals competing in the event’s top division. Those 46 players have in fact combined for 61 different medals including 33 gold, 21 silver, and seven bronze. Since the event was introduced in 2008, current PHF players can be found on at least one medal-winning roster in 11 consecutive events through 2018.
Seven current PHF players are double WU18 gold medal winners, while three players have won two gold and one silver including Boston’s Becca Gilmore, Amanda Pelkey from the Riveters, and Minnesota’s Patti Marshall.
The 2015 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team has the most gold medal winners from the PHF with seven. The 2014 event featured the most PHF medal winners with 16 including six Canadian gold, seven American silver, and three bronze from Czechia.
2022-23 PHF Players with WU18 Experience:
Boston Pride (8):
Sammy Davis (USA) 2015 Gold
Jillian Dempsey (USA) 2009 Gold
Kaleigh Fratkin (CAN) 2009 Silver
Kayla Friesen (CAN) 2016 Silver
Élizabeth Giguère (CAN) 2015 Silver
Becca Gilmore (USA) 2016 Gold, 2015 Gold, 2014 Silver
Corinne Schroeder (CAN) 2017 Silver
Aneta Tejralová (CZE) 2014 Bronze, 2013, 2012, 2011
Buffalo Beauts (6):
Samantha Fieseler (CAN) 2014 Gold
Jessica Healey (CAN) 2014 Gold
Antonia Matzka (AUS) 2017 D1, 2016 D1, 2015 D1
Emma Nuutinen (FIN) 2014, 2013, 2012
Kassidy Sauvé (CAN) 2014 Gold
Jenna Suokko (FIN) 2013, 2012, 2011 Bronze
Connecticut Whale (7):
Tori Howran (CAN) 2016 Silver
Caitrin Lonergan (USA) 2015 Gold, 2014 Silver
Kateřina Mrázová (CZE) 2010, 2009, 2008 Bronze
Melissa Samoskevich (USA) 2015 Gold, 2014 Silver
Tori Sullivan (USA) 2014 Silver
Shannon Turner (CAN) 2010 Gold
Janine Weber (AUS) 2009 D1
Metropolitan Riveters (10):
Ebba Berglund (SWE) 2016 Bronze
Katie Burt (USA) 2015 Gold, 2014 Silver
Réka Dabasi (HUN) 2014, 2013, 2012 D1
Sarah Forster (SUI) 2011, 2010, 2009
Fanni Gasparics (HUN) 2012 D1
Anna Kilponen (FIN) 2013, 2012, 2011 Bronze
Eveliina Mäkinen (FIN) 2013
Madison Packer (USA) 2009 Gold, 2008 Gold
Amanda Pelkey (USA) 2011 Gold, 2010 Silver, 2009 Gold
Minttu Tuominen (FIN) 2008
Minnesota Whitecaps (11):
Stephanie Anderson (USA) 2010 Silver
Sydney Baldwin (USA) 2014 Silver, 2013 Silver
Amanda Boulier (USA) 2011 Gold
Sydney Brodt (USA) 2016 Gold
Ashleigh Brykaliuk (CAN) 2013 Gold, 2012 Gold
Olivia Knowles (CAN) 2017 Silver, 2016 Silver
Denisa Křížová (CZE) 2012, 2011, 2010
Patti Marshall (USA) 2016 Gold, 2015 Gold, 2014 Silver
Ronja Mogren (SWE) 2019, 2018 Silver
Sidney Morin (USA) 2013 Silver
Natalie Snodgrass (USA) 2016 Gold, 2015 Gold
Montreal Force (5):
Catherine Daoust (CAN) 2013 Gold
Catherine Dubois (CAN) 2013 Gold, 2012 Gold
Alexandra Labelle (CAN) 2014 Gold
Sarah Lefort (CAN) 2012 Gold
Brooke Stacey (CAN) 2014 Gold
Toronto Six (8):
Elaine Chuli (CAN) 2012 Gold
Lindsay Eastwood (CAN) 2015 Silver
Shiann Darkangelo (USA) 2011 Gold
Dominika Lásková (CZE) 2014 Bronze, 2013, 2012
Saroya Tinker (CAN) 2016 Silver
Tereza Vanišová (CZE) 2014 Bronze, 2013, 2012
Breanne Wilson-Bennett (CAN) 2014 Gold
Taylor Woods (CAN) 2012 Gold
Medal History of 2022-23 PHF Players at WU18:
2008 CALGARY, CAN
- USA GOLD: Madison Packer (MET)
- CZECHIA BRONZE: Kateřina Mrázová (CTW)
2009 FUSSEN, GER
- USA GOLD: Jillian Dempsey (BOS), Madison Packer (MET), Amanda Pelkey (MET)
- CANADA SILVER: Kaleigh Fratkin (BOS)
2010 CHICAGO, USA
- CANADA GOLD: Shannon Turner (CTW)
- USA SILVER: Stephanie Anderson (MIN), Amanda Pelkey (MET)
2011 STOCKHOLM, SWE
- USA GOLD: Amanda Boulier (MIN), Shiann Darkangelo (TOR), Amanda Pelkey (MET)
- FINLAND BRONZE: Anna Kilponen (MET), Jenna Suokko (BUF)
2012 ZLIN & PREROV, CZE
- CANADA GOLD: Ashleigh Brykaliuk (MIN), Elaine Chuli (TOR), Catherine Dubois (MON), Sarah Lefort (MON), Taylor Woods (TOR)
2013 HEINOLA & VIERUMAKI, FIN
- CANADA GOLD: Ashleigh Brykaliuk (MIN), Catherine Daoust (MON), Catherine Dubois (MON)
- USA SILVER: Sydney Baldwin (MIN), Sidney Morin (MIN)
2014 BUDAPEST, HUN
- CANADA GOLD: Samantha Fieseler (BUF), Jessica Healey (BUF), Alexandra Labelle (MON), Kassidy Sauvé (BUF), Brooke Stacey (BUF), Breanne Wilson-Bennett (TOR)
- USA SILVER: Sydney Baldwin (MIN), Katie Burt (MET), Becca Gilmore (BOS), Caitrin Lonergan (CTW), Patti Marshall (MIN), Melissa Samoskevich (CTW), Tori Sullivan (CTW)
- CZECHIA BRONZE: Dominika Lásková (TOR), Aneta Tejralová (BOS), Tereza Vanišová (TOR)
2015 BUFFALO, USA
- USA GOLD: Katie Burt (MET), Sammy Davis (BOS), Becca Gilmore (BOS), Caitrin Lonergan (CTW), Patti Marshall (MIN), Melissa Samoskevich (CTW), Natalie Snodgrass (MIN)
- CANADA SILVER: Lindsay Eastwood (TOR), Élizabeth Giguère (BOS)
2016 ST. CATHARINES, CAN
- USA GOLD: Sydney Brodt (MIN), Becca Gilmore (BOS), Patti Marshall (MIN), Natalie Snodgrass (MIN)
- CANADA SILVER: Kayla Friesen (BOS), Tori Howran (CTW), Olivia Knowles (MIN), Saroya Tinker (TOR)
- SWEDEN BRONZE: Ebba Berglund (MET)
2017 ZLIN & PREROV, CZE
- CANADA SILVER: Olivia Knowles (MIN), Corinne Schroeder (BOS)
2018 DMITROV, RUS
- SWEDEN SILVER: Ronja Mogren (MIN)
In addition to players, several PHF staff have WU18 experience. During commissioner Reagan Carey’s tenure as USA Hockey’s director of women’s hockey, the U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team earned five gold medals (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and four silver medals (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014). Marissa Halligan, lead, league operations developer, previously served as USA Hockey’s manager, women’s ice hockey, covering nine WU18 championships from 2008-19.
For Canada’s Women’s Narional Under-18 Team, Mel Davidson, director, league and hockey operations, was head coach at the inaugural event in 2008 where she earned a silver medal, and served as general manager of Canada’s program in 2009 and again from 2014-17. Lisa Haley, senior vice president of hockey operations, was an assistant coach when Team Canada won U18 gold in 2010, then served as head coach in 2016 and earned silver.
Brianna Decker, team and player development advisor, won back-to-back gold as a player for Team USA in 2008-09 and served as an assistant coach for the 2023 team that won a bronze medal in Sweden.
