Top division tournament underway April 5-16 in Brampton, Ontario
BOSTON, MA – (April 5, 2023) – The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) is proud to announce that 10 players from the 2022-23 PHF season have been named to official rosters for the 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World Championship. The top division tournament features 10 countries competing April 5-16 in Brampton, Ontario.
The 10 players are spread across four different national teams and represent six of the PHF’s seven clubs. Czechia has five PHF players on their roster including Isobel Cup champions Dominika Lásková and Tereza Vanišová of the Toronto Six, Minnesota Whitecaps forward Denisa Křížová, Connecticut Whale forward Kateřina Mrázová, and Boston Pride defender Aneta Tejralová. Hungary has three PHF players with Montreal Force defender Taylor Baker, and Metropolitan Riveters forwards Réka Dabasi and Fanni Gasparics. Riveters defender Sarah Forster is competing with Switzerland, and Pride forward Becca Gilmore is suiting up for the United States.
“Congratulations to all players who have earned the opportunity to represent their countries on the world stage,” said Reagan Carey, PHF Commissioner. “The PHF is not only the best home for professional women’s hockey but a league that is committed to supporting players in their pursuit of national team goals throughout our entire season. The World Championship annually brings out the best in international ice hockey and we look forward to the elevated competition among the competing nations and seeing many of our stars shine brightly in Brampton.”
This marks the first World Championship appearance for Gilmore who made her U.S. National Women’s Team debut during this season’s Rivalry Series against Canada. Forster is the most experienced of the group, skating in her eighth World Championship with Switzerland dating back to 2012 where she won bronze in her first senior event. The PHF players on Czechia’s roster all have previous top division tournament experience including Křížová and Tejralová suiting up for the seventh time, Mrázová for the sixth time, and Lásková for the fourth time. All four were members of the historic bronze medal winning team at the 2022 event in Denmark. Vanišová, the Isobel Cup overtime hero and winner of three-straight PHF titles, returns for her sixth tournament and first since 2021. Hungary is competing in the top division for the third straight year with Dabasi and Gasparics a part of each team, while Baker returns for her second straight tournament.
42 PHF players from the 2022-23 season have senior national team experience including a record 21 international athletes from outside of North America. A total of 19 PHF players have won World Championship medals including six gold medal winners from the United States. That list includes Stephanie Anderson (Minnesota) in 2015, Shiann Darkangelo (Toronto) in 2016, Amanda Pelkey (Metropolitan) in 2016 and 2017, Kali Flanagan (Boston) in 2017, Sydney Brodt (Minnesota) in 2019, and Melissa Samoskevich (Connecticut) in 2019. Pelkey is one of six PHF players with multiple World Championship medals along with Finland’s Minttu Tuominen (Metropolitan) who has won four bronze and one silver, Eveliina Mäkinen (Metropolitan) and Emma Nuutinen (Buffalo) both with two bronze and a silver, plus Anna Kilponen (Metropolitan) and Meeri Räisänen (Connecticut) both with two bronze medals. American Jillian Dempsey (Boston) won silver in 2012, Canadians Ann-Sophie Bettez (Montreal) and Loren Gabel (Boston) won bronze in 2019, plus the aforementioned bronze medalists Forster, Křížová, Lásková, Mrázová, and Tejralová.
The 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship begins with a preliminary round-robin with 10 teams in two, tiered, five-team groups. Group A consists of the top-five ranked nations in Canada, USA, Czechia, Switzerland, and Japan. Group B includes Finland, Sweden, Hungary, Germany, and France. All five Group A teams and the top-three Group B teams will qualify for the quarterfinals. TSN is providing live coverage of the entire tournament with Toronto Six president Sami Jo Small serving as both an analyst and panelist. For more information visit iihf.com.
About the Premier Hockey Federation
The PHF is the home of professional women’s hockey in North America. Established in 2015 as the National Women’s Hockey League, the NWHL rebranded to become the PHF in 2021 and provide opportunities for elite athletes to earn a living playing the game they love while fueling the continued growth of the sport. The league is made up of the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, Montreal Force, and the Toronto Six who all compete annually for the Isobel Cup. As part of a two-year agreement with ESPN, live coverage of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 PHF seasons is available exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States, and provides international rights for games which includes TSN in Canada. For more information visit premierhockeyfederation.com.
