The women's ice hockey game at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has come to an end, with different sense of achievement and goals, all 10 teams have left Beijing, and they can use these gains to the World Championships in August this year, which is also the first time that the top group of the ISA Women's Ice Hockey World Championships has been held in the Winter Olympic Year.
Let's take stock of the performances of the 10 teams and their preparations for this spring and summer.
Canada - Gold Medal
Pauline was at the peak of his career, followed by Filil. Debian is the well-deserved number one goalkeeper. Defender Thompson began to grow. And Nas, Jenner, Spooner. Canada needs to move on and do more to reproduce such wonderful performances.
United States - Silver Medal
Americans don't panic, but at the same time they are second in the world. Need to be replaced? It was a tough choice, and the two players they performed best at the Beijing Winter Olympics were veteran Knight and Schofield. Head coach Joel Johnson struggled to give the two rising stars Harvey and Dunn enough playing time. Management needs to restructure the team for reassessment. The options are all open.
Finland - Bronze Medal
The start was slow and hot, but eventually won the bronze medal again, and many young talents emerged from the team. They are still well-deserved European champions. Sirikowski is still the one she is, and Suzanne Tapani is a world-class player. Is Nora Letty's time really over? Is Kesara the gateway to the future? Finland is full of geniuses who can create a core team to beat the Top Two in North America. They need time and opportunities to gain valuable experience and increase their self-confidence.
Switzerland - 4th place
They have a brilliant goalkeeper, Brundley, and a first-team squad that can compete with any team – Miller Staard Stenz. But they need a second group that can score, a third group that can block the best players from other teams. In the backline, Kristen performed well. The Swiss have pulled away from the team behind them, but need to prove themselves to be a consistent opponent who can challenge the Finns.
Russian Olympic Committee – 5th place
They have some talented players, but they have lost to Switzerland in the knockout rounds in the last two tournaments. Lucinikova and Katilova are two rising stars and Sorokina still has a great performance in front of goal. The Russian Olympic Committee and Switzerland continued to compete behind Finland, but thanks to careful preparation for the competition and a stronger fighting spirit, they prevailed.
Japan – 6th
In the past big games, the Japanese team was lucky if they could score one or two goals. In their first five World Championships, they have won only two and lost 20. In their previous three Winter Olympics, they have won only two and lost 13. But at the 2022 World Championships, they won four games to finish sixth, and in Beijing, they won three of their first four games (only one in a free-kick shootout). This project has been going on for a long time and has proven to improve – but it will take time. The Japanese have reached a point where they can compete with the Europeans.
Czech Republic – 7th place
Peslarova is a good starting point for the Czech Republic in front of the goal. The 25-year-old is at the peak of her career and can give her team a chance to win in every game. Vanishova has a great Winter Olympics, scoring two goals and scoring six points. The 26-year-old has a lot of international experience, with teammates like Mills and Kzhirova, whose core guarantees that the team has a very good future. But as in all emerging countries, the problem is the same – they need more cores.
Sweden – 8th place
The Swedes struggled to qualify for the Winter Olympics because they were no longer in the top group of the World Championships, and losing 1-0 to Canada in the quarter-finals did not boost their morale. But there are still a lot of good young players in this team – think Rending, Persson, Vaaksin – and it will take some time for them to get back in the top group and fight for medals again. Their previous opponents were often Finland, but the Finns were more successful than the Swedes. That could change well in the next year or two. Their next goal is to re-enter the top group of the World Championships. They will compete in Group IA of the World Championships in Angers, France, in April this year.
China – 9th
Ranked 20th in the ITU, they will not compete in the top group of the World Championships, but if they want to compete at the highest level in the future, they need to improve the sport. The world's most populous country is building more hockey rinks, but they also need more gear, ice time, localized programs and the right coaches for the thousands of girls who are currently playing at home. The Winter Olympics are a motivating factor for growth. At the same time, clubs like Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing Vanke Sunshine play in Russia and can continue to maintain the level of elite players and achieve promotion. The Chinese team will compete in the IB Group of the World Championships in Katowice, Poland, in April this year.
Denmark – 10th place
The Danes returned to the top group of the women's ice hockey world championships last year, their first time in the Winter Olympics. If they want to stay competitive and stay in the top group from the current level, it will be a long-term project, but these are already important milestones. They have a great goalkeeper, Romer, but like China, they need more teenagers to get involved in the sport, and a group of players will emerge to take to the international stage. Every competition is a valuable lesson, as is the 2022 World Championships, where they will be the hosts. The competition will take place in Herning and Frederikshavn from August 26 to September 4.
The image comes from the official website of the International Ice Federation https://www.iihf.com/