Making her senior national team debut, Czechia's Kristyna Kaltounkova is one of the top Women's Worlds rookies that caught the eye of IIHF.com's experts.
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDREA CARDIN
After four days of exciting action at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship, it’s time to take stock of where things stand with our longtime correspondents Lucas Aykroyd and Andy Potts. Aykroyd and Potts have combined to cover seven Olympic women’s hockey tournaments, seven Women’s Worlds, and five U18 Women’s Worlds, in addition to lower-division international events, 4 Nations Cups, Rivalry Series, the PWHL, and more.
What’s a trend that’s caught your eye at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship?
Potts: It might be a stretch to call it a “trend,” but it certainly feels like our Trans-Atlantic battles are changing. There’s more evidence that the European teams are willing to try and take the game to their North American rivals. While that has not yet translated into results, we’ve seen relatively low shot counts in some games here. It’s more evidence that women’s hockey is evolving and becoming more competitive.
Aykroyd: I’m wondering about the host Czechs’ reliance on their power play. On the one hand, it’s encouraging to see that coach Carla MacLeod’s squad has already matched the total number of PP goals (three) it scored in last year’s tournament in Utica. Adding Kristyna Kaltounkova’s absolute bomb of a shot has been a game-changer: the Colgate University star has tallied two of those PP goals. On the other hand, the Czechs have only generated two goals 5-on-5, both coming in the Day One 3-0 shutout over Switzerland. They need to do more at even strength – which, of course, will be a tall order against defending champion Canada on Monday.
Which Women’s Worlds rookie has impressed you the most so far?
Aykroyd: It’s a small sample set, but I – not to mention 5,859 fans at a sold-out Arena Ceske Budejovice – was wowed by Czech goalie Michaela Hesova’s poise and positioning. Playing your first Women’s Worlds game against the U.S. is a daunting task, to say the least. Even though the Czechs fell 4-0, the 19-year-old Dartmouth starter was far from cannon fodder. She stopped five shots by Hilary Knight, five by Alex Carpenter, and six by Caroline Harvey. That’s as world-class as it gets.
Potts: Probably two candidates, with an honourable mention to Hesova. Kaltounkova, whose shot also caught your eye, already looks like a natural Women’s Worlds star. She adds a physical presence and great hockey IQ – it’s more than just blasting at the net. It’s no surprise that her teammates are describing her as exactly the player they’ve needed. And Canada’s Jennifer Gardiner started her World Championship career with a three-point outing. You might say it’s easier when you play alongside Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey, but the 23-year-old Montreal Victoire forward comes here with limited international experience. Her sole U18 appearance was back in 2019 (four games, no points). After that, Gardiner elevated her game with Ohio State, and she’s fitting right in at this level.
The tournament slogan is “Heroes Incoming.” So who is your early unsung hero?
Aykroyd: You’ve got to feel for the hard-working Hungarians, who are struggling to produce offence in Group B. Despite back-to-back 2-0 losses to Sweden and Japan, there is a bright spot in the resilience and commitment of defender Fruzsina Mayer. The 24-year-old leads her team in average ice time (23:21) and sacrifices her body consistently to protect her goalie. Hungarian captain Fanni Gasparics told me recently: “She’s a great teammate and a great D. She can block shots. She has the skill, the deception. She also can shoot and bring offence.” Hopefully for the Magyars, that last part comes to fruition too.
Potts: Finnish goalie Sanni Ahola has already pulled off something of a redemption narrative here. Game One against the U.S. could hardly have gone worse for her and her teammates, a 7-1 loss. Rotated out of the firing line against Canada, she returned to face a Czech team on an upswing – and produced an authentically heroic performance in a 4-2 win. That felt like a defining moment for the St. Cloud State netminder.
Who’s going to win the scoring title?
Aykroyd: Hard to believe, but Marie-Philip Poulin has only led Women’s Worlds in scoring once (13 points in 2013). Undoubtedly it’s not a focus for the Canadian captain as long as her team is winning, but she’s got the proverbial eye of the tiger with Milan looming, and there’s no reason why she can’t do it.
Potts: No argument here! When I noticed Poulin had a shot at overtaking Hayley Wickenheiser’s all-time scoring record for Canada (86 points) – she’s currently four points shy – I had a feeling she’d be in the conversation. And so far, with Poulin already having recorded five points, she’s in excellent shape.
Highlight reels and game recaps don’t capture every moment that makes Women’ s Worlds special or memorable – on or off the ice. What have you observed happening under the radar?
Potts: One of the perks of this job is getting to see some of the players’ off-ice interactions. It’s striking to how many genuine friendships have sprung up in the women’s game between players from different countries. Of course, nobody is doing any favours on the ice, but so many of these players have been teammates at various clubs and colleges. and there is real affection as well as deep respect between them.
Aykroyd: And to that point, it really is a small world. We have some great colleagues on the IIHF.com digital team, including Tynka Patkova, who has springboarded from playing for the 2022 Czech Olympic team to pursuing an exciting new career as a videographer. After we recorded a post-game interview with Norway’s Marthe Brunvold, there was exactly what you described: hugs and heartfelt conversation. Tynka told me that when she played with Brunvold in Linkoping in 2024-25, they became fast friends while rooming together on the road and have stayed in touch. It’s unlikely they would have met without that SDHL connection.
What do you expect in Sunday's Canada-U.S. clash?
Potts: This great women’s hockey rivalry gives me some of my brightest memories from covering the Olympics, so I’m expecting a dramatic, hard-fought battle. That said, both teams will be aware that this is likely the first meeting – with the second for some hardware – so the group stage clash could feel like a bit of an appetizer with the promise of even more to come.
Aykroyd: Last year’s Canada-U.S. games both went to overtime, with Kirsten Simms lifting the Americans to a 1-0 group stage win and Danielle Serdachny potting the golden goal for Canada in a 6-5 final. This year, both teams are, as expected, excelling at both ends of the ice. So another one-goal game – perhaps a classic 3-2 affair – wouldn’t surprise me at all. It could go either way.
What’s a trend that’s caught your eye at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship?
Potts: It might be a stretch to call it a “trend,” but it certainly feels like our Trans-Atlantic battles are changing. There’s more evidence that the European teams are willing to try and take the game to their North American rivals. While that has not yet translated into results, we’ve seen relatively low shot counts in some games here. It’s more evidence that women’s hockey is evolving and becoming more competitive.
Aykroyd: I’m wondering about the host Czechs’ reliance on their power play. On the one hand, it’s encouraging to see that coach Carla MacLeod’s squad has already matched the total number of PP goals (three) it scored in last year’s tournament in Utica. Adding Kristyna Kaltounkova’s absolute bomb of a shot has been a game-changer: the Colgate University star has tallied two of those PP goals. On the other hand, the Czechs have only generated two goals 5-on-5, both coming in the Day One 3-0 shutout over Switzerland. They need to do more at even strength – which, of course, will be a tall order against defending champion Canada on Monday.
Which Women’s Worlds rookie has impressed you the most so far?
Aykroyd: It’s a small sample set, but I – not to mention 5,859 fans at a sold-out Arena Ceske Budejovice – was wowed by Czech goalie Michaela Hesova’s poise and positioning. Playing your first Women’s Worlds game against the U.S. is a daunting task, to say the least. Even though the Czechs fell 4-0, the 19-year-old Dartmouth starter was far from cannon fodder. She stopped five shots by Hilary Knight, five by Alex Carpenter, and six by Caroline Harvey. That’s as world-class as it gets.
Potts: Probably two candidates, with an honourable mention to Hesova. Kaltounkova, whose shot also caught your eye, already looks like a natural Women’s Worlds star. She adds a physical presence and great hockey IQ – it’s more than just blasting at the net. It’s no surprise that her teammates are describing her as exactly the player they’ve needed. And Canada’s Jennifer Gardiner started her World Championship career with a three-point outing. You might say it’s easier when you play alongside Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey, but the 23-year-old Montreal Victoire forward comes here with limited international experience. Her sole U18 appearance was back in 2019 (four games, no points). After that, Gardiner elevated her game with Ohio State, and she’s fitting right in at this level.
The tournament slogan is “Heroes Incoming.” So who is your early unsung hero?
Aykroyd: You’ve got to feel for the hard-working Hungarians, who are struggling to produce offence in Group B. Despite back-to-back 2-0 losses to Sweden and Japan, there is a bright spot in the resilience and commitment of defender Fruzsina Mayer. The 24-year-old leads her team in average ice time (23:21) and sacrifices her body consistently to protect her goalie. Hungarian captain Fanni Gasparics told me recently: “She’s a great teammate and a great D. She can block shots. She has the skill, the deception. She also can shoot and bring offence.” Hopefully for the Magyars, that last part comes to fruition too.
Potts: Finnish goalie Sanni Ahola has already pulled off something of a redemption narrative here. Game One against the U.S. could hardly have gone worse for her and her teammates, a 7-1 loss. Rotated out of the firing line against Canada, she returned to face a Czech team on an upswing – and produced an authentically heroic performance in a 4-2 win. That felt like a defining moment for the St. Cloud State netminder.
Who’s going to win the scoring title?
Aykroyd: Hard to believe, but Marie-Philip Poulin has only led Women’s Worlds in scoring once (13 points in 2013). Undoubtedly it’s not a focus for the Canadian captain as long as her team is winning, but she’s got the proverbial eye of the tiger with Milan looming, and there’s no reason why she can’t do it.
Potts: No argument here! When I noticed Poulin had a shot at overtaking Hayley Wickenheiser’s all-time scoring record for Canada (86 points) – she’s currently four points shy – I had a feeling she’d be in the conversation. And so far, with Poulin already having recorded five points, she’s in excellent shape.
Highlight reels and game recaps don’t capture every moment that makes Women’ s Worlds special or memorable – on or off the ice. What have you observed happening under the radar?
Potts: One of the perks of this job is getting to see some of the players’ off-ice interactions. It’s striking to how many genuine friendships have sprung up in the women’s game between players from different countries. Of course, nobody is doing any favours on the ice, but so many of these players have been teammates at various clubs and colleges. and there is real affection as well as deep respect between them.
Aykroyd: And to that point, it really is a small world. We have some great colleagues on the IIHF.com digital team, including Tynka Patkova, who has springboarded from playing for the 2022 Czech Olympic team to pursuing an exciting new career as a videographer. After we recorded a post-game interview with Norway’s Marthe Brunvold, there was exactly what you described: hugs and heartfelt conversation. Tynka told me that when she played with Brunvold in Linkoping in 2024-25, they became fast friends while rooming together on the road and have stayed in touch. It’s unlikely they would have met without that SDHL connection.
What do you expect in Sunday's Canada-U.S. clash?
Potts: This great women’s hockey rivalry gives me some of my brightest memories from covering the Olympics, so I’m expecting a dramatic, hard-fought battle. That said, both teams will be aware that this is likely the first meeting – with the second for some hardware – so the group stage clash could feel like a bit of an appetizer with the promise of even more to come.
Aykroyd: Last year’s Canada-U.S. games both went to overtime, with Kirsten Simms lifting the Americans to a 1-0 group stage win and Danielle Serdachny potting the golden goal for Canada in a 6-5 final. This year, both teams are, as expected, excelling at both ends of the ice. So another one-goal game – perhaps a classic 3-2 affair – wouldn’t surprise me at all. It could go either way.