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Mitten Hockey story card: PWHL Detroit

Eight PWHL Detroit players head into the Women’s World Championship as play opens in Denmark

PWHL Detroit has eight players from five countries at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, plus three members of its front office and coaching staff.

Shaun
2–3 minutes

PWHL Detroit’s reach at the IIHF Women’s World Championship goes well beyond the U.S. bench. The expansion club has eight players from five countries in the tournament, which opens Friday in Denmark, according to a league release that counted 79 PWHL players across all 10 national teams.

Only the New York Sirens, with nine, have more. Detroit is tied with Hamilton and Montréal at eight, a notable total for a team that has yet to hold its first training camp.

PWHL Detroit at Worlds

  • United States: forwards Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, and Jesse Compher, and defender Cayla Barnes
  • Canada: forward Daryl Watts
  • Switzerland: goaltender Andrea Brändli, a 2026 PWHL Draft pick
  • Germany: defender Nina Jobst-Smith
  • Japan: forward Akane Shiga

Detroit’s staff is represented too. General manager Manon Rhéaume is an assistant general manager for Canada, while head coach Josh Sciba and assistant Molly Engstrom are assistant coaches for the United States.

Teammates on opposite sides

The schedule puts Detroit teammates against each other right away. The Americans, the defending world champions, open Group A play against Switzerland on Friday at 1 p.m. ET, which could put Brändli in the opposing net against Knight, Bilka, Compher, and Barnes. The U.S. also meets Jobst-Smith and Germany on Sunday. Group A also includes Czechia and Austria.

Watts and Shiga are in Group B, along with Finland, Sweden, and host Denmark, so a Canada-Japan game will match two more Detroit teammates. The top four teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals.

The preliminary round runs through Nov. 11, with the quarterfinals Nov. 13, the semifinals Nov. 15, and the bronze and gold medal games Nov. 16. PWHL training camps open two days later, on Nov. 18, and the league’s regular season begins Dec. 5. Detroit plays its first home game Dec. 12 against the Sirens at Little Caesars Arena.

Mitten Hockey will track how Detroit’s players do in Denmark and wrap up the tournament when it ends. Earlier: Four PWHL Detroit players named to U.S. roster for Women’s World Championship.

Sources

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