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Mitten Hockey story card: PWHL Detroit

Five PWHL Detroit players named to U.S. camp roster ahead of Women’s Worlds

Hilary Knight, Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Jesse Compher, and Britta Curl-Salemme are among 31 players invited to Team USA’s final pre-Worlds camp in Plymouth.

Shaun
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Five players from PWHL Detroit, one of the league’s four new expansion teams, have been invited to the U.S. Women’s National Team’s October training camp, the final camp before the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Forwards Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, Jesse Compher, and Britta Curl-Salemme and defender Cayla Barnes are on the 31-player roster, which was announced Friday. Camp runs Oct. 23-30 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.

The World Championship runs Nov. 6-16 in Herning and Esbjerg, Denmark. The tournament was moved to November this year, after the Milan Cortina Olympics. USA Hockey has not yet named its roster for the tournament.

Two games against Canada

Camp includes two pre-tournament games against Canada, both at 7 p.m. Eastern. The first is Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario, on TSN and RDS. The second is Friday, Oct. 30, at USA Hockey Arena, giving Michigan fans a look at the U.S. team, and five of Detroit’s players, a few weeks before PWHL Detroit plays its first home game.

Canada held its own selection camp Oct. 8-14 in Quebec City. Hockey Canada said the roster it picks will play both games against the U.S. and the World Championship.

Detroit’s national-team core

The five invitees are the core of what Detroit built in its first offseason. Barnes and Bilka signed on June 5, the same day as Curl-Salemme, who got a three-year contract. Compher signed a three-year deal on June 8, and Knight signed an extension with Detroit through 2028-29 on June 25. Knight, Bilka, and Barnes all played for the Seattle Torrent before joining Detroit.

The October camp follows a September camp in Blaine, Minn., which included every member of the 2026 U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Milan. The Hockey News reported that Compher was among the newcomers added to the national-team pool this fall.

The timing works for Detroit. PWHL training camps open Nov. 18, two days after the World Championship final, and PWHL Detroit’s inaugural home opener is set for Dec. 12 at Little Caesars Arena.

Sources

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