When Kristýna Kaltounková was selected by the New York Sirens in the PWHL Draft last June, she knew the moment was bigger than herself.
The 23-year-old Czech attacker was the first European selected with the first overall pick in the draft.
That may not seem like a big deal in a league that’s only been around since 2023. But in a women’s hockey ecosystem where Canada and the United States have long reigned, it’s a sign of change.
“I think it just breaks that ice, breaks that barrier a little bit more between North America and Europe,” Kaltounková told CBC Sports last month.
Every four years, when the Olympics are broadcast on television, the same narrative emerges, sometimes from people who only tune in to women’s hockey during the Olympics: How do we close the gap between Canada, the United States and the rest of the world? No other country has won an Olympic gold medal or a world championship.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Although Canada and the United States continue to gain, growth has occurred beyond North America. The PWHL has created a league for the best players in the world to train and play, and a new dream for the best players in Europe.
Earlier this week, 35-year-old Michelle Karvinen, who has played professionally in Europe and on the Finnish national team for many years, shared a photo wearing her PWHL Vancouver jersey. Karvinen was the team’s first-round pick in June.
“My first pro hockey jersey,” he wrote on X.
Or, for example, Kaltounková’s country of origin. In the last five years, the Czech Republic qualified for its first Olympic women’s hockey tournament, won a medal in the top division of the world championship for the first time (and also the second), and hosted the world championship for the first time.
Last spring, the Czechs nearly defeated the Americans in the semifinals of their home World Cup, keeping the game tied 1-1 until American forward Kelly Pannek scored the go-ahead goal in the third period.
“Czech football is growing rapidly,” said Kaltounková. “I think the world championship at home helped that growth tremendously. I think we gained a lot of new fans and lovers of women’s hockey.”
The PWHL has also made the game faster, which may obscure some of the progress European countries have made. Everyone is improving, all at the same time.
‘Anything could have happened’
Troy Ryan has seen the change up close, particularly at the last two world championships.
“I think there’s been a big change,” said Ryan, who is the head coach of the Canadian women’s national team and the Toronto Sceptres of the PWHL.
“It seemed like anything could have happened at both events. If that’s a sign of things to come, I think the PWHL as a whole has made the game much better globally.”
It’s good news for Canada. The road to the final should not be easy. In Ryan’s opinion, it’s getting harder and harder to get there.
“I don’t think it’s because we’re getting worse,” he said. “I think it’s because other teams are getting better.”
Canadian forward Blayre Turnbull has also noticed it.
“I think it’s been really impressive, especially in this last quad, to see the European teams really step up and improve,” the Toronto Sceptres captain said during the league’s media day last month.
“They are all contenders now at world championships and they will be contenders at the next Olympics as well. It’s really cool to see how much those players have developed. It’s cool to have some of the best players now playing in the PWHL.”
But what comes next? While European countries can challenge Canada and the United States and sometimes even win a game, they have yet to reach the top of the mountain in a major tournament.
That is not lost on Kimmo Oikarinen, general manager of the Finnish women’s and national junior hockey teams.
“The gap is still there and we must all work to be more competitive and raise the level of play,” Oikarinen told CBC Sports.
One step is to get more girls into the sport, Oikarinen said.
Finland has 6,551 registered female hockey players, compared to more than 108,000 in Canada and more than 93,000 in the United States, according to figures released by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 2024.
The new tournament starts in 2027
Earlier this fall, the IIHF introduced a new tournament aimed at growing the sport in Europe.
The new European Women’s Hockey Championship will begin in 2027, with the aim of “creating more opportunities for elite international competition, ensuring the development of players throughout the season and increasing the visibility of women’s hockey across Europe.”
“The introduction of the Women’s European Championship is another significant step forward for the international growth of the game,” PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said in a statement.
More details are to come on how exactly it will work, but it will likely involve non-PWHL players. In the future, Hockey Canada hopes to include college-age or developmental teams from Canada and the U.S. Right now, there is no world junior championship for players between the under-18 and senior levels, a clear gap in programming.
“It provides an opportunity for younger athletes who are in a position to fight for a permanent spot on their national team,” Canadian GM Gina Kingsbury said of what the new tournament could do in Europe.
“It opens up more roster spots. As soon as you open up roster spots and provide opportunities for a greater number of athletes to compete internationally, I think it improves the number of athletes that get the experience and grows the game.”
Oikarinen and the Finnish federation are waiting for more details on what the new tournament will look like.
In the meantime, they’re focused on the Euro Hockey Tour, which saw development teams from Canada and the United States take on European teams in an event last year.
They welcome any opportunity to play “tough matches” against Canadian and American players, Oikarinen said.
“The structure sounds good and we believe this format will give positive energy to players across Europe.”
