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The U.S. women’s hockey team returned to the United States after its gold medal run at the Winter Olympics to the applause and jubilation of its fans.
Unlike previous Winter Olympics, most members of the women’s team will continue to play hockey professionally.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is in its third season. The league includes four teams from the United States and four from Canada. PWHL teams were well represented on Team USA and helped put the league front and center for the millions of people who watched the entire Olympics this month.
“I would take a week off in Mexico, but I understand that’s not possible,” Taylor Heise joked in an interview with PK Press Club Digital. “But yeah, we’re all excited to come back and start again with the PWHL. It’s definitely a league that has given us a platform to play on and kind of look back at the WNBA and how it started. It’s constant work, and it’s not just about getting from here to here in two days.
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“With our extensions and everything, it’s definitely been a difficult process for a lot of people, moving teams and stuff. But I just think that, you know, 7.7 million people watched that gold medal game, which is amazing by the way, I just think it’s pretty special because I think we gained a lot of new fans.
“Whether you’re just a fan of women’s hockey or you’re tuning into the Olympics and now realize we’re playing in a professional league, it’s pretty special. And I expect we’ll have a few more fans who show up to our games and decide they want to be PWHL fans in the future.”
There are also a handful of players still playing college hockey. The women’s hockey season is in the middle of its conference playoffs.
Here’s when the gold medalists return to the ice.
Boston Fleet
Megan Keller (5) of the United States and Hannah Bilka (23) of the United States celebrate after winning the gold medal in the women’s ice hockey after beating Canada during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, February 19, 2026. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)
Boston’s fleet had three players on Team USA this year. Megan Keller, Haley Winn and Aerin Frankel. Keller scored the winning goal against Canada in overtime to secure the gold medal while Frankel stopped the offense in a decisive goaltending moment. The Fleet leads the PWHL with a 10-2-2 record. Boston will return to action on Saturday against the Ottawa Charge at 2 p.m. ET.
Minnesota Frost
Taylor Heise #27 of Team USA Laila Edwards #10 of Team USA celebrates victory after the women’s ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada (2-1 OT) on day thirteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Frost had a large representation on the USA team with six players. Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek, Grace Zumwinkle, Britta Curl-Salemme, Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield all take the ice for the Stars and Stripes. The Frosts have a little more time to prepare for their next game, which will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. ET against the Montreal Victoire
The Frost are 9-3-3 this season and are behind the Fleet in the PWHL standings.
Montreal victory
Hayley Scamurra was the only Montreal Victory player to compete for Team USA and the defender won the gold medal. Montreal will face the New York Sirens on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. The Victory is 10-5-0 this season and sits in third place in the PWHL standings.
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Ottawa Fees
Rory Guilday and Gwyneth Philips represented the Ottawa Charge on Team USA at the Olympics. The Charge are in the middle of the PWHL standings with a 9-7-0 record. Ottawa will return to the ice on Saturday to face the Boston Fleet at 2 p.m. ET.
Seattle Torrent
Hilary Knight, captain of the American team, was one of four Seattle Torrent players on the Olympic roster. Cayla Barnes, Hanna Bilka and Alex Carpenter joined him. Seattle will need a big boost in the second half of the season to make the playoffs. The Torrent is 5-7-2 so far this season. They begin their season again Friday against the Toronto Scepters at 10 p.m. ET.
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College hockey
Laila Edwards (10) of the United States and Megan Keller (5) of the United States celebrate after winning the gold medal in women’s ice hockey after defeating Canada during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 19, 2026. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)
There were a handful of players still in college who played for Team USA. Abbey Murphy (Minnesota), Joy Dunne (Ohio State) and Tessa Janecke (Penn State) were on the team along with Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey, Kristen Sims, Laila Edwards and Ava McNaughton. There was no Olympic truce for their respective teams.
Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin all make the Western College Hockey Association playoffs. Each team will play Friday at 6 p.m. ET. The Golden Gophers will play at St. Cloud State, the Buckeyes will play at St. Thomas and the Badgers will take on Bemidji State.
The Nittany Lions are in the semifinals of the Atlantic Hockey America playoffs. Penn State returns to the ice Friday at 6 p.m. to face Syracuse.
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