Seven PHF Players at 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship
August 25, 2022 – Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) News Release
BOSTON, MA – The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) is proud to announce that seven players who have signed contracts for the 2022-23 PHF season have been named to official rosters for the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship. The tournament is underway through September 4 in Herning and Frederikshavn, Denmark.
The seven players are collectively representing four of the 10 competing nations, and five of the PHF’s seven teams. Czechia has four PHF players on their roster including defenders Dominika Lásková (Toronto Six) and Aneta Tejralová (Boston Pride), plus forwards Denisa Křížová (Minnesota Whitecaps) and Kateřina Mrázová (Connecticut Whale). Goaltender Meeri Räisänen (Connecticut Whale) is in the crease for Finland, forward Réka Dabasi (Metropolitan Riveters) is competing for Hungary, and defender Ebba Berglund (Metropolitan Riveters) is skating for Sweden.
“The PHF is committed to fostering an environment for elite training and competition so that we can best support player development and national team pursuits,” said Reagan Carey, PHF Commissioner. “Each of these players have earned the opportunity to represent their countries on the world stage, and we look forward to watching them showcase their abilities in Denmark and on PHF ice this fall.”
The 2022-23 PHF season will have more international talent than ever before with a record 18 European players already listed on rosters for the upcoming campaign. Among the group competing in Denmark, Räisänen has the most decorated international experience having backstopped Finland to World Championship bronze in 2015 and 2021, and named a tournament All-Star twice in five appearances. The 32-year-old is also a three-time Olympian with bronze medals from the 2018 and 2022 Winter Games. All four PHF players on Czechia’s roster also competed in the 2022 Olympics and have previous World Championship experience at the senior level. The 27-year-old Křížová and the 26-year-old Tejralová are both set to play in their sixth tournament in the top division, while this event marks the fifth top division appearance for the 29-year-old Mrázová, and the third for the 25-year-old Lásková. The 24-year-old Berglund was a member of Sweden’s Olympic roster in Beijing, but is playing in her first World Championship. This is the second-straight World Championship for the 25-year-old Dabasi, as Hungary competes in the top division for just the second time in program history. Three of these seven players have previous PHF experience including Räisänen and Mrázová who return to the Whale after being teammates during the 2018-19 season, and Křížová who was last a member of the 2018-19 Pride.
“As an athlete, representing your country in international competition is one of the greatest honors, and I have so many amazing memories from my experiences with Team USA at World Championships,” said Kacey Bellamy, PHF Scout and Player Relations Liaison. “I’m looking forward to returning to this event in my new role and watching how our incoming PHF talents perform against the best players from around the world. It’s also a great opportunity to connect with players who may be aspiring to continue their careers at the professional level and be an additional resource to assist them with that process.”
Bellamy won eight gold medals in nine World Championship appearances with the U.S. Women’s National Team from 2008-19. The 2018 Olympic gold medalist joined the PHF front office in May, and in her new role is responsible for harnessing in-depth knowledge of both the PHF and NCAA player pool, and tasked with matters related to depth charts, communication plans with prospects, and annual projections. She will be in Denmark observing the preliminary round of competition.
The pool of talent that has already signed for the 2022-23 PHF season includes another 12 players with World Championship experience in the top division. A trio of returning players have won a gold medal representing the United States including Stephanie Anderson (Minnesota Whitecaps) in 2015, Shiann Darkangelo (Toronto Six) in 2016, and Kali Flanagan (Boston Pride) in 2017. Amanda Pelkey (Metropolitan Riveters) won back-to-back gold with Team USA in 2016 and 2017. Four new PHF players from Finland have also won World Championship medals including Emma Nuutinen (Buffalo Beauts) and Eveliina Mäkinen (Metropolitan Riveters) each with two bronze and a silver medal, Anna Kilponen (Metropolitan Riveters) has two bronze medals, and Minttu Tuominen (Metropolitan Riveters) has won four bronze and one silver medal. Ann-Sophie Bettez (PHF Montreal) has won a bronze with Canada, and Sarah Forster (Metropolitan Riveters) has won a bronze with Switzerland. Lovisa Berndtsson (Buffalo Beauts) competed for Sweden in 2017, and Lenka Serdar (Connecticut Whale) played for Czechia in 2021. Of note from the 2021-22 PHF season, Isobel Cup champion Evelina Raselli (Boston Pride) is competing in this year’s tournament with Switzerland.
The 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship will be played with 10 teams in two tiered groups. Group A consists of the top-five nations in USA, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, and Japan. Group B includes Czechia, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, and host Denmark. All five Group A teams and the top-three Group B teams will qualify for the quarterfinals, while the last-ranked team of Group B will be relegated. For more information about the event please visit iihf.com.
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