LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Some of the best young players in American women’s hockey have gathered at the Olympic Center this week with more than a summer camp invitation on the line.
USA Hockey’s Women’s National Festival and Girls Under-18 Women’s National Festival are bringing together 92 players from August 2 through 9. The group is split evenly between 46 collegiate players and 46 players at the under-18 level, giving evaluators a concentrated look at two important layers of the national-team pipeline.
At the end of the week, USA Hockey is expected to select a 25-player U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team and a 25-player U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team. Both will travel to Richmond, British Columbia, for three-game series against Canada on August 12, 13 and 15.
For college hockey followers, the festival doubles as an early preview of the 2026-27 season. Eighteen NCAA programs are represented on the collegiate roster, led by six players from defending national champion Wisconsin. Minnesota, Minnesota State, Ohio State and St. Thomas each sent five players.
The WCHA accounts for 27 of the 46 collegiate invitees. Wisconsin’s group includes goaltender Ava McNaughton, defender Laney Potter and forwards Kelly Gorbatenko, Cassie Hall, Finley McCarthy and Maggie Scannell.
Minnesota is represented by goaltender Layla Hemp, defender Molly Jordan and forwards Bella Fanale, Madison Kaiser and Ava Lindsay. Ohio State’s five-player contingent consists of forwards Rylee Bartz, Kassidy Carmichael, Kaia Malachino and Jordyn Petrie, along with defender Ellah Hause.
Minnesota State also has five invitees: goaltender Hailey Hansen, defender Lauren Zawoyski and forwards Mercury Bischoff, Zoe Lopez and Alya Puppe. St. Thomas is represented by forwards Ella Boerger, Chloe Boreen and Whitney Horton, plus twin defenders Janessa and JuliAnna Gazdik.
The ECAC has 12 players on the active camp roster. Princeton leads that group with goaltender Uma Corniea and defenders Megan Healy, Gabby Kim and Rosie Klein. Harvard has goaltender Ainsley Tuffy and defender Emi Biotti, while Quinnipiac sends forward Ella Johnson and defender Ella Sennick. Brown forward Monique Lyons, Clarkson defender Sydney Lamb, Cornell defender Rose Dwyer and Yale defender Molly Boyle round out the conference’s representation.
Hockey East has five invitees across four New England programs. Boston College has forward Ava Thomas and defender Madelyn Murphy, while Boston University forward Quinn Taylor, Northeastern forward Allie Lalonde and Providence goaltender Bianca Birrittieri also earned invitations. Penn State forwards Mikah Keller and Sophie Morrow represent Atlantic Hockey America.
The younger half of the festival offers a look further down the pipeline. The U18 camp includes players born in 2009 and 2010, with several returning from the United States team that won gold at the 2026 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship. The group includes forward Jane Daley, who emerged as one of the event’s most dangerous scorers.
The rest of the week will be built around practices, testing and scrimmages. College scrimmages are scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. and Friday at 2 p.m. at the 1980 Rink. The U18 group plays Thursday at 2:30 p.m. and Friday at 9:30 a.m. Select-team practices are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. The Olympic Center has announced that spectators may attend the week’s scrimmages free of charge.
The final selections will determine who continues to Richmond, but the Lake Placid roster already shows how widely the U.S. development system reaches. Current college standouts, incoming freshmen and the country’s top teenage prospects are sharing the same stage, with the next chapter of the USA-Canada rivalry waiting at the end of the week.
COLLEGIATE INVITEES BY SCHOOL
Wisconsin (6): Kelly Gorbatenko, Cassie Hall, Finley McCarthy, Ava McNaughton, Laney Potter and Maggie Scannell.
Minnesota (5): Bella Fanale, Layla Hemp, Molly Jordan, Madison Kaiser and Ava Lindsay.
Minnesota State (5): Mercury Bischoff, Hailey Hansen, Zoe Lopez, Alya Puppe and Lauren Zawoyski.
Ohio State (5): Rylee Bartz, Kassidy Carmichael, Ellah Hause, Kaia Malachino and Jordyn Petrie.
St. Thomas (5): Ella Boerger, Chloe Boreen, Janessa Gazdik, JuliAnna Gazdik and Whitney Horton.
Princeton (4): Uma Corniea, Megan Healy, Gabby Kim and Rosie Klein.
Boston College (2): Madelyn Murphy and Ava Thomas.
Harvard (2): Emi Biotti and Ainsley Tuffy.
Penn State (2): Mikah Keller and Sophie Morrow.
Quinnipiac (2): Ella Johnson and Ella Sennick.
Boston University (1): Quinn Taylor.
Brown (1): Monique Lyons.
Clarkson (1): Sydney Lamb.
Cornell (1): Rose Dwyer.
Minnesota Duluth (1): Rae Mayer.
Northeastern (1): Allie Lalonde.
Providence (1): Bianca Birrittieri.
Yale (1): Molly Boyle.
U18 CAMP ROSTER
The U18 roster is listed by age and position rather than NCAA affiliation because many of the players have not yet selected a college program.
Forwards (24): Frances Ames, Maddison Boone, Sydney Boss Krohn, Lily Bromley, Madeline Call, Jane Daley, Isabella Freitas, Alexa Georgantas, Kennedy Hochbaum, Brooke Lakowske, Lena Levins, Annabelle Lovell, Aliyah Mihlbauer, Delaney Miller, Aubryn Monter, Gia Orizotti, Meagan Precourt, Hannah Rychley, Bria Schilling, Brooke Schlutter, Claire Summerfield, Sydney Stoughton, Mia Sutch and Reese Unklesbay.
Defenders (16): Olivia Braunshausen, Annabelle Buccicone, Cassidy Cha, Margaret Chudzinski, Reese Engel, Taylee Manion, Mirella Martinelli, Amaya McNeil, Gianna Monaco, Nadiya Nadaud, Noelle Noble, Taylor Schreifels, Chyna Taylor, Maisy Tomlinson, Alexis Ulrich and Josie Virnig.
Goaltenders (6): Allie Callinan, Poppy Carlson, Quinn Kelly, Emma Pieper, Cecilia Wielenberg and Nora Wilson.