ZURICH – The first full international event for women since the Vancouver Olympics is upon us as eight teams gather in Switzerland for the 13th World Women’s Championship. All games will be played in Zurich and Winterthur, but the big question is whether Canada and the United States will continue to dominate. All signs point to a yes answer, but there are still many interesting subplots to follow all the same. Canada
The Olympic gold medallists have 16 players from Vancouver here in Switzerland, a bonus for fans looking to see the world’s best female hockey players and a warning signal to all comers that this is a mighty team to beat. Yet, with the retirement of several players last summer, the more recent retirement of Jennifer Botterill, and the failed comeback attempt by Delaney Collins, there are several new faces in the lineup as well, notably defencemen Bobby Jo Slusar and Tara Watchorn and forwards Jennifer Wakefield and Natalie Spooner. Finland
Bronze medallists at both Vancouver and the 2009 WW Championship, the Finns will look to goalie Noora Räty for support. The 21-year-old is playing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and has appeared in the majority of the big games for her country since her debut in 2005. Indeed, there are five NCAA players on the team but only ten players from the 2010 Olympics. Coach Pekka Hämäläinen is putting several new faces into the lineup, which could signal the next generation of Finland’s women’s program. Kazakhstan
There is no denying the Kazakhs are one of the two weak links in the tournament (with Slovakia). They didn’t qualify for Vancouver, but they did earn a promotion for the 2009 World Women’s, and they did stay in the top pool that year by finishing a very respectable sixth. Both goalies from ’09 are here – Daria Obydennova and Natalya Trunova – and in all there are only two players missing here who were on that 2009 team – Yulia Chernukhina and Arai Shegebayeva. Staying up might be a challenge, but it is definitely Mission Possible. Russia
With no other top-six nation in hockey is the difference between men and women as great as with the Russian hockey team. The men can beat all comers on any given day; the women are top-level players, to be sure, but have almost never posed a threat to medal contenders. This will likely be the case again here. Russia won a bronze at the 2001 World Women’s but has never finished higher than fifth place before or since. Still, no fewer than six players born in 1993 or 1994 were invited to camp, perhaps a sign that the youngsters are soon to arrive on the scene. Russia has also finished 8th, 7th, and 8th in the first three WW18 events. The latter spelled demotion, but a small measure of satisfaction comes from the fact that the team earned promotion to the top level for 2012 by winning Division I just a few weeks ago. Slovakia
Slovakia was both a feel-good story and feel-bad story when it qualified for Vancouver a year ago. On the positive, this was an exceptional result from the 17th ranked nation in a field of eight teams. But, on their way to qualification, they beat a hapless Bulgaria team, 82-0, running up the score with unnecessary enthusiasm. There were few fans who felt sorry for the team when Canada beat it 18-0 to begin the Olympics. For Slovakia, that team and this are nearly identical. Only Natalie Babonyova and Nikoleta Celarova were in Vancouver but won’t be in Switzerland. The rest of the team will have to fight for every shot and every scoring chance, and rely on the mettle of their goalies to avoid relegation. Hopefully, this can be a feel-good team once again. Sweden
The team that once brought home bronze with regularity has faltered recently and ceded third place to the Finns at both Vancouver and the 2009 WWC. And yet, if it is to win a medal here, it will have to rely on several of the core players who took them to silver at the 2006 Olympics, starting with goalie Kim Martin. Just 25, she has been with the top team for a decade now. Erika Holst is back, although Maria Rooth retired a year ago, and other prominent names from Turin are here, including Danijela Rundqvist, Gunilla Andersson, and Emma Eliasson, to name but a few. At the other end, the team has 15 players in its pre-tournament roster born in 1990 or later, making it one of the youngest in the event. Switzerland
Lara Stalder is just 16 years old and teammate Phoebe Stanz just turned 17. These teens will be joining a Swiss team that also has plenty of experience. It also has three players who played hockey in the U.S. this past season (goalie Florence Schelling, defenceman Julia Marty, and forward Stefanie Marty), giving them valuable time on ice against excellent competition. And, five of the players were with the ZSC Lions this past year, helping the team to its first ever championship in the national women’s league. Playing at home should provide ample motivation for coach René Kammerer’s team. United States
While the Americans haven’t won Olympic gold since 1998, they have won the past two World tournaments and three of the last four. They have 15 players from Vancouver, including Jenny Potter and Angela Ruggiero, who have played in all events since 1998. At the other end of the spectrum are newcomers Jen Schoullis and Kelley Steadman, who are putting on the Team USA sweater for the first time at the senior level, as well as five others making the WW debut, including all-time WW18 scorer, Kendall Coyne. They are, of course, co-favourites with Canada for gold, but they also know from Turin 2006 to take nothing for granted. This is a determined and highly-skilled team. ANDREW PODNIEKS