After a long offseason, the NCAA is getting ready to return for the 2026-27 season. Though the season is still one month away, Team USA and Hockey Canada took part in the Collegiate and Under-18 select series. The two nations played a three game series from August 12-15 against each other in British Columbia. The series featured two teams from each nation: a collegiate team made up incoming and current top college players and a U18 team that featured incoming and future college players.
We’ll take you through what happened in the series, with an emphasis on the collegiate team, and see how a future WCHA player performed in the U18 series.
A look at the collegiate series
The series has been played for the last 20 years. The USA entered having won the last six in a row. Canada had only won once in the last decade.
The USA’s two teams were chosen from 46 players that took part in the USA Hockey Women’s National Festival in early August. The players had a chance to earn a spot on the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team. The festival and series work as a chance for them to improve their skills. It also helps with those players hoping to eventually land on either a World Championship or Olympic roster.
Canada’s National Women’s Development Team took part in on-and-off ice training sessions, practices and played three intrasquad games earlier this month before the final roster was decided.
Canada’s development team included 10 WCHA players while the USA side included 16 current WCHA players.
How the Series played out
Game one
Canada ran away with both series, winning the first two games and dropping the third. Team USA put together a good final set of games to avoid the sweep. It was Canada’s first wins of the summer series in the last decade.
Canada dominated in net in game one with a 1-0 win. They sent out one of the best NCAA goaltenders in Minnesota Duluth’s Ève Gascon. The reigning back-to-back WCHA Goaltender of the Year winner out-dueled another top college goalie and Olympic gold medalist — Wisconsin’s Ava McNaughton. Gascon shut out the USA, stopping all 23 shots faced. The defense also put in the work by preventing anything hitting the back of the net.
Incoming Wisconsin first-year player Rosalie Tremblay scored the lone goal on the power play. Tremblay earned the chance to play alongside her soon-to-be Badgers’ teammates. She also played against opponents she’ll face often in conference play this season. Though it was a glimpse of college hockey for Tremblay, she still managed to record two points in the series. Tremblay is one example why this series works so well. It helps for future tournaments at the international level, but it is also a great way for a player like her to familiarize with the next level of hockey.
Game two
In game two, the game went to a shootout after being tied at one. Three Wisconsin players ended up on the score sheet. Emma Venusio recorded an assist on Canada’s 1-0 goal. Minnesota’s Ava Lindsay and current Badger Maggie Scannell worked together to equalize the game at one.
Scannell is entering her third season for the defending champions. She recorded three points in three games. She already won two NCAA titles in her first two years of college and put up 28 points last season. Scannell has NCAA tournament experience, and was named to the WCHA All-Rookie team back in her first season of play. Scannell was in the top eight of scoring on the Badgers last season. If she continues her great play next season, she can be one of the top scorers on the team.
The 2-1 shootout win sealed the collegiate portion of the series for Canada, and it was a trio of WCHA veterans that carried the team in this game.
Veteran presence
Gascon was solid during the shootout. She stopped every shot faced. The recently-named alternate captain for UMD hasn’t skipped a beat since her fantastic season in net last year. She finished the season with a 1.77 goals against average in total and recorded 10 shutouts. She also inched her way closer to the program shutout record. Gascon now sits just two shutouts away from tying the record at 23. After a lackluster season from the Bulldogs, it seemed Gascon was the one to carry them. During these three games, it was easy to see that Gascon has only continued to get better. She finished the series allowing only two goals.
Caitlin Kraemer and Chloe Primerano had an exciting summer. The duo took part in Edmonton Oilers development camp in early July. They became two of the first women to ever take part in NHL development camp. Then they hit the ice for Canada and showed off their skills in the shootout to clinch the series.
Kraemer was recently named co-captain of UMD’s team while Primerano is entering her third year with the Gophers. After their performance in the summer series, it looks like both programs can take another huge step forward this upcoming season.
You can read more about Kraemer and Primerano at Development camp here:
Game three
Team USA wasn’t going down without a fight, and they sure weren’t going to get swept, either. After little offense in the first two games — one goal in two games total — the stars and stripes were ready to respond.
They took game three by a 5-2 win. Four USA players recorded two points while three players recorded one point each. McNaughton returned to the crease and only allowed two goals.
Wisconsin’s Kelly Gorbatenko and Laney Potter each recorded a goal and an assist. Fellow Badger Scannell recorded two assists. There is never a shortage of offense from Wisconsin players!
St. Thomas’ Chloe Boreen was the only player who recorded two goals in the game. The 20-year-old is starting her third year with the Tommies this fall and is looking to continue to build on her career. With fellow Team USA teammate Rylee Bartz moving on to Ohio State, the door is open for Boreen to take charge of a young team. Fellow Tommie Ella Boerger also took part in the summer series.
The two players recorded 28 and 22 points respectively last season. Now with Bartz out and Boerger and Boreen getting time with the national U.S. team, we could see a Tommies team who had their best season last year get even better.
I figure Boreen will be the one to lead St. Thomas next season in a bigger role. She was already putting together solid seasons in college, but adding in experience alongside fellow college players and national team coaches should help her elevate her game more. I expect big things from Boreen.
Checking in on other players
Returning WCHA players such as Ohio State’s Jocelyn Amos and Wisconsin’s Jordan Baxter continue to cultivate experiences with Hockey Canada after the two were members of the 2022 and 2023 U18 teams.
Bartz is entering her first season with the Buckeyes and was able to play with Kaia Malachino before the two head to Ohio State. Malachino transferred to OSU last season after two years at Colgate and had a solid season with 20 points. The two will look to improve on their upcoming seasons after spending time with USA Hockey.
Minnesota State enjoyed a fantastic 2025-26 season. They defeated UMD in the WCHA conference playoffs then made it to the second round for the first time since 2009. Two of the players that took part in the National Festival earned a spot on the collegiate team. Goaltender Hailey Hansen has steadily been improving as a goaltender over the last few years. She didn’t appear in a game this series, but she was still able to work with the national team and coaches.
Lauren Zawoyski is entering her final season with the Mavericks. After two quiet seasons in Mankato, the right-shot forward finished with 21 points last season. That was tied for third most on the team. After only seven points in her previous two seasons, Zawoyski’s offense took a huge step forward. It looks like if she keeps the work up, the 21-year-old may have an even bigger season for a Minnesota State team eager to build on last year’s magical season.
Hansen was recently named captain of the Mavericks while Zawoyski was named an alternate captain. The two seniors are part of the new leadership trio for Mankato this upcoming season.
Checking in on U18s
The under-18 team also took part in the summer select series. Canada managed a sweep of the series after also winning in the U18 games. Incoming Minnesota first-year Adrianna Milani finished the tournament for Canada with nine points in three games. She recorded three points in each of the games in the series.
Milani will begin her collegiate career with the Gophers next month. After another incredible performance with Hockey Canada, it looks like Milani will fit in with Minnesota well. The team lost captain and offensive powerhouse Abbey Murphy to the PWHL along with Nelli Laitinen, Sydney Morrow, and Jamie Nelson. While Milani isn’t a replacement for these former Gophers, she is a compliment to the players that remain on the roster.
OSU commit Jane Daley finished with four points for the USA while Wisconsin commit Megan Mossey finished with three points for Canada.
Coaching on the international stage
Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall was announced as the head coach of Canada’s National Women’s U18 team for 2026-27 in late June. Though she served on the staff of the U17 and U18 teams in the past, she made her international debut as head coach in the U18 Series. Muzerall led Canada to a series win over the USA this year, winning two of the three games.
The Buckeyes won the WCHA championship in the 2025-26 season along with another appearance in the NCAA championship game. In the 11 years Muzerall has been at the helm of Ohio State, the team has won two national titles, three WCHA Final Faceoffs, and two WCHA regular season titles.
Aside from having numerous future commits on her roster, Muzzerall’s track record both as a collegiate head coach and as a supporting coach with Hockey Canada made this decision feel like a no-brainer. While Muzzerall will now focus leading two different teams this upcoming season, the summer U18 series showed just how ready she was for this opportunity.
Final thoughts
This is just a glimpse of what all these WCHA players can do while on the ice. Three games isn’t enough to truly showcase the immense talent from these players, but these development camps are a great way for players to build their confidence, show their improvements, and learn from such important figures. For future, current, and incoming college players, a chance to take part in these events shows how important college hockey is to women’s hockey.
