#19: Nela Lopušanová
By: Melissa Burgess
Previous ranking: 20
2026-27 team: Wisconsin Badgers
With a general lack of stats from Bishop Kearney over the years, it’s been a bit hard to place Nela Lopušanová on this list, aside from knowing that she’s just insanely good at hockey. Last season, she captained Slovakia’s team at the U18 Women’s World Championship and registered 7 points in four games. Slovakia finished the tournament sixth and lost to Sweden in the quarterfinals.
Lopušanová also represented her county at the DI-A Women’s World Championships, where she had an equally fruitful showing. With 8 points, including 4 goals, in five games, she tied for the team lead in scoring. She was the second-youngest player on the team.
This season, she’s making her long-awaited debut in NCAA hockey with Wisconsin. She skated in her first game with the Badgers in Friday’s 6-2 win over St. Lawrence. Though she didn’t earn a point, it wasn’t for lack of effort. Lopušanová registered seven shots, including four shots on goal. She spent time on the top power play unit and played on the third line alongside Maggie Scannell and Adéla Šapovalivová.
This spot in the ranking feels appropriate, particularly given the lack of accessible stats from her time at BK. It’ll be interesting to see how the NCAA game treats her; if Friday’s game is any early indication, she’ll settle in just fine.
T-#17: Hilda Svensson
By: Giselle Velazquez
Previous ranking: N/A
2026-27 team: Ohio State Buckeyes
Svensson had a fantastic first year of college hockey. The 20-year-old came away as the leading scorer for OSU after recording 52 points in 33 games. Svensson finished the season as WCHA Rookie of the Year, earning a spot on the WCHA All-Rookie Team and the All-WCHA Third Team. She also shared the Julie Chu Rookie of the Year award with Sara Manness of Clarkson University.
Svensson missed eight college games during the 2025-26 season while at the Olympics. She made her Olympic debut in February and notched 7 points in seven games. Though Tre Kronor didn’t medal, it was a dazzling return for the nation and a stellar debut for Svensson.
With a season of college hockey under her belt, I expect Svensson to do much of the same in 2026-27. She entered the WCHA with a lot of experience, having played at the Women’s World Championships and in the SDHL. I see her finishing with more than 50 points for the Buckeyes again. She’s on a great team with other talented players and will only improve the more she plays in the conference. I do think she finishes on the All-WCHA First Team after this season.
Too high, too low? This is Svensson’s debut on the T25U25, and tied at #17 is a good place to start. She’s not one of the most known names on the Buckeyes yet, but she’s getting there. I am glad to see her on the list — I had her at #15 on my own ballot!
T-#17: Elisa Holopainen
By: Kacey Ferber
Previous ranking: 19
2026-27 team: Frölunda HC / New York Sirens
Despite Frölunda losing key player Michelle Karvinen last year, Holopainen’s league-leading 27 goals powered the team to their first regular season championship. She scored more than a quarter of Frölunda’s total goals and was a factor in over 40% of them, with 15 assists. The only other player on Frölunda to touch double-digit goals was Sofie Lundin, with 11.
In 2025-26, Holopainen proved that even on a Frölunda team that’s less offensively dominant, she is still the most dangerous goal-scorer in Europe. She had 192 shots (an average of 5.3 shots per game) — 53 more shots than the next highest player — and a 14.1% shooting percentage. Her remarkable straight-ahead speed and dangerous wrist are what most point to in order to explain her success. However, her elite ability to read and anticipate plays in the offensive zone also set her apart. It often looked like she anticipated a pass from a Frölunda teammate 30 seconds before they decided to make it.
Internationally, Holopainen didn’t record a point for Finland at the Olympics. She averaged around five fewer minutes in ice time than she had at the Women’s World Championships a year prior, where she had 5 points in seven games. Finland was afflicted with a case of norovirus at the Games, but whether Holopainen’s reduced minutes were related to that is unclear.
Holopainen ended the year at the PWHL draft, where she went 19th overall to the New York Sirens. She started the 2026-27 season in the SDHL with Frölunda, where she will play until it’s time to report to Sirens training camp. Holopainen feels like a good fit for the Sirens, who could use another fast player that excels off the rush to build their offense.
I had Holopainen ranked at #17, but one could argue she’s rated a little too high due to concerns around her physicality and smaller size. Holopainen has been able to evade a lot of physical defense with her finesse and speed, but doing so will be much harder in the PWHL. This year will test whether her game can translate to a league with more punishing body checks and less space. However, she’s already handled a similar transition before, going from Auroraliiga (which had no body checking at the time) to the SDHL. Her first year playing in a league that allowed body checking led to her winning MVP, Forward of the Year and a championship. If her transition to the PWHL goes half as well as her transition to the SDHL, she will be just fine.
