Japan has formally announced their 23-player roster for the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina. 

Former PWHL forward Akane Shiga headlines the roster up front. Shiga is in her second season with Lulea in Sweden scoring at a point-per-game pace this season, and February will mark the second Olympic Games for the 24-year-old. 

She's joined up front by Haruka Toko, who also plays professionally in Sweden, as well as five members of Daishin - Rio Noro, Riri Noro, Ai Tada, Umeka Odaira, and Rui Ukita. Rounding out their forward group are Suzuka Maeda, Mei Miura, Remi Koyama, Yumeka Wajima, and Makoto Ito.

Mei Miura was Japan's leading scorer at the 2025 Worlds. 

Aoi Shiga and Ayaka Hitosato will anchor Japan's blueline. The duo are playing in the SDHL this season with MoDo and Linkoping respectively. Nana Akimoto, Kohane Sato, Shiori Yamashita, Kanami Seki, Shiori Koike, and Akane Hosoyamada will round out the blueline, 

Miyuu Masuhara, who was Japan's starter at the 2025 World Championships is back in net. She'll be joined by Riko Kawaguchi and Rei Halloran in Japan's crease. 

RELATED: France Names Women's Ice Hockey Olympic Roster

It might seem like an odd question for a player who was a 12th round pick to enter the PWHL, but if you look at Rebecca Leslie's career, it's easy to see that had the PWHL existed sooner, her trajectory may have placed her alongside the names many in Canada have come to know through their national team play.

Leslie, getting her first chance in her three season PWHL career to play top line minutes this season with the Ottawa Charge, has responded showing the scoring and playmaking skills she was known for earlier in her career. Through eight games this season, Leslie is sitting in the top ten in PWHL scoring with seven points. 

Heading into the NCAA, Leslie was a high scoring forward with the Ottawa Lady Senators in what is now called the OWHL U-22 Elite league. That year, 2014, Leslie also won gold with Canada's U-18 national team scoring five points in five games on a team that included Hannah Miller, Micah Zandee-Hart, Sarah Potomak, and Victoria Bach, who all got their chance with Team Canada.

At Boston University, Leslie totalled 171 career points, good for fourth overall in program history, one spot behind Marie-Philip Poulin who sits third all-time among Terriers. When it comes to assists, Leslie is Boston University's all-time leader with 102, two ahead of Poulin, and eight ahead of Bach. Leslie captained the program in her senior season.

The following year, 2018-2019, Leslie turned pro in the CWHL scoring 26 points in 27 games for the Calgary Inferno, who won the Clarkson Cup that season. That Inferno roster included future Hockey Hall of Famer Brianna Decker who Leslie tied for third in team scoring, as well as her current linemate and Canadian national team star Brianne Jenner. The roster also included long time Canadian and American national team members Blayre Turnbull, Rebecca Johnston, Kacey Bellamy, and Brigette Lacquette, among others. In fact, of Calgary's top eight scorers that season, Leslie was the only player who didn't represent Canada or the United States at multiple World Championships or Olympic Games.

When her season with the Calgary Inferno ended, that's when her upward trajectory hit a speed bump.

In 2019 the CWHL folded, and from that was born the PWHPA. Leslie, who joined the PWHPA was one of the many outside the North American national team members who saw the number of team practices and games plummet in that era, just as she was beginning to climb.

In 2020-21 and 2021-22, Leslie only played 10 total games, scoring 12 points. 

But when the PWHPA ramped up their competitive level in 2022-23 with Leslie playing for Team Sonnet, she didn't produce. In 20 games that season she had only three assists. It was the final impression before the birth of the PWHL.

It's why no one batted an eye when PWHL Toronto took Leslie in the 12th round, 71st overall in the inaugural draft. She wasn't expected to step in and be a scorer.

In that inaugural season, despite seeing some of the lowest ice time of any member of PWHL Toronto, Leslie tied Blayre Turnbull for seventh in scoring on the Sceptres with nine points in 24 games. Every player above Leslie that season on the Sceptres played for Team Canada at this year's Rivalry Series. 

Moving to the Ottawa Charge in the second season of the PWHL, Leslie's two-way impact became more evident, although she was again buried in a depth role with the Charge, this time with less offensive success. 

This season however, getting her first scoring line opportunities since the NCAA and CWHL, Leslie is thriving. She's using her combination of speed and puck skills to get herself into scoring positions, or to set up her linemates.

Leslie's emergence has also played a role as the Ottawa Charge have become more competitive following a sluggish start. Although it's still early, Rebecca Leslie could be the PWHL's breakout player of the year. It also leaves you to wonder, had Leslie spent the last four years on a top line in the PWHL, would she be in the running for a spot with Team Canada like many of her past and present teammates?

Four NCAA women's hockey teams - Minnesota-Duluth, Harvard, Quinnipiac, and Boston University are heading to Belfast, Northern Ireland for another instalment of the Friendship Series. It's the first time the event will feature four teams taking place on January 2 and 3.

"We are looking forward as a program to the educational experience and team building opportunities for student-athletes this incredible tournament will provide," said Minnesota-Duluth head coach Laura Schuler when the 2026 Series was announced.

"We are proud to be a part of the first four-team women's tournament, and really excited to reconnect in person with all our European Bulldog alumni."

"This is an amazing opportunity this is for our program," echoed Laura Bellamy, Harvard's women's hockey coach. "We are so fortunate to have this chance to play in this tournament and give our team this once in a lifetime experience. It will be an honor to represent Harvard on the world stage in this historic event next season."

According to Sarah Fraser, Deputy Director of Athletics at Quinnipiac University, it's been exciting to watch the event grow in that span.

"As we approach a decade of the Friendship Four, it's been fantastic to see how the tournament has gone from strength to strength. Undoubtedly, the significance and impact of the games reaches far beyond the ice, offering student-athletes a rounded cultural experience in Belfast. Looking ahead to the next two tournaments, I feel particularly proud that 2026 will see the first four-team women's tournament take place at The SSE Arena, Belfast, providing a great opportunity to showcase the up-and-coming talent within the female game."

Harvard is the only of the four teams that does not include European talent as the other three feature players from Sweden, Czechia, Germany, France, and Finland. 

Minnesota-Duluth and Quinnipiac are both currently top 10 ranked programs in the nation.

All good things tend to come to an end. For the Boston Fleet, that occurred on December 19th  when the team’s five-game win streak came to an abrupt end against the Minnesota Frost. ​

The Fleet lost 5-2, with Frost scoring two empty-net goals in the third period. ​There were many takeaways from the game; the biggest one was the way the team rebounded on Sunday, December 21, just two days later against the Seattle Torrent.

The Fleet earned a 3-1 victory over the Torrent and put themselves back into the win column.

The Boston Fleet have won six of their first seven games and are off to a remarkable start. ​The grit they showed coming off their first loss, combined with the adjustments they made, provides hope for what’s to come.

There were many takeaways from the two games. Below are the top five. ​

1. The impact of the Fleet’s rookies in these games.

The Fleet scored two goals against the Minnesota frost. The two goals were scored 24 seconds apart, both by rookies.

​Olivia Mobley scored first at 9:01, followed shortly by Riley Brengman at 9:25. ​Following the game, Mobley spoke about her feelings around scoring her first PWHL goal. ​

“It was cool. Obviously, it's fun playing in Minnesota in front of my friends and family. We would have liked a different result, but we have a fun group, and I'm just glad I got to help out."​

Mobley also earned an assist on Friday night. Her first two points (1G, 1A) were scored in front of her family, who were at the game. ​

The third-round pick finally got on the board and earned her second point, first assist, off of Brengman's goal. ​

The rookies not only stepped up in the first game against the Frost but also in the second against the Torrent. Riley Brengman scored her second goal of the season, a ‘jailbreak goal'. 

2. Goaltending security with Frankel/Levy

In the first loss of the season, the Fleet started Aerin Frankel for her sixth consecutive game. Prior to the game, Frankel had gone 103 minutes and 45 seconds without allowing a goal past her. Against the Frost, however, Frankel allowed her third, fourth, and fifth goals of the season past her on Friday. ​

Despite the loss, Frankel remains at the top of the league amongst all goaltenders. ​The Fleet decided to start Abbey Levy for her first game with the Fleet this season. Levy recorded her first PWHL win in three seasons, saving 26 shots she faced. ​

Following the game, Levy spoke about her first start as a member of the Boston Fleet.

​“It’s probably the hardest position to be in on a team, that bubble player, where you don’t know when you’ll get in. Coming from last season, I trained hard, I practiced hard, and I know I’d get a chance. Coming to Boston was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’ve felt the love from the players and staff. They gave me an opportunity, and I’m going to keep taking advantage of every one.”​

The Boston Fleet knew they had strength in their starter, but Levy’s performance on Sunday night against the Torrent proved that they can rely on their backup this season as well, putting them in a comfortable spot heading into the rest of the season. 

3. Kris Sparre is no longer an undefeated coach.

Kris Sparre won his first five games as a head coach. Despite no longer being undefeated, it is rare for coaches to begin their tenure that way. Sparre created a winning, hard-working identity for this team.​

Following his first loss, he shared his perspective on the game. ​

"It was an entertaining game, certainly if you're a fan. It was back and forth a bit. I thought we had some sustained pressure at times. I would've liked to have seen it a little bit more, but credit to Minnesota for playing a solid game. They were hard all over the ice." ​

Despite the loss, Sparre’s team rebounded and won two of their three road games during this stretch, showing notable resilience. ​

Assistant coach Stefanie McKeough shared the message the team had following their bounce-back win. ​

“We spoke as a group about it taking all of us, and I really think that showed today with a big shoutout to our goaltending…it was a really strong performance from top to bottom.”

4. Milestones and Achievements

The Boston Fleet made history against the Seattle Torrent.

The Fleet became the first team this season to win a game in which defenders scored all of the goals. Daniela Pejšová, Riley Brengman, and Megan Keller all found the back of the net in the 3-1 win. ​

The Fleet also made history as the first team to defeat both expansion teams, defeating the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Seattle Torrent.

​Not only did the team as a whole accomplish several milestones, but several individuals also had success during the two-game stretch. ​

Megan Keller increased her consecutive games with a point streak to four games. ​

5. The rookies remain undefeated.

Boston Fleet rookies have all earned at least one point through six games this season. ​

• Haley Winn has four points, all assists.
• Abby Newhook has three points, all goals
• Olivia Mobley has two points, one goal, and one assist. 
  
  
  Riley Brengman earned her first point and goal of the season on Friday and her second on Sunday. She currently has two points, both goals. ​
• Ella Huber has one goal for the season. ​

Note: Although rookie goaltender Amanda Thiele has not seen ice time, she saw the lineup for the first time on Sunday, backing up Levy in Seattle. ​

The Boston Fleet remain in first place in the league. They now have a 6-0-0-1 record as they head into the holiday break.

The team will play their final road game of this stretch on Saturday, December 27th, against the Ottawa Charge.

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