by Alison Brown
August 2025 marked a big leap forward for women’s para ice hockey: The team from the United States, including our friend Monica Quimby, was crowned the first World Champion. We spoke with two refs who have called many games in para ice hockey (don’t call it sled hockey anymore!), Brooke Nunemaker and Brad Roethlisberger. What does it take to officiate this fast and furious sport? Take a listen to our chat to find out!
Women are hoping to have a separate event included in the Paralympics in 2030. For Milano-Cortina 2026, para ice hockey is officially a mixed event, though few women will play on Paralympic ice. What can you expect from the tournament next winter?
USA! USA!
The U.S. has claimed seven of the last ten World Championships, including this year. What team has won the other three? Canada, most recently in 2024. The rivalry between the two nations in para ice hockey, as in Olympic men’s and women’s ice hockey, is fierce and fiery. The last time a team broke the US-Canada stranglehold on the top two spots at the World Championships was in 2012 when South Korea scored silver. Norway won gold in 2004, the last time a team other than the US or Canada won the world championships.
The picture is not much different at the Paralympics. The US has won the last four Paralympic gold medals and is not planning on relinquishing the title any time soon. The American team heading to Italy looks to be a full veteran squad with plenty of experience on Paralympic ice.
Captain Josh Pauls is expected to lead the team at his 5th Paralympics, along with assistant captains Declan Farmer and Travis Dodson, both back for Paralympics #4. Veteran stars Brody Roybal, Jack Wallace, and goalie Jen Lee should return to fight for a Paralympic five-peat.
O Canada
Canada defeated the United States at the para ice hockey World Championships in 2024 on home ice in Alberta. The 2-1 victory in the gold medal match shocked the Americans and thrilled Canadians, breaking a 23-game losing streak for the Canadians in the World Championships to the U.S.
Canada brought a less experienced, younger team to the World Championships in Buffalo in May. It was a calculated risk by head coach Russ Herrington, looking to build depth and confidence in the year before the Paralympics, rather than solely focus on defending the title. Seven of the 17 players on the Canadian squad in Buffalo did not play in Beijing.
So which players will Canada send to Milan?
At the beginning of August, Hockey Canada announced the players invited to its National Team Orientation Camp, a major step in its selection process for its Paralympic team. Young players are making their mark again. On the list are teenagers Matteo Pellizzari, Jonathan Daigle, and Gavin Baggs, who at age 17 played for Canada in Buffalo. Not that veterans are being forgotten: Greg Westlake, age 39, is expected to make his 6th Paralympic team. He played his first Paralympics in Italy, when Canada won gold in Torino 2006. Will Italy bring Canada luck once again?
China – Add Oil
China made the most of its first appearance in Paralympic ice hockey at Beijing 2022; the home team took the bronze, defeating Korea in a contentious match. Former head coach Nikolay Sharshukov (by way of the Soviet Union) left the team after the Paralympics. Yin Jiwu took the helm and the Chinese have used their incredible speed to finish 4th at the World Championships in 2024 and 2025, qualifying them for a spot at Milan.
What About the Rest of the World?
The U.S. and Canada may be gunning for each other in the gold medal game, but more teams are catching up. Czechia reached the semifinals in Buffalo and earned themselves a spot in Milan (to the delight no doubt of our Czech friend Michal who we met in Beijing). The team has made steady improvement since a disappointing 6th place finish in 2022. Germany secured the final direct berth from the World Championships last year. It will be Germany’s second appearance in para ice hockey at the Paralympics, the first since Torino 2006. As the host nation, Italy receives an automatic berth into the tournament.
Six teams will fight it out for the the final two spots at the 2025 Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament in Norway in November. The bottom three teams from the A pool World Championships (Slovakia, Norway, and Korea) will be joined by the top three teams from the World Para Ice Hockey Championships B-Pool in Kazakhstan starting on September 6. Japan, France, Finland, Sweden, Kazakhstan and Italy will play in that round robin tournament, so we won’t know the full makeup of the qualification tournament until later this month. While Italy gets the host nation slot, it can improve its ranking by competing at the B-pool and qualification tournaments.
It is a tough call as to who will make it to Italy, but is should be a fight between Japan, Korea, Slovakia, and Norway.
But We Know Someone Who Won’t Be There
Russia, who last scored a Paralympic medal in para ice hockey with a silver on home ice in Sochi 2014, will not be coming to Italy. The Russians were sent home from Beijing before the start of the Paralympics after Russia invaded Ukraine. Some athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2026 Paralympics as neutral athletes but no Russian teams will be allowed.
Any Women on Paralympic Ice in 2026?
Not likely. China added Jing Yu to the roster for Beijing 2022, but she only took the ice for one shift of the game on National Women’s Day. It looked to be a publicity stunt more than a real step forward toward inclusion. Despite being allowed an extra roster spot for a woman, no other women played at the last Paralympics. Without knowing all the teams that will qualify, we can’t be sure, but it is not looking good for the ladies, at least not this time.
That doesn’t mean we can’t hope and plan for a women’s para ice hockey tournament at the 2030 Paralympics!