Nine University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey current and former players will hit the ice this week for the IIHF Women's World Championship in Utica, NY, with an additional three former players on the benches as coaches.

Current Bulldog defenseman Ida Karlsson (Sweden), Paula Bergstrom (Sweden) and Nina Jobst-Smith (Germany) will suit up in the tournament. Karlsson, a freshman from Avesta, Sweden will make her first Swedish Worlds roster in just her second senior national team event. Karlsson had 13 points (1g, 12a) for UMD in her first season and was named the WCHA's Rookie of the Week back on Dec. 4. Bergstrom, a senior from Örnsköldsvik, Sweden had four assists for the Bulldogs after transferring to UMD from Long Island University.

Jobst-Smith returns to Germany World Championship duties for a second time over her collegiate career. The assistant captain, native of North Vancouver, British Columbia and penalty kill extraordinaire had 12 points (4g, 8a) and was named to the All-WCHA Third Team this season. Jobst-Smith will be joined by former UMD goaltending great Jennifer Harss, who is on staff as a strength and conditioning coach for Germany.

UMD's former All-American defenseman duo of Ashton Bell and Jocelyne Larocque will again man the blueline for Canada. Bell, just one season removed from the Bulldog backline, will make her third World Championship appearance with Canada, and already an Olympic gold medalist with Canada after the 2022 run, she also owns two IIHF World Championship golds with Canada (2021, 2022). Larocque will make her 11th appearance in a World Championship (three gold medals), and a long-time national team member, the defenseman is a three-time Olympian, including two-time gold medalist (2014, 2022). Both Bell and Larocque are currently playing in the PWHL – Larocque (the second player taken overall in the September draft) for Toronto, while Bell skates for Ottawa (she went 8th overall).

Bulldog legend, IIHF Hall of Famer and four-time Olympic gold medalist Caroline Ouellette will again serve as an assistant coach for Canada. 

Karlsson and Bergstrom will join former UMD All-American goaltender and career Bulldog shutout record holder Emma Soderberg, who will man the pipes for Sweden in her third World Championship. The 2022 Olympian is currently playing for Boston in the PWHL.

Two players will suit up for Czechia, including goaltender Blanka Skodova, currently playing for AIK and forward Katerina Mrazova. Mrazova currently sits fourth in the PWHL in scoring with 17 points in 19 games for Ottawa, and enters the tournament having helped Czechia to a bronze medal in 2023. Mrazova has been a member of eight previous World Championships in both divisions, and is a 2022 Olympian. Like Mrazova, Skodova was also a 2022 Olympian and earned World Championship bronze with Czechia last year.

Former Bulldog All-American Lara Stalder resumes her Switzerland national team duties, a team she has been a member of since 2011. The 2014 Olympic bronze medalist left the SDHL this fall after six seasons. Stalder scored 402 points in only 191 games averaging 2.10 points per game and left SDHL third in all-time scoring, while playing more than a hundred games less than each of the players above her on the list.

Sara (Tuominen) Niemi will again serve as an assistant coach to Team Finland. A Finnish great in her own right that helped Finland to the 2010 Olympic bronze medal, Niemi was a two-time NCAA champion at UMD and a two-year captain.

The IIHF World Championship will get underway Wednesday and run all the way until April 14. You can follow all things World Championship here.