University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Five with Gopher Ties Named to 2026 U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team
1/2/2026 7:39:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – Five players with Golden Gopher ties are among the 23 athletes named to the 2026 U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team, which will represent the United States at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy.
Graduate student Abbey Murphy and Gopher alumnae Taylor Heise ('23), Grace Zumwinkle ('23), Kelly Pannek ('19), and Lee Stecklein ('17) were selected to don the Red, White, and Blue with Team USA. Cal Dietz will also be joining the squad as their strength and conditioning coach.
The 2026 Olympic Games will mark the first Olympic appearance for Heise, the third for Pannek, and the fourth for Stecklein. Stecklein has previously earned a gold medal in PyeongChang (2018) and silver medals in Sochi (2014) and Beijing (2022). Pannek captured gold in PyeongChang (2018) and silver in Beijing (2022), while Zumwinkle and Murphy both earned silver medals in Beijing (2022).
Across her three Olympic appearances, Stecklein has totaled one goal and one assist. Pannek has recorded two goals and six assists in 12 Olympic games. Murphy (one assist) and Zumwinkle (one goal) each notched a point during their Olympic debuts in Beijing.
All five skated in the 2025 Rivalry Series leading up to the Games. Murphy shared the team lead in goals with five, highlighted by a hat trick in the series opener. Heise led all players in points (nine) and assists (eight), while Murphy followed closely with eight points. Pannek added three goals of her own as Team USA completed a 4-0 series sweep, outscoring Canada 24-7.
The U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team has competed in every Winter Olympic Games since the inaugural women's ice hockey tournament in 1998. Team USA won gold at that first event in Nagano and will look to reclaim the top spot after earning silver in 2022, when Canada edged the Americans 3-2 in the gold medal game.
Team USA will compete in the 2026 Milan Winter Olympic Games from Feb. 5–22, 2026, alongside nine other nations. The Americans will skate in Group A with Canada, Finland, Czechia, and Switzerland. Team USA will open Olympic play on Thursday, Feb. 5, against Czechia at 9:40 a.m. CT.