Six Badgers earn Team USA spots in 2026 Winter Olympics

MADISON, Wis. (UW Brand Communications) — Four current and two former Wisconsin women's hockey players earned spots on the Team USA Olympic roster for the 2026 Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, USA Hockey announced Friday.

Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, Ava McNaughton and Kirsten Simms made the final Olympic roster as active players for UW, joining former Badgers Britta Curl-Salemme and Hilary Knight. In addition, current Wisconsin athletic trainer Stefanie Arndt and former Wisconsin director of operations/equipment manager Sis Paulsen will join Team USA in staff roles.

The roster was announced on NBC's TODAY show, with Edwards featured on the program to help unveil the team.

This will be the first Olympic Games for Curl-Salemme, Edwards, McNaughton and Simms, bringing the total number of Olympians in program history to 23. Harvey previously competed in the 2022 Games before her UW career began, while Knight is set to become the first American to play in five Olympic Games.

Wisconsin's six players are the most of any school in the country and the most for the Badgers since the 2010 Olympic team, coached by Mark Johnson, which featured seven Badger players.

All six players have competed for Team USA in recent months, taking on Team Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series in November and December. The U.S. won all four games while outscoring Canada, 24–7.

Curl-Salemme played for the Badgers from 2018–24, serving as captain during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons. The Bismarck, North Dakota, native currently plays for the Minnesota Frost in the PWHL, helping the team to a championship in the 2024–25 season. She has competed in four IIHF World Championships for the United States.

Edwards, a Cleveland Heights, Ohio, native, will compete in her first Olympic Games after representing the U.S. at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Championships. She led the country in goals with 35 while playing for the Badgers last season and collected six points in four games during the 2025 Rivalry Series. Edwards was the first Black woman to play for the U.S. women's senior national team and will now be the first Black woman to compete for the U.S. women's Olympic team.

Harvey will compete in her second Olympics after securing a silver medal at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, where she was the youngest player on the roster. A defender, Harvey currently leads all NCAA players in points (41) and assists (30). The Salem, New Hampshire, native is the current captain for the Badgers and is the school's all-time defensive point leader with 178 career points.

Knight is not only the most experienced Olympian on the 2026 roster, but also the most experienced women's hockey player in U.S. history, having played in a record 22 Olympic games. The Team USA captain since 2023, Knight will be the first American hockey player to compete in five Olympics. The Sun Valley, Idaho, native is Wisconsin's second all-time leading scorer with 262 points and currently captains the Seattle Torrent in the PWHL.

McNaughton is one of three goaltenders on the Team USA roster and is the second-youngest player on the team. She was named the HCA Goaltender of the Year in 2024–25 and made her U.S. senior national team debut at the 2025 IIHF World Championships. The Seven Fields, Pennsylvania, native currently ranks second in the NCAA with a 1.27 goals-against average.

Simms will make her Olympic debut after stints on the 2024 and 2025 World Championship teams. She eclipsed the 200-career point mark earlier this season, becoming one of nine Badgers to reach the milestone. Simms played the hero at the 2025 NCAA Championship, scoring both the game-tying and game-winning goals against Ohio State to secure the Badgers' eighth national championship.

The 2026 Olympics mark the first time Team USA will not centralize players in the months prior to the Games, which begin Feb. 5. The change allows both NCAA and PWHL players to compete in their respective seasons surrounding the Olympics. In the past, NCAA players would miss a season to compete. Edwards, Harvey, McNaughton and Simms join Knight, Megan Duggan, Emily Clark and Jesse Compher as the only Badger players to compete in the Olympics during their NCAA careers.

The Badger Olympians are set to compete in UW's first three January series before departing for Italy and will be eligible to return for the remainder of the season following the Games.

Team USA Schedule
Feb. 5 — Czechia, Preliminary — 9:40 a.m. CT
Feb. 7 — Finland, Preliminary — 9:40 a.m. CT
Feb. 9 — Switzerland, Preliminary — 2:40 p.m. CT
Feb. 10 — Canada, Preliminary — 2:10 p.m. CT
Feb. 13 — TBD, Quarterfinal — 3:10 p.m. CT
Feb. 16 — TBD, Semifinal — 10:40 a.m. CT
Feb. 19 — TBD, Bronze Medal Game — 8:40 a.m. CT
Feb. 19 — Gold Medal Game — 1:10 p.m. CT

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