When Team USA takes the ice for Saturday’s IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship semifinal matchup against Sweden, they’ll be doing so with a roster that embraces the growth of the sport across the country. 

You have your typical states represented, with players from Minnesota, New York and Massachusetts, but right alongside are players who are from Kentucky, North Carolina, California and many more. 

For Liz Keady Norton, head coach of the 2025 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team, it’s a reflection of the growth of the game and one she's relished in when building the roster. 

“It’s incredible,” Keady Norton said. “It’s not something you would have seen ten years ago, let alone a few years ago. It makes the entire process of selecting this team that much more exciting. There are good players everywhere and that’s a reflection of the growth of the sport, not just numbers wise, but talent wise for the girl’s game.”

Now back on Team USA for the second time after winning gold at the 2024 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship, she knows what it takes to win and how her unique path led her to the national stage. 

“It’s an honor to represent Team USA. It doesn’t really matter where you come from. It you work hard, you’ll be seen,” Derrenbacher said. “My program back home, the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, did so much for me in my development to help me get here. There’s good hockey and good coaching down in the Carolinas.”

Goaltender Morgan Stickney is from Manhattan Beach, California, where sand and skating went hand-in-hand growing up. With two games remaining in the tournament, Stickney has already written herself into the record books dazzling between the pipes. She recorded 183:01 of consecutive shutout play, a new IIHF tournament record. 

“Every player on this team is a piece to a puzzle,” Keady Norton said. “They all bring something to the ice that will help us complete the team. It doesn’t matter where they’re from, they play hard and represent this country with pride.”

With every player on the roster making an impact on the ice, regardless of where they're from, players and coaches alike are excited to see where the trajectory continues to lead Team USA. 

“Every year is a little more exciting. The volume of high-end talent is growing,” Keady Norton said. “Now, you are getting more high-end players that have the capacity to be on national teams and be the future of USA Hockey coming through the first steps of this program.”