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Kristýna Kaltounková has seen the headlines as everyone anticipates another epic clash between Canada and the USA in the Olympic gold medal final.

She is tired of reading.

“If I could, I would do everything to be there and win a gold or silver medal,” said the Czech striker. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Kaltounková, taken first overall by the New York Sirens in last year’s PWHL draft, leads the league in both goals (11) and penalty minutes (31) through her first 16 professional games.

The 23-year-old, who boasts size and an excellent shot, could be the X-factor for a rising Czech team hoping to shake up the Olympic podium.

Only one Olympic final, in 2006, featured a team that was not from North America. Canada beat Sweden for gold that year.

But now the best international players compete in the PWHL, where they play and train with top talent every day. The Czech Republic has eight PWHL players on the roster, including Kaltounkova.

While the USA and Canada are still the top-ranked teams in the world and heavy favorites to make another Olympic final, there is no doubt that the rest of the world has gotten better.

Here are three European teams to watch heading into the women’s Olympic hockey tournament, which begins in Milan, Italy on February 5. You can watch all Olympic hockey action on CBC and CBC Gem.

Czech Republic

It’s only been four years since the Czech Republic made its women’s hockey debut at the Olympics, but a lot has happened since then.

The country won its first two medals at the world championships with back-to-back bronzes in 2022 and 2023.

Then the Czechs hosted the world championship in 2025 for the first time. The home team almost upset the Americans in the semi-finals, only to lose to Finland in the bronze medal match.

Back home, funding for the program “exploded” after its Olympic appearance four years ago, according to Boston Fleet defender Daniela Pejšová, who will compete in Milano Cortina 2026 with the Czech team.

“During the summer when I’m home at these girls’ summer camps, they all tell me they started because they saw us on TV winning (a bronze medal at the 2022 world championships) or just competing in the Olympics,” she said. “Girls’ hockey just exploded in the Czech Republic. The federation started funding our program and obviously the PWHL happened. We have a lot of female players in this league, so that helps as well.”

Another change is the addition of head coach Carla MacLeod, who also coaches the Ottawa Charge in the PWHL, and 27-year-old general manager Tereza Sadilová, who took over in 2022.

Kaltounková credited both of them with helping the team gain more respect and trust.

“Four years ago, not many people even knew about women’s hockey back home, so the fact that these people are fighting to respect us is something I really appreciate,” she said. “They’ve done a tremendous job with all of that because the conditions we have now and the opportunities we have are just so different than they were four or 10 years ago.”

In addition to Kaltounkova, the Czech team will look to Tereza Vanišova from Vancouver and Kateřina Mrázova from Ottawa for attack. Captain Aneta Tejralová (Seattle Torrent) will be counted on to play heavy minutes against top teams, assuming she is healthy.

But the player to watch out for is 19-year-old Adéla Šapovalivová, who helped spark the Czech U18 team to a rout of Canada 2024. She plays college hockey at the University of Wisconsin and played on a line with Kaltounk at the world championships.

“You can expect a lot of physicality, a lot of determination,” Kaltounková said of her team. “We have a Czech heart. Every Czech will tell you that we will fight until the last end or the last minute. We are not very easy to get rid of.”

Finland

Since making her Olympic debut in 2010, Michelle Karvinen has seen many changes in women’s hockey. Nothing was better than creating the PWHL.

Since joining the league last season, the 35-year-old says her game has grown to a new level. She has six points in 16 PWHL games with Vancouver, where she has developed chemistry with Canada’s Sarah Nurse.

Karvinen is part of a Finnish Olympic team that boasts four PWHL players, and has won back-to-back world championship bronze.

“I think we probably have the best team I’ve ever played for a Finnish team,” Karvinen told CBC Sports. “Extremely good skaters, fast and very skilled. I think we’re obviously still a bit of an underdog, but I have a good feeling about the team we have.”

In addition to Karvinen, Finland will look to Boston Fleet forward Susanna Tapani and Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL) forward Petra Cape to feed the offense.

Tapani is one of the most underrated centers in the PWHL, a skilled forward who can get the puck off her stick in an instant. She scored eight points in 14 games for leading Boston.

Nieminen leads the SDHL with 43 points in 25 games, thanks to his accurate shooting. Her strength shouldn’t be underestimated, Karvinen said, which should help Nieminen transition well to the PWHL should he decide to come next season.

On the back end, captain Jenni Hiirikoski is set to return to the national team following off-season heart surgery. Long regarded as one of the best defensemen in the world, Hiirikoski logged big minutes as he recorded six points in seven games for Finland at the 2024 World Cup, where the country finished third.

Karvinen finds it emotional to think about his friend’s return to hockey after overcoming significant health issues.

“For her to come back after all this, it just shows her heart and character,” Karvinen said. “It wasn’t easy.”

She will be joined by Ronja Savolainen (Ottawa Charge), a strong defenseman who is the hardest to play against in the PWHL. Karvinen has watched her game develop since coming to North America and believes she is also underrated.

One player to watch? Rookie Ottawa Chiefs goaltender Sanni Ahola, who could steal the game for the Finns.

Switzerland

The Swiss team joined Canada, the United States, Finland and the Czech Republic in Group A, where all teams will automatically advance to the quarterfinals.

Alina Müller (Boston Fleet) was just 15 years old when she won a bronze medal for Switzerland at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

But the Swiss have not been able to return to the podium since then. The country has also lost three straight bronze medal matches at the 2021-2023 World Championships.

Now 27, Müller is chasing another Olympic medal. She knows she will have to do her best to get the Swiss team there.

“Our advantage is that we are such a small country,” she said. “We don’t have that many players. We know each other inside and out, and we’ve played together for years in the national team. We know what everyone needs. If we can bring that to the ice, we’re a very dangerous team.”

She is one of only two PWHL players on the Swiss roster. Nicole Vallario, reserve defender of the New York Sirens, is the second.

“Our motivation to win a medal is greater than ever because we have been so close so many times,” Vallario said.

Swiss legend Lara Stalder will return with Müller, as will goalkeeper Andrea Brändli.

Müller expects defensively good hockey from the Swiss, with the support of Brändli, who was SDHL’s goalkeeper of the year last season.

“Anything can happen in women’s hockey with a great goaltender,” Müller said. “This is another do or die tournament, and we will try to show our best hockey and that it can take us really far.”

Sweden, Japan, Germany, France and host Italy make up group B. The three best national teams from that group will advance to the quarterfinals.

Canada opens its tournament on February 5 against Finland at 3:10 PM Eastern.

The gold medal game is scheduled for February 19 at 1:10 PM Eastern.