MILAN, Italy - Several nations have released their women's ice hockey rosters ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics set to begin next month. Finland's roster featured Mercyhurst sophomore forward Julia Schalin, who will compete in the Olympics for the first time. Mercyhurst women's hockey alumna Emma Nuutinen also made the Finnish Olympic team for the third time. 

Schalin will become the sixth Olympic skater from the Mercyhurst women's hockey program and the third to represent Finland. She will join the likes of Meghan Agosta (Canada), Bailey Bram (Canada), Sofia Skriver (Denmark), Emma Nuutinen (Finland), and Vilma Tanskanen (Finland). 

The reigning AHA Rookie of Year has impressed since her first season with the Lakers. She was named the AHA Rookie of the Week four times and AHA Rookie of the Month three times. Her first career goal led to a hat trick and an assist in a 5-0 win at RMU in November of 2024. Another notable performance was the Laker's 5-2 AHA semifinal win over Syracuse where Schalin scored two goals and added an assist to send the team to the AHA championship game for the fourth consecutive season. Schalin finished the 2024-25 season with 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points. She had 10 multi-point games and was second in the nation among all rookies in points. 

This season, Schalin has eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. She leads the team in assists and is second on points. She has six multi-point games and two five-point series. A couple notable performances include two goals and three assists in a series sweep at RMU and a hat trick of assists against Stonehill in the Smashville Tournament in Nashville. Most recently, Schalin recorded her second career hat trick in a 10-1 win over Lindenwood with a pair of assists throughout the series. Schalin has been named AHA Forward of the Week twice this season.

Historically, only the U.S. and Canada have claimed gold medals at the Olympics. The 1998 Nagano Olympics in Japan were the first to feature women's hockey. Finland, as of April 2025, is the third best team in the world according to the International Ice Hockey Federation's rankings. They have secured four bronze medals since the inaugural games and will be searching for their first goal medal. 

For a full look at the women's ice hockey Olympic rosters, click here. 

To view the slate of games for ice hockey in February, click here.