MILAN, Italy – Today marks the first day of preliminary round matchups for women's hockey at the 2026 Olympics. The Mercyhurst women's hockey team sent Julia Schalin (Finland) to her first Olympics. Emma Nuutinen '20 (Finland) and former Laker Thea Johansson (Sweden) are also competing. 
 
Schalin becomes 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). 
 
This season, Schalin has nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points. She has nine-multi-point games and leads the team in assists. The reigning AHA Rookie of the Year recorded her second career hat trick against Lindenwood in December. She also recorded a hat trick of assists against Stonehill and in another contest against Lindenwood. Against ranked opponents, she recorded assists against No. 8/9 UConn and No. 4 Penn State. She currently sits first in the AHA in assists and fourth in points. 

For Finland, Schalin has built quite the track record. She has played in 99 combined games for the U18 team and senior team. She has scored 10 goals and registered 26 assists for 36 points. She won back-to-back bronze medals with Finland's senior team at the IIHF World Championship in 2024 and 2025. 
 
Nuutinen, the older sister of current Laker Sofia Nuutinen, graduated from the Mercyhurst women's hockey team in 2020. She finished her Laker career with 45 goals, 37 assists, and 82 points in three seasons. This will be Nuutinen's third Olympics for Finland. She previously competed in the 2014 Sochia Games in Sochi and the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She scored a goal in both of those competitions.  
 
Johansson played in 109 games for the Lakers. She scored 51 goals and recorded 43 assists for 94 points. This is the Ljungby native's first time representing Sweden at the Olympics. 
 
Historically, only the U.S. and Canada have claimed gold medals at the Olympics. Canda won the most recent games in Beijing in 2022, defeating the U.S., 3-2. The 1998 Nagano Olympics in Japan were the first to feature women's hockey. Finland, as of April 21, 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. 
 
Finland's first puck drop will begin Saturday, Feb. 7 at 10:40 a.m. EST. Viewers can find live coverage on NBC and its streaming platforms. 
 
To view the full Olympic schedule for women's hockey, click here.