Four Seattle Torrent Players Named to 2026 U.S. Olympic Roster
PWHL Seattle Torrent

Four Seattle Torrent Players Named to 2026 U.S. Olympic Roster

Published on January 2, 2026 under Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)
Seattle Torrent News Release


TORONTO - USA Hockey announced today that Seattle Torrent forwards Hilary Night, Alex Carpenter, and Hannah Bilka, and defender Cayla Barnes have been named to the 2026 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. The Torrent represents four of sixteen players from the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) on the Olympic roster. The Milano Cortina 2026 Women's Ice Hockey Tournament is scheduled for Feb. 5-19. -

Torrent captain Hilary Knight brings the most experience to the United States roster at her fifth-straight Olympic Games (gold - 2018, silver - 2010, 2014, 2022), recording 10 points (6G, 4A) in Beijing 2022. Knight has played in 15 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship teams, 12 Four Nations Cups, and one IIHF Twelve Nationals Invitational Tournament. The 36-year-old Sun Valley, ID native captained the Boston Fleet for two seasons and was a finalist for the 2024-25 Forward of the Year and 2025 Billie Jean King MVP Awards. She was the co-winner of the 2024-25 PWHL Points Leader Award (15-14-30), finishing tied for second in goals. On June 4, 2025, she signed a one-year Standard Player Agreement to become the first ever player to join the Seattle Torrent and was named captain ahead of the team's inaugural campaign. Knight has recorded seven points (1G, 6A) in seven games.

Cayla Barnes will make her third Olympic appearance in Milan Cortina. The 26-year-old defender from Eastvale, CA made her national team debut in the 2014 Under-18 Series vs. Canada. She won Olympic gold with the United States in PyeongChang 2018 and silver in Beijing 2022 where she recorded six points across seven games (1G, 5A). Barnes has played in six IIHF teams and has represented the U.S. in various other international events including five Rivalry Series contests. Barnes was selected in the first round, fifth overall, by the Montréal Victoire in the June 2024 PWHL Draft and finished her rookie season with 13 points (2G, 11A) and a spot on the 2025 PWHL All-Rookie Team. On June 5, 2025, Barnes signed a three-year Standard Player Agreement with the Seattle Torrent in the exclusive free agency window for the 2025-26 PWHL expansion teams.

Seattle's alternate captain Alex Carpenter will also be making her third Olympic appearance in 2026, having previously represented the United States in Beijing (silver-2022) and Sochi (silver-2014). Originally from North Reading, MA, the 31-year-old forward has competed in 10 IIHF Women's World Championship teams, four Four Nations Cups and six Rivalry Series. After two seasons as alternate captain for the New York Sirens, Carpenter signed a one-year Standard Player Agreement with Seattle in the exclusive free agency window for the 2025-26 PWHL expansion teams on June 6, 2025. She has tallied six points (4G, 2A) across Torrent's seven 2025 regular season games.

Hannah Bilka will make her Olympic debut in Milan Cortina. The 24-year-old forward from Coppell, TX has played with the National Team since the 2017 Under-18 Series vs. Canada. She's competed in three IIHF Women's World Championships and three Rivalry Series. Bilka was drafted fourth overall by the Boston Fleet at the 2024 PWHL Draft. On June 9, 2025, she signed a two-year Standard Player Agreement to become the Seattle Torrent's first expansion draft pick, and has recorded six points (2G, 4A) in seven regular season games.

The Seattle Torrent will celebrate Knight, Barnes, Carpenter and Bilka at their final home game before Milano Cortina on January 20 at Climate Pledge Arena vs. the Toronto Sceptres. Game time is 7:00 p.m. PT and tickets are available at thepwhl.com/Seattle-Torrent/tickets.

Team USA will open Olympic competition in Milan Cortina on Thursday, Feb. 5 against Czechia in Group A at 7:40 a.m. PT.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Professional Women's Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central