Women's hockey returns to the Universiade in Changchun next January
Six nations, a 2,460-seat rink and a tournament that keeps turning college players into PWHL draft picks.
Women's hockey is headed back to the Winter Universiade. Per The Hockey News, the 33rd edition of the student games will hold a six-nation women's tournament in Changchun, China, from Jan. 15-25, 2027, at the 2,460-seat Jilin Ice Arena. Canada, the United States and Czechia are among the countries in the field.
The event has quietly become a PWHL pipeline. THN notes that plenty of current pros played in it while still in school. Anna Shokhina of PWHL Hamilton holds the tournament scoring record with 32 points in 15 games. Czechia won gold in Turin in 2025, and Canada took it in Lake Placid in 2023.
Ferda read: a mid-January tournament in a small barn in northeast China won't draw a TV audience here. But it's a live look at the next wave of PWHL draft picks playing for a flag, and the scouts will be there even if the cameras aren't.