Two current University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey defenseman -- fifth-year Nina Jobst-Smith and sophomore Ida Karlsson earned spots on their respective national team rosters for the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship that will be held in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia April 9-20. Jobst-Smith will represent Germany for a fifth-consecutive year in the tournament, while Karlsson also returns to her second Swedish Worlds Team after earning a roster spot in 2024. The two join sophomore goaltender Ève Gascon as the third team member off the 2024-25 roster to make their national team rosters for Worlds -- Gascon will represent Canada.


Jobst-Smith, joins former UMD goaltending great Jennifer Harss, who is on the coaching staff for Germany as Bulldog representatives on Team Germany. A native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, and a team captain, Jobst-Smith skated in 37 games for UMD, recording three goals and 15 assists for 18 points. Jobst-Smith was named a 2024-25 All-WCHA Second Team selection, and will graduate with the seventh most assists by a blueliner (55) in a career, as well as third in all-time games played 172). Jobst-Smith helped Germany qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in early February in Bremerhaven, Germany


Karlsson reunites with former Bulldogs All-American and current PWHL Boston Fleet goaltender Emma Soderberg, as well as newly minted SDHL champion defenseman Paula Bergstrom with Sweden. The trio also helped Sweden clinch a spot in the 2026 Winter Olympics in early February. Karlsson logged three goals and four assists for seven points in 36 games for UMD this year, which included one game-winning tally against Ohio State University to open the season.


In all, eight current or former UMD players will hit the ice at Worlds, which also includes Canadian National Team slalwart defenseman, current PWHL Ottawa Charge member and UMD All-American Jocelyne Larocque with Canada, Bulldog All-American forward Lara Stalder with Switzerland, and PWHL Ottawa Charge forward Katerina Mrázová, who is a two-time Worlds bronze medalists (2022 and 2023 with Czechia. Besides Harss with Germany, another Bulldog great, two-time NCAA champion and Olympic bronze medalist for Finland, Saara Tuominen, will serve as an assistant coach from Team Finland, a role she has been in since 2021.


For a full schedule of the tournament, click here.