Kristin Della Rovere’s Olympic breakout for Italy — leading scorer and key to a quarter-final berth — raises Italy’s profile. For bettors, consider backing Italy to retain Group A status at the upcoming World Championships and targeting Della Rovere in player-prop markets (top scorer or over/under points) as she remains central to Italy’s attack.
Della Rovere’s Olympic Breakout: From Caledon to Milano/Cortina Stardom
Five days after the closing ceremonies of her first Olympic Games, Kristin Della Rovere is still processing an experience that changed her career. The Caledon, Ont. native, who holds Italian and Macedonian heritage, represented Italy at Milano/Cortina and led the team in scoring, helping them reach a quarter-final — a result that exceeded expectations for the national program.
Path to Italy: NCAA Captain to Naturalized Olympic Forward
Heritage and recruitment
Della Rovere’s route to the Italian roster wasn’t conventional. While captaining Harvard’s hockey team, the Italian federation contacted her in 2022 about representing Italy at the 2026 Olympics. Eligibility required an eight-month stint in the Italian league to finalize naturalization, a commitment she embraced as she pivoted toward an international career.
Club lineage and early development
She learned the game in Caledon with the Caledon Hawks and later the Brampton Canadettes, developing the skills that drew attention from international scouts and ultimately opened the door to Olympic competition.
Overcoming Setbacks: League Turmoil and Injury
Della Rovere’s professional path was far from linear. She initially signed to play in the PHF, but that league folded as the PWHL emerged. Drafted by the Ottawa Charge in the inaugural PWHL draft, she then suffered a season-ending injury requiring surgery. That setback altered her plans and helped push her toward the Italian league — the move that started her Olympic journey.
Centralization and Team Chemistry Built for Success
Balancing club and country
Ahead of the Olympics, Della Rovere attended training camp with the Toronto Sceptres and earned a reserve-list spot. That arrangement allowed cooperation between Sceptres management and the Italian program so she could participate in Italy’s centralization: two months of camp in Montreal followed by another camp in Italy. Those camps were pivotal in building chemistry across a roster that blended domestic league players, naturalized professionals, NCAA athletes and a few from Canadian USports.
Why centralization mattered
The extended camps helped forge relationships and tactical cohesion that translated into tangible results on the ice. Della Rovere credits those periods as crucial to Italy’s competitiveness in Milano/Cortina.
Olympic Memories: Group Play and the Quarterfinal Test
Italy opened the tournament with a win over France and finished the preliminary round 2-2, securing a date in the quarter-finals with the eventual gold-medal-winning United States. Della Rovere singled out the emotional surge after the victory over France — skating a lap to roaring crowd support — as a standout memory. Against the U.S., Italy knew it faced “the deepest women’s roster probably ever assembled,” but the team’s competitiveness and resolve were points of pride.
What’s Next: World Championships and Continued Commitment
With the Olympics behind her, Della Rovere has returned to Canada to practice with the Sceptres, but her Italian national-team career is far from over.
She will travel to Budapest in April for the Group A and B World Championships, where Italy will fight to retain its Group A status and chase promotion opportunities.
The Olympic experience has cemented Della Rovere’s intention to remain with Italy for the foreseeable future — “I plan on sticking around (with Italy) for as long as I play hockey,” she said — and teammates share similar ambitions.
Implications for Italy’s program
Della Rovere’s presence gives Italy a proven offensive option in major tournaments. Her decision to stay in the program strengthens Italy’s depth and continuity heading into the World Championships and beyond.
Macklin Celebrini Bringing Olympic Mindset Back to Sharks
Canadian hockey player led Italy to quarterfinals
Toronto Sun
