Kristin Della Rovere Reflects on Olympic Journey with Italy's Hockey Team
Five days after the closing ceremonies of her first Olympic Games, Kristin Della Rovere is still processing the whirlwind experience. The Canadian-born hockey player, who represented Italy in the women's tournament at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, finds herself searching for the right words to describe what she calls "life-changing" events.
"Every day there was some amazing thing happening," Della Rovere said of her time in Italy. "You meet some insanely cool athletes, some insanely cool people. You have people from all over the world and just a really special place."
An Unconventional Path to Olympic Glory
A native of Caledon, Ontario, Della Rovere's journey to Olympic participation wasn't traditional. With Italian and Macedonian heritage through her mother and grandparents, she wound up representing Italy in hockey at the Games. Not only did she represent the host nation, but she led the Italian team in scoring and helped them achieve a quarterfinal berth that exceeded expectations for the national program.
How does a young woman who grew up playing for the Caledon Hawks and Brampton Canadettes wind up playing for Italy at the Olympics? Her impressive play caught the attention of the Italian federation, which contacted her in 2022 while she was still a student and captain of Harvard's hockey team. The opportunity required an eight-month term playing in the Italian league to complete naturalization and make her eligible for Olympic competition.
Overcoming Challenges Along the Way
When Della Rovere initially considered the Olympic opportunity, she wasn't certain hockey would be her path after university. Once she committed to pursuing professional hockey, additional hurdles emerged. She signed with the PHF, but that league folded almost immediately to make way for the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Della Rovere persevered and was selected by the Ottawa Charge in the inaugural PWHL draft.
Then came a season-ending injury in Year 1 of the PWHL that required surgery. "Everything was constantly changing, but playing in the Olympics for Italy was always in the back of my head," she recalled.
Following her recovery, Della Rovere made the pivotal decision to play in the Italian league rather than focus solely on her PWHL career. "That was the start of my Olympic journey," she said.
Building Toward Olympic Success
For the 2025-26 season, Della Rovere earned a spot on the Toronto Sceptres' reserve list, a role that allowed her to participate in Italy's pre-Olympic centralization camps with cooperation from both teams. These intensive training sessions included two-month camps in Montreal followed by additional preparation in Italy just before the Olympics.
"That was crucial to the Olympic experience for us," Della Rovere emphasized, noting the team's diverse composition included players from the Italian league, naturalized professionals like herself, NCAA athletes, and even some from Canadian USports programs. "That centralization and building those relationships and chemistry was a big part of the Olympic experience in general."
Memorable Olympic Moments
The Olympic tournament began perfectly for Italy with a victory over France in their first game, setting the stage for their quarterfinal qualification. "My top memory I keep replaying in my head is after we won that first game against France," Della Rovere shared. "We skated a lap around the arena and just hearing the cheering and the support and that feeling of pride, I can't even describe it properly, but it was definitely one of the highlights of the Olympics for me."
Italy finished the preliminary round with a 2-2 record, earning a quarterfinal matchup against the eventual gold medal-winning United States team. Della Rovere acknowledged the challenge of facing what she called "the deepest women's roster probably ever assembled," but expressed pride in her team's competitive spirit.
"We knew going into that game that we were facing the best hockey team in the world," she said. "We knew they were incredibly skilled. We knew it would be tough, but we didn't want to make it easy for them."
Looking Toward the Future
With the Olympics concluded, Della Rovere has returned to Canada to practice with the Toronto Sceptres, but her involvement with the Italian national team continues. She will travel to Budapest in April for the Group A and B World Championships, aiming to maintain Italy's Group A status and potentially earn promotion to the Premier Group alongside hockey powerhouses like Canada and the United States.
The Olympic experience has solidified Della Rovere's commitment to Italy's national program. "It's hard to say where things will be in three or four years, but I plan on sticking around with Italy for as long as I play hockey," she affirmed. "I know there are a bunch of girls from that team that are in that same boat."
This proud Canadian has found a second hockey home with Italy, and her Olympic journey has only strengthened her connection to the program that gave her the opportunity to compete on the world's biggest stage.
