Kristin Della Rovere Reflects on Her Unforgettable Olympic Experience with Italy
Five days after the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Kristin Della Rovere is still processing the life-changing events of her first Games. The Toronto Sceptres forward, who represented Italy in women's hockey, describes the past month as a whirlwind of incredible moments and connections.
"Every day there was some amazing thing happening," Della Rovere recalled. "You meet some insanely cool athletes, some insanely cool people. You have people from all over the world and it's just a really special place."
An Unconventional Path to Olympic Glory
Born in Caledon, Ontario, Della Rovere's journey to Olympic competition took an unexpected turn. With Italian and Macedonian heritage through her mother and grandparents, she found herself representing Italy rather than her birth country. This decision proved transformative as she led the Italian team in scoring and guided them to a quarterfinal appearance that exceeded all expectations for the women's hockey program.
The path began in 2022 when the Italian federation contacted Della Rovere while she was still a student and hockey captain at Harvard University. They inquired about her interest in representing Italy at the 2026 Olympics, requiring only an eight-month term playing in the Italian league to complete naturalization and eligibility requirements.
Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Opportunity
Initially uncertain about pursuing hockey after university, Della Rovere faced multiple obstacles once she committed to the sport. She signed with the PHF only to see the league fold to make way for the PWHL. Selected by the Ottawa Charge in the inaugural PWHL draft, she then suffered a season-ending injury requiring surgery.
"Everything was constantly changing, but playing in the Olympics for Italy was always in the back of my head," she explained.
Recovering from her injury, Della Rovere made the pivotal decision to focus on her Olympic dream rather than her professional career, marking the beginning of her Italian journey. The 2025-26 season brought another opportunity when she earned a spot on the Toronto Sceptres' reserve list, allowing her to participate in Italy's pre-Olympic centralization camps with cooperation from both teams.
Building Chemistry and Achieving Success
Della Rovere emphasized the importance of Italy's two-month centralization camps in Montreal and Italy before the Olympics. These sessions proved crucial for building relationships and chemistry within a diverse team that included players from the Italian league, naturalized professionals like herself, NCAA athletes, and Canadian USports competitors.
"That centralization and building those relationships and chemistry was a big part of the Olympic experience in general," she said. "I'm just grateful that I got a chance to be a part of that and had the support I did from both the Sceptres and the National team."
Memorable Moments from Milan-Cortina
The Olympic tournament began perfectly for Italy with a victory over France in their opening game, setting the stage for quarterfinal qualification. Della Rovere described this as her most cherished memory.
"My top memory I keep replaying in my head is after we won that first game against France, we skated a lap around the arena and just hearing the cheering and the support and that feeling of pride," she shared. "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 champion United States team. Despite knowing they faced "the deepest women's roster probably ever assembled," Della Rovere expressed pride in her team's competitive spirit against the world's best.
Looking Ahead to Future International Competition
With the Olympics concluded, Della Rovere has returned to practice with the Toronto Sceptres but remains committed to Italy's national program. She will compete in the Group A and B World Championships in Budapest this April, 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 connection to Italian hockey. "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."
From her beginnings with the Caledon Hawks and Brampton Canadettes to Harvard University and now international competition, Kristin Della Rovere's journey demonstrates how heritage, perseverance, and opportunity can create unexpected paths to Olympic achievement.
