Akervik and King compete for Team USA roster spots ahead of Women’s World Championship
A National Team roster spot is one of the most coveted achievements in all of sports.
From March 26 to March 31, Minnesota State seniors Charlotte Akervik and Kelsey King competed in Team USA’s Senior World Championship Selection Camp in Blaine, Minn.
The finalized roster began competing in the 2023 Women’s World Championship in Brampton, Ontario April 5 in the preliminary round and can earn the chance at a Women’s World Championship gold medal on Apr. 16.
46 United States players were invited to the camp in Blaine, and 25 were named to the final roster. Players invited to the camp competed in two practices and three inter-squad games.
Outside of ice time, the players watched film, learned how to maintain a healthy and performance-based diet and were taught the USA Hockey system of playing world-class hockey.
From college to pro, the best in women’s hockey competed for a chance at being a world champion.
From the likes of Hilary Knight to Amanda Kessel and long-time USA goaltender Nicole Hensley, the Americans always bring a top roster to the World Championships. There’s a lot to learn from the USA Hockey legends and decorated staff, and Akervik couldn’t say enough about her time at the camp.
“It’s a complete honor to get invited to any of these camps. I always feel like wherever I return to play, I learned something new that I can apply there,” explained Akervik.
Akervik continued to say, “Getting the invitation, you’re really excited. But then the nerves always follow. I think at that level there’s a sense of mental toughness that you have to achieve. You have to understand you’re there for a reason and continue to play to the best of your ability.”
The Mavericks have had recent success in sending players to camps, including the likes of junior Jamie Nelson and senior Anna Wilgren, and a few have made roster spots in the past. For Akervik and King, this wasn’t their first experience competing for a roster spot on USA Hockey’s National Team.
Akervik spoke on the success Minnesota State has had in sending players to USA Hockey events saying, “Having players invited to these camps establishes our credibility and builds a stronger resume for our program. We play in the best college women’s hockey league by far, the WCHA, so we play against the girls that are being invited to these camps almost every game.”
“You’re going to get exposure to the best of the best regardless of what team you’re playing. The presence of the Mavericks in the USA system has made us credible and will only grow from here.”
Despite neither Akervik nor King making the final roster for the World Championship, the two returned from the camp with knowledge of how to grow their game and potentially make a roster in the near future. What’s important is that their names are out there and they will continue to be competitive at camps in the future.
Akervik explained that personally, she is working on, “Maintaining my confidence level. Regardless of what game I’m playing in or what jersey I’m wearing, I have to continue to play confident and play my game.”
On top of that, Akervik knows in order to maintain her confidence level, she must prepare herself from start to finish.
“It all starts with preparation,” said Akervik. “Coming back from camp, a fire is lit under you. You want to get better. You see all these skilled players and what they have in their bags and it shows you how you can improve.”
Akervik continued saying, “It comes in how seriously, I mean top to bottom, how much focus and energy you are putting into hockey. In every aspect of your life, you need to be doing the right things at the right time and if you are able to do that and maintain it, you can achieve your goals.”
Write to Kole Buelow at Kole.Buelow@mnsu.edu
Header Photo: Senior, Charlotte Akervik (above), was one of two players invited to Team USA’s Senior World Championship Selection Camp.(Lilly Anderson)