The United States missed first place by a margin of only ten points. Bronze medallist Finland moved up one place at the expense of Switzerland while the positions between 5th and 9th place remain unchanged: Sweden, Russia, Germany, Japan and the Czech Republic.

Denmark made the top-10 for the first time ever by overtaking Scandinavian rival Norway.

The ranking includes 37 countries that participated in the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship program, in the Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament or the Olympic Qualification in the last four years.

The IIHF Women’s World Ranking in 2016 will determine the seeding for the 2018 Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament in PyeongChang, Korea, with the top-five teams directly qualified, as well as for the Olympic Qualification. It will be known following the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Kamloops, Canada.

Click here for the 2015 IIHF Women’s World Ranking.