'Watch List' for Women's Goalie of the Year Announced
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
The Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association has announced a “Watch List” of 31 goaltenders who could vie for the title of 2026 National Women’s Goalie of the Year. The award was created in 2021 to recognize the top female goalie in NCAA Division I hockey and all three of last year’s finalists are on this list, including 2025 Goalie of the Year Ava McNaughton of Wisconsin.
The goalies to watch come from all five NCAA Division I conferences with 16 from the United States, ten from Canada and five from Europe (two from Finland and Sweden and one from Denmark.)
This initial “Watch List” of outstanding goalies is comprised of those with a goals against average of 2.20 or lower or a save percentage of .923 or higher. A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, and media — will pare this list down within the next two weeks and then ultimately choose the winner who will be announced in March during the NCAA Frozen Four. NOTE: The process allows for goalies not on this first list to be considered before the first vote.
2025-26 Women’s Goalie of the Year Award “Watch List”
AHA
Katie DeSa, Penn State (SR - Pawcatuck, CT); Ava Drabyk, Syracuse (FR - Saskatoon, SK); Maggie Hatch,
Robert Morris (JR - Cleveland Heights, OH)
ECAC Hockey
Annelies Bergmann, Cornell (JR - Detroit, MI); Uma Corniea, Princeton (JR - Edina, MN); Emily Davidson,
Harvard (JR - Ottawa, ON); Felicia Frank, Quinnipiac (SO — Gavle, Sweden); Holly Gruber, Clarkson (GR
- Plover, WI); Kassidy Lawrence, St. Lawrence (JR — Cobourg, ON); Emma-Sofie Nordström St. Lawrence
(SR - Herning, Denmark); Anna Phillips, Yale (JR - Madoc, ON); Ainsley Tuffy, Harvard (SO - Duxbury, MA);
Anya Zupkofska, Brown (SO - Braintree, MA)
Hockey East
Sedona Blair, New Hampshire (JR - Eden Prairie, MN); Grace Campbell, Boston College (SR - Kensington,
MD); Tia Chan, UConn (SR - Hamilton, ON); Zoe Cliche, Vermont (FR - Ottawa, ON); Abby Hornung, Holy
Cross (SR - Ashland, MA); Lisa Jönsson, Northeastern (SO - Stockholm, Sweden); Kiia Lahtinen, Maine
(SO - Porvoo, Finland); Noemi Martinez, New Hampshire (JR - Glen Ridge, NJ); Mari Pietersen, Boston
University (JR - Goodwood, ON)
NEWHA
Kayla Czukoski, Saint Anselm (FR - Exton, PA); Jill Hertl, Franklin Pierce (SR – Highland Park, IL); Jill Petruno,
Sacred Heart (SR - Wixom, MI); Hannah Saunders, Post (SR - Ottawa, ON); Jadyn Weiser, Assumption (JR
- Albertville, MN)
WCHA
Hannah Clark, Minnesota (SO - Oshawa, ON); Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth (JR - Mascouche, PQ);
Emilia Kyrkkö, St. Cloud State (SO - Nokia, Finland); Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin (JR - Seven Fields, PA)
View each players Goaltending Statistics Through 1/13/2026 (PDF Format)
