The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is celebrating its 25th season of women’s hockey competition in 2023-24 and as part of this year-long salute to the rich history of the league, the WCHA announced its first five members of the conference’s 25th Anniversary Top 25 Team on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
The first five members of the Top 25 Team include the University of Wisconsin’s Molly Engstrom, the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Caroline Ouelette, Jenny Schmidgall-Potter and Maria Rooth; and the University of Minnesota’s Krissy Wendell. The WCHA will continue to announce its Top 25 team throughout the season with five new members introduced each month through February.
The WCHA 25th Anniversary Top 25 Team was chosen by a selection committee comprised of former players, coaches and league officials along with input from a recently conducted WCHA fan poll. The following is a rundown of the first five team members’ career highlights and impact on the WCHA.
Molly Engstrom
Molly Engstrom
Years Played in the WCHA: 2001-05
School: University of Wisconsin
Position: Defender
Career Highlights: Molly Engstrom was an impact blueliner for the University of Wisconsin during her collegiate tenure from 2001-05. Engstrom, a native of Siren, Wisc., played in 140 career games for the Badgers and scored 28 goals, 57 assists and 85 points. She capped her time at Wisconsin with a career-high 13 goals and 32 points during her senior season in 2004-05. The WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and 2004, Engstrom gained All-WCHA First Team accolades during both of those seasons. She was named a First Team All-America award winner in 2004-05 and was a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top 10 finalist in 2005.
Of note, Engstrom helped Wisconsin gain its first-ever NCAA tournament bid during the 2004-05 season. On the world stage, Engstrom played for the United States National Team at IIHF World Championships in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 20011. She also won medals along with Team USA at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics. Her professional hockey career included stops in the CWHL with the Brampton Thunder and Boston Blades, in the WWHL with the Minnesota Whitecaps, in the NWHL with the Connecticut Whale and a season playing in Sweden with Djurgardens IF.
Engstrom served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin and later served as an assistant coach at St. Cloud State University from 2018-22. In 2022, Engstrom was named the head women’s hockey coach at the University of Maine.
Caroline Ouellette
Caroline Ouellette
Years Played in the WCHA: 2002-05
School: University of Minnesota Duluth
Position: Forward
Career Highlights: In her time at Minnesota Duluth, Caroline Ouellette played in 97 games and was an offensive dynamo for the Bulldogs with 92 goals, 137 assists and 229 points during her collegiate career - which places her 14th in the all-time WCHA scoring charts. A two-time first team All-America selection in 2005 and 2004, Ouellette also gained All-WCHA First Team honors in 2005 and 2003 and was a second team All-WCHA pick in 2004. A Patty Kazmaier Memorial top three finalist in 2005, Ouellette finished her senior season at UMD with a career-high 32 goals, 48 assists and 80 points. Ouellette tied a league record with her six assists against North Dakota on Oct. 15, 2004.
The WCHA’s Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 Final Faceoff tournament, Ouellette helped the Bulldogs win the WCHA regular season and postseason tournament titles in 2003. In the classroom, Ouellette was named the WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year award recipient in 2005.
She also played a key role in helping Minnesota Duluth win NCAA championships in 2002 and 2003 along with gaining an NCAA playoff bid in 2005. A member of the Canadian National Team at the IIHF World Championships in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013; Ouellette played in four Winter Olympics with Team Canada in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.
As a professional player, Ouellette continued her career after college in the NWHL, WWHL and with CWHL teams in her hometown of Montreal. Ouellette was an assistant coach at Minnesota Duluth in 2007-08 and currently serves as an associate head coach with Concordia University in Montreal. She has also served on the coaching staff of the Canadian National Team at the World Championships in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Jenny Schmidgall-Potter
Jenny Schmidgall-Potter
Years Played in the WCHA: 1999-04
School: University of Minnesota Duluth
Position: Forward
Career Highlights: Jenny Schmidgall-Potter completed her college career with 108 goals, 148 assists and 256 points in 102 games played. A three-time Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top 10 finalist and two-time top three finalist in 20004 and 2003, Schmidgall-Potter gained All-America First Team accolades three times during her career and was named the WCHA’s Player of the Year in 1999-00 and 2002-03. A three-time All-WCHA First Team selection, Schmidgall-Potter was the league’s scoring champion in 1999-00, 2002-03 and 2003-04.
Schmidgall-Potter helped Minnesota Duluth win an NCAA championship in 2004 and was also part of the the Bulldogs’ WCHA regular season championship and tournament championship teams in 2000 and 2003. She ranks seventh in the WCHA records with 256 career points and 10th with 108 career goals. Her 57 assists in 2002-03 ranks third in the WCHA season record book and her 93 points in 1999-00 ranks fourth in the league records.
After her career at Minnesota Duluth, Schmidgall-Potter played professional hockey in the WWHL with the Minnesota Whitecaps and in the CWHL with the Boston Blades. In international competiton, Schmidgall-Potter played for Team USA in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics and she played for the United States National Team in the IIHF World Championships in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012.
Her coaching resume includes assistant coaching positions at Coon Rapids (Minn.) High School and Maple Grove (Minn.) High School. She went on to serve as a head coach at Trinity College and Ohio State University during her career.
Maria Rooth
Maria Rooth
Years Played in the WCHA: 1999-03
School: University of Minnesota Duluth
Position: Forward
Career Highlights: In four memorable seasons at Minnesota Duluth, Rooth compiled 119 goals, 113 assists and 232 points in 124 career games played for the Bulldogs. She helped established UMD as a national power as the Bulldogs won three NCAA titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
She ranks fifth in the league records for most career goals (119) and 13th for most career points (232) and Rooth’s 41 goals in 2000-01 ranks eighth in the WCHA recordbook. A four-time All-WCHA award winner, Rooth was named the league Rookie of the Year in 1999-00 and also earned All-America honors in 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03. A 4X Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top 10 finalist, Rooth helped Minnesota Duluth win two WCHA regular season titles and three postseason championship during her time on campus.
Rooth played for Team Sweden at the Winter Olympics in 2002, 2006 and 2010 and also played for the Swedish National Team at the IIHF World Championships in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009
Krissy Wendell
Krissy Wendell
Years Played in the WCHA: 2002-05
School: University of Minnesota Duluth
Position: Forward
Career Highlights: A standout at the University of Minnesota from 2002-05, Wendell compiled 106 goals, 131 assists and 237 points during ther time on campus. She highlighted her career with 43 goals and 61 assists during her final year with the Gophers in 2004-05.
The WCHA’s first Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recipient in 2005, Wendell also placed as a top 10 finalist for the award in 2004 and 2003. She was named an All-America award winner three times at Minnesota and was a two-time WCHA Player of the Year award winners in 2004 and 2005. An All-WCHA First Team honoree in 2004 and 2005, Wendell also gained All-WCHA Second Team recognition and WCHA All-Rookie Team accolades in 2003.
She helped the Gophers win NCAA championships in 2004 and 2005 and also played a key role in Minnesota winning the WCHA regular season and postseason championships in those same years. After her college career, Wendell played for Team USA at the 2002 and 2006 Olympics and played for the United State National Team at the IIHF World Championships in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007. She currently serves as an amateur scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL.
ABOUT THE WCHA
Founded in 1999, the women’s league of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association has positioned itself as the top conference in all of women’s collegiate hockey and will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2023-24. The WCHA has won an unprecedented 20 national championships while finishing as the national runner-up nine times since 1999. The league has produced nine Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winners as well an additional 24 student-athletes who were among the Top-3 finalists for the award. In addition, WCHA student-athletes have been recognized as All-Americans 121 times in league history.