The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is proud to recognize 25 student-athletes on its 2023-24 All-WCHA Teams, presented by Sterling Trophy.
Of note, the 2023-24 WCHA Forward, Defender, Goaltender, and Rookie of the Year are set to be announced on Wednesday, March 6. Coach of the Year, Outstanding Scholar-Athlete, and the 2023-24 WCHA Player of the Year will be announced on Thursday, March 7.
First Team All-WCHA
| Name |
Pos. |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Hannah Bilka |
F |
Grad. |
Ohio State |
Coppell, Tex. |
| Casey O’Brien |
F |
Sr. |
Wisconsin |
Milton, Mass. |
| Kirsten Simms |
F |
So. |
Wisconsin |
Plymouth, Mich. |
| Cayla Barnes |
D |
Grad. |
Ohio State |
Eastvale, Calif. |
| Caroline Harvey |
D |
So. |
Wisconsin |
Salem, N.H. |
| Sanni Ahola |
G |
Sr.. |
St. Cloud State |
Helsinki, Finland |
This year’s First Team selections include three talented fowards: Hannah Bilka from Ohio State and Wisconsin’s Casey O’Brien and Kirsten Simms. The 2023-24 scoring leader, Simms scored 47 points (22g/25a) in 26 WCHA games played this season and currently leads the nation in scoring with 61 points (27g/34a) for the #2 ranked Badgers. O’Brien ranked second in the WCHA for scoring with 46 points (15g/31a) and leads all NCAA players this season with 39 assists and is second in the country with 56 points this winter. An offensive force for #1 ranked Ohio State, the 2023-24 Julianne Bye Cup champion, Bilka had 15 goals and 21 assists in league play this winter and has an overall total of 39 points (16g/23a) this year.
On defense, Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey returns to the All-WCHA honor roll after gaining Second Team honors in 2022-23. Harvey ranked third in the league among blueliners with 22 points and led WCHA defenders with 18 assists in 21 league games played. In overall games played this season, Harvey scored 31 points (5g/26a) and 32 blocks in just 25 games played. Barnes led all WCHA defenders in scoring this season with 24 points (9g/15a) in league play. In 32 overall games played, Barnes posted 27 points (9g/18a) and 48 blocks for OSU.
In goal, St. Cloud State’s Sanni Ahola ranked among the nation’s best this season with five shutouts along with a .941 save rate and a 1.51 GAA for the #10 ranked Huskies. Ahola had 382 saves this season and played in 953:27 minutes while allowing just 24 goals in 16 overall games played.
Second Team All-WCHA
| Name |
Pos. |
Class |
Class |
Hometown |
| Britta Curl |
F |
Grad. |
Wisconsin |
Bismarck, N.D. |
| Lacey Eden |
F |
R-Jr. |
Wisconsin |
Annapolis, Md. |
| Abbey Murphy |
F |
R-Jr. |
Minnesota |
Evergreen Park, Ill. |
| Hadley Hartmetz |
D |
Grad. |
Ohio State |
Phoenixvile, Pa. |
| Nelli Laitinen |
D |
So. |
Minnesota |
Lohja, Finland |
| Hailey MacLeod |
G |
So. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Abbotsford, B.C. |
WCHA goal scoring leader Abbey Murphy has earned All-WCHA Second Team honors this winter after posting a league-high 24 goals this season, which included 39 points in WCHA play. Murphy is leading the nation in goals with 31 overall this season and has charted 51 points this season for the #4 ranked Gophers. Lacey Eden ranks fourth in WCHA scoring this season with 37 points (14g/23a) and ranks fifth among NCAA players with 24 goals this season in overall games played. Another one of Wisconsin’s offensive leaders, Curl ranked sixth on offense in the WCHA with 33 points (12g/21a). She also joined the Badgers’ 50 point club in 2023-24 with 18g/31a in overall games played in 2023-24.
Laitinen ranked among the WCHA’s top 10 defenders this year with 17 points (6g/11a) in league play and had six goals and 14 assists in overall play along with an impressive 53 blocked shots for Minnesota. Hartmetz earned WCHA Defender of the Month honors and WCHA Defender of the Week honors twice in 2023-24 and finished the season with 6g/16a and 23 blocks in league play. Overall, Hartmetz had 6g/21a with 26 blocks for the conference champion Buckeyes.
Between the pipes for the Second Team squad is Minnesota Duluth’s Hailey MacLeod. The current NCAA leader in save percentage at .958 in 2023-24, MacLeod owns a 10-4-2 overall record that includes five shutouts, 413 saves and a 1.12 GAA. In WCHA games, MacLeod has a league leading .956 save rate. Her conference only numbers also include a 1.25 GAA and an 8-3-1 record.
Third Team All-WCHA*
| Name |
Pos. |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Jennifer Gardiner |
F |
Grad. |
Ohio State |
Surrey, B.C. |
| Emma Gentry |
F |
Sr. |
St. Cloud State |
Alpena, Mich. |
| Joy Dunne |
F |
Fr. |
Ohio State |
O’Fallon, Mo. |
| Laila Edwards |
F |
So. |
Wisconsin |
Cleveland Heights, Ohio |
| Nina Jobst-Smith |
D |
Sr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
North Vancouver, B.C. |
| Madeline Wethington |
D |
Grad. |
Minnesota |
Edina, Minn. |
| Raygan Kirk |
G |
Sr. |
Ohio State |
St. Anne, Manitoba |
* Four forwards due to ties in Voting
Ohio State rookie Joy Dunne and graduate student Jennifer Gardiner join this year’s All-WCHA Third Team along with St. Cloud State senior Emma Gentry and Wisconsin sophomore Laila Edwards. The league’s preseason Rookie of the Year pick, Dunne leads the Buckeyes this season with 18 goals and also posted 32 points in overall games played. In WCHA action, Dunne had 16 goals and 14 assists. Gardiner coined 33 points (13g/20a) in WCHA games this winter and her current overall stats include 15 goals and 21 assists. The Huskies’ leading goal scorer this year, Gentry has 11 goals in overall games played along with 17 points for SCSU. She leads her squad with 136 shots in 2023-24 and ended the WCHA schedule with 8g/5a. Edwards ranked eighth in the WCHA this winter with 32 points (11g/21a) for Wisconsin. In overall games played this year, Edwards has notched 15g/29a and 127 shots on net.
Defensively, Minnesota Duluth’s Nina Jobst-Smith and Minnesota’s Madeline Wethington complete the All-WCHA blueline. Jobst-Smith posted three goals, three assists and 39 blocks in WCHA play this season and helped the Bulldog’s limit their league opponents to just 1.67 goals per game in league play. Overall, Jobst-Smith had 4g/7a and 51 blocks for the #8 Bulldogs. Wethington finished among the league’s top scoring defenders with 11 assists to her credit this season in league play. Wethington had 36 blocks (44 overall) in WCHA play this season for Minnesota.
Rounding out the Third Team honorees is Ohio State goalie Raygan Kirk. A six-time WCHA Goaltender of the Week award recipient, Kirk also earned WCHA Goaltender of the Month twice this year along with HCA National Goalie of the Year honors in January. Kirk led the league with a 1.02 goals against average and a 14-1-0 record. Overall, Kirk ranks third in the nation with six shutouts, second with a 1.02 GAA and fourth with a .949 save rate
WCHA All-Rookie Team
| Name |
Pos. |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Joy Dunne |
F |
Fr. |
Ohio State |
O’Fallon, Mo. |
| Cassie Hall |
F |
Fr. |
Wisconsin |
South Lyon, Mich. |
| Jocelyn Amos |
F |
Fr. |
Ohio State |
Ailsa Craig, Ontario |
| Laney Potter |
D |
Fr. |
Wisconsin |
Cranberry Township, Pa. |
| Ava Murphy |
D |
Fr. |
Wisconsin |
Kitchener, Ontario |
| Éve Gascon |
G |
Fr. |
Minnesota Duluth |
Mascouche, Quebec |
Showcasing the top first-year talent in the league is the WCHA All-Rookie Team. An All-WCHA Third Team pick, Ohio State’s Joy Dunne had 16 goals and 14 assists in league play. She was a two-time WCHA Rookie of the Week pick this season and was named the league’s Rookie of the Month in November 2023. Dunne is joined on the All-Rookie list by teammate Jocelyn Amos, who had 12g/12a in overall games played this winter along with 9g/11a in WCHA action. Hall earned three WCHA Rookie of the Week awards this season and was named the WCHA Rookie of the Month in Sept. 2023. In overall games played, Hall ranks fourth among WCHA players with 19 goals this season and she finished the regular season with 24 overall points. In league play, Hall scored 12g/3a.
On defense, the All-Rookie team spotlighted Wisconsin blueliners Laney Potter and Ava Murphy. Potter completed her first WCHA season with 3g/4a and 29 blocks in WCHA action, while Murphy had 1g/5a and 18 blocks. In overall games played, Potter has scored 4g/9a and 36 blocked shots and Murphy has 2g/9a with 20 blocks.
Minnesota Duluth standout goaltender Éve Gascon completes the All-Rookie roster for 2023-24. Gascon earned three WCHA Rookie of the Week awards and one WCHA Goaltender of the Week award this season for the Bulldogs. In overall games played, Gascon had five shutouts with a .948 save rate and a 1.60 GAA. In WCHA games this season, Gascon ranked second in the league with a .948 save rate and led the WCHA with 493 saves while posting a 1.69 GAA.
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.
ABOUT STERLING TROPHY:
Sterling Trophy has grown into a leader in the award and recognition industry in the Twin Cities since its founding in 1999. A family business that started in the basement of the home of founders David Steinbring and Patty Steinbring, Sterling Trophy has built a proud tradition of quality service and unique products. For more information, visit sterlingtrophy.net.