With the National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s hockey season over, women’s hockey’s Class of 2029 yet to be released and the Professional Women’s Hockey League draft still months away, now seems like as good a time as any to check in on Cornell women’s hockey alumni in the pros.
In 2023, three Cornellians were picked in the inaugural PWHL draft and four more were signed as free agents heading into the league’s first season. While Marlene Boissonnault ’19 and Lauriane Rougeau ’13 were not re-signed heading into the 2024-2025 season, the addition of Izzy Daniel ’24 brings the total number of Cornellians currently in the PWHL to six. Here is a look at how those six have fared this season, ordered by graduation year.
Brianne Jenner ’15 — Forward, Ottawa Charge
Cornell career: Two-time ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year; four-time ECAC first team; most assists in program history; second-most points in program history.
2024-2025 stats: 25 games played, five goals, eight assists, -3 plus/minus.
Arguably the greatest player in Cornell women’s hockey history, it was no surprise when Jenner was among the first to ink a deal with a PWHL team. While not quite producing at the clip of her 20-point campaign in 2024, Jenner is having another solid season for the Charge.
The Ottawa captain currently sits on the team’s first power play unit where she has scored three of her goals. During even strength play, the Canadian is linemates with Shiann Darkangelo, who matched up against Jenner and Cornell for two seasons (2013-2014 and 2014-2015) as a member of the Quinnipiac Bobcats.
Jenner is a three-time Olympian for Team Canada and brings a much needed calming veteran presence to the Charge according to her head coach. Jenner — along with Kristin O'Neill ’20 and Micah Zandee-Hart ’20 — suited up with Canada in the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship, notching an assist on her squad’s second goal of the tournament on April 10.
Jill Saulnier ’15 — Forward, Boston Fleet
Cornell career: Two-time ECAC first team; First Team All-American; Patty Kazmaier Award Top-3 Finalist; fourth-most assists; sixth- most points in program history.
2024-2025 stats: 31 games played, two goals, three assists, -2 plus/minus.
Another member from the impressive Class of 2015, Saulnier made headlines this year when she was traded midseason from the New York Sirens to the Fleet. While Saulnier was already well-known to PWHL fans from her solid play in New York, she went viral less than a month into her time in Boston when she entered the history books by participating in the first fight in the PWHL’s history.
Overall, the change in scenery has served Saulnier well. After failing to score a point in her five games with the Siren this year, the former Red standout has tallied five points in her sixteen games for the Fleet, including a goal and an assist in a March 15 win over the Ottawa Charge. Playing on Boston’s top forward line alongside women’s hockey legend Hillary Knight, Saulnier has helped push the Fleet into third place in the standings (the top four teams in the PWHL qualify for the playoffs).
Kristin O'Neill ’20 — Forward, Montréal Victoire
Cornell career: ECAC first team, two-time ECAC second team, Cornell record in game-winning goals, shorthanded goals.
2024-2025 stats: one goal, four assists, -12 plus/minus.
Despite being PWHL Montreal’s second-ever draft pick, O’Neill’s offensive production has stagnated during her second season. While the former three-time Cornell captain got off to a hot start — scoring a goal and assisting on three in her first seven games — she has posted just a single point in her past 20 games en route to a league-worst plus/minus. Despite the scoring drought, O’Neill has found other ways to contribute to the Victoire — along with killing penalties, O’Neill also has been impressive from the faceoff dot, winning 213 draws at a 57.7 percent clip, the sixth-most faceoff wins in the league.
Playing for Canada in the IIHF World Championship seems to have reignited O’Neill’s offense — in the team's final round-robin game on April 14, O’Neill scored a pair of goals as the squad's fourth-line center in a 7-1 drubbing of Czechia. Perhaps O’Neill’s international success can awaken her slumbering PWHL offensive potential.
Micah Zandee-Hart ’20 — Defender, New York Sirens
Cornell career: ECAC first team; ECAC second team; Cornell record for blocks.
2024-2025 stats: one goal, nine assists, -3 plus/minus.
A rock-solid defender during her time in Ithaca, Zandee-Hart has worked her way back from a series of injuries to once again dominate the blue line. Tied for the ninth-most points among defenders in the PWHL, Zandee-Hart sits on the top defensive pairing of the Sirens and contributes to the team’s penalty kill. Once the second-ever sophomore captain of the Red, Zandee-Hart’s leadership has translated to both the professional and international game. The Saanichton, British Columbia native is the captain of the Sirens and is part of a record-breaking three British Columbians on Canada’s roster at the World Championships. At home, she is the “the tip of the spear and an inspiration for all the girls playing hockey in B.C.” according to B.C. Hockey CEO Cam Hope.
At World Championships, Zandee-Hart has been excellent, scoring Canada’s first goal in a 4-0 win over Switzerland on April 11, a day after tallying an assist in a win over Finland.
Jaime Bourbonnais '20 — Defender, New York Sirens
Cornell career: CCM/American Hockey Coaches Association First Team All-American; ECAC Hockey Best Defenseman; two-time ECAC first team, eighth-highest plus/minus in Cornell history (+86).
2024-2025 stats: two goals, five assists, -4 plus/minus.
Playing on the Siren’s second defensive pairing — behind Zandee-Hart’s pair — Bourbonnais is another successful product of Cornell head coach Doug Derraugh’s ’91 defensive coaching prowess. Despite playing for a team with the league’s worst record, Bourbonnais has put together a solid PWHL sophomore campaign. She averages over 20 minutes a night, plays on both special teams units and recently has upped her offensive output, notching a goal and assisting on four others through a four-game stretch in March.
Izzy Daniel ’24 — Forward, Toronto Sceptres
Cornell career: 2024 Patty Kazmaier Award, AHCA First Team All-American, ECAC Player of the Year, Ivy League Player of the Year, Unanimous ECAC first team.
2024-2025 stats: two goals, five assists, -5 plus/minus.
The driver of the Red’s post-pandemic rebound and the lone Cornellian drafted in the 2024 PWHL draft, Daniel has struggled to produce offensively in her rookie campaign despite a hot start. The Minneapolis native scored her first professional goal in just her second game, but has not scored since potting her second goal on Dec. 21. Part of the scoring drought can be attributed to a drop in Daniel’s playing time. While she started the season on the Scepters top line and averaged 15 minutes through her first five games, Daniel has fallen to Toronto’s fourth line and now plays closer to 10 minutes a game. Still, Daniel’s 2024 Patty Kazmaier-winning campaign shows that an elite offensive upside is present, the question being how long it will take for her to unlock it in the pros.
Bonus Cornellian in the Pros: Jessica Campbell ’14 — Assistant Coach, Seattle Kraken (National Hockey League)
Cornell career: Check out The Sun’s feature on Campbell’s time on East Hill here.
2024-2025 Kraken stats: 25-41-6 (7th in the Pacific Division)
After spending two seasons with the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League, Campbell was hired by head coach Dan Bylsma, becoming the first woman to be a full-time assistant coach in NHL history. While the Kraken have struggled in Campbell and Bylsma’s first season behind the Kraken bench, one area of improvement which can be attributed to the coaching staff is the Kraken offense, which has jumped from fourth-worst to 16th in the NHL.
Canada fell to the United States for gold in the IIHF World Championships 4-3 in overtime on April 20. On April 26, the PWHL regular season will resume with each team slated to play three more games before playoffs begin. All PWHL action is available in the United States on Youtube and in Canada on The Sports Network.
For the latest offseason updates on the women’s hockey team and Cornellians in the PWHL, follow senior editor and women’s hockey beat reporter Eli Fastiff @Eli_Fastiff.
Eli Fastiff is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can follow him on X @Eli_Fastiff and reach him at efastiff@cornellsun.com.
