The WCHA has named Ohio State graduate defender Sophie Jaques its 2022-23 WCHA player of the year.
Jaques, who was named WCHA defender of the year on Wednesday, was chosen for the overall honor by league head coaches and assistant coaches from among the All-WCHA First Team selections that included forwards Minnesota’s Taylor Heise (5Yr.) and Grace Zumwinkle (5Yr.) and Ohio State’s Jenn Gardiner (Sr.), fellow blueliner in Minnesota Duluth’s Ashton Bell (5Yr.), as well as Minnesota Duluth goaltender Emma Soderberg (Grad.).
On her way to collecting a pair of WCHA defender of the month honors, Jaques registered 42 points in the regular season on 19 goals and 23 assists. She tallied a nation-leading eight power-play goals on the year and scored the overtime game winner against then-No. 5/8 Wisconsin on Jan. 13.
A native of Toronto, Jaques set the Ohio State program record for career points by a defender when she surpassed 130 in her collegiate career. While skating to a plus-30 rating on the ice, Jaques added 42 blocked shots on the year.
Currently holding 150 career points, Jaques’ 19 goals, 42 points, and eight power-play goals, leads all defenders in the NCAA, while her 190 shots on goal and 5.59 shots on goal per game average both top the WCHA.
Jaques is just the second Buckeye to be honored as WCHA player of the year, joining fellow defender and 2008 winner Tessa Bonhomme.
Continuing to roll out the individual awards, Soderberg was named outstanding student-athlete of the year, joined by WCHA co-coaches of the year in St. Cloud State’s Brian Idalski and Ohio State’s Nadine Muzerall.
Heise was named 2022-23 WCHA scoring champion with her 51 points in 28 WCHA games played, while a 1.59 goals-against average in 23 WCHA appearances earned Soderberg the title of 2022-23 WCHA goaltending champion. Both honors are the second for their careers.
Muzerall led Ohio State to a 23-4-1 league record for its first WCHA regular season title in program history. In her seventh season, Muzerall led the Buckeyes to national dominance as Ohio State never fell below a second-place ranking in national polls over the course of the season. Her Buckeyes set several program records, including team and individual scoring records, and five landed on All-WCHA teams. Primed for the postseason, the Ohio State squad holds a 28-4-2 overall record while going 5-0-1 against all of its nonconference opponents.
After returning to the WCHA, Idalski has drastically turned around the Husky program in just one season after St. Cloud State earned its highest national ranking since 2008 as No. 12 this season, when they earned just nine overall wins and four league wins last season. Idalski led the St. Cloud State program to a win over a No. 1 nationally ranked opponent when the Huskies downed Minnesota 4-1 on Nov. 7, and ultimately claimed three WCHA points against teams ranked seventh and above. On the season, St. Cloud State also earned an undefeated 6-0-0 record in nonconference play.
The 2023 WCHA coach of the year honor is the first of Idalski’s career, and fourth of Muzerall’s after she earned the title in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
Soderberg adds academic achievement and community service to her well-rounded resume. A weekly volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club, Soderberg has built a 3.81 GPA as an economics major, while already having graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in organizational management in 2022. On the ice, Soderberg has consistently been a standout in the WCHA and at the national level as national goaltender of the month. As the only European on the UMD team, Emma has also represented her country of Sweden on several occasions, most recently in the 2022 Winter Olympics and 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championships, where she was named player of the game twice.
Described as the backbone of the Minnesota Duluth squad and showcasing top sportsmanship, Soderberg was voted as 2022-23 WCHA outstanding student-athlete of the year by the league’s eight faculty athletics representatives and was nominated by Minnesota Duluth’s Dr. Stephen Castleberry.
Behind a 1.59 goals-against average, Soderberg earns the title of 2022-23 WCHA goaltending champion. Determined by the best goals-against average in league play, Soderberg only allowed 36 goals against through her 23 games played and 1361:05 of action. Soderberg paired her goals-against average with a league-leading .932 save percentage as she made 493 saves as she played in 23 of 28 WCHA games for the Bulldogs. Soderberg became a Minnesota Duluth record holder as she set the program record with her 21 career shutouts, including a league-leading eight in league play this season. while building a 13-8-2 record. Soderberg made 30 or more saves in four league games, including a season-high of 44 in the 3-1 win at Wisconsin (Jan. 7). The award is the second of her career, after she was named 2020-21 WCHA goaltending champion behind a 1.34 goals-against average.
With 51 total points in 28 WCHA games played, Heise repeats as the league’s scoring champion for 2022-23. Earning her second consecutive WCHA scoring champion title, Heise net 19 goals and 32 assists for her league-leading 51 points to average 1.82 points per game. Heise led the league over the course of the regular season with her four short-handed goals, 32 assists, and 367 faceoff wins. Adding five power-play goals and three game winners, Heise’s league play included a hat trick against St. Cloud State (Dec. 10) while she skated to a plus-26 rating on the ice. Ultimately, Heise tallied a point in 24 of 28 league games, produced 14 multi-point performances, including a season-high of five points at Minnesota State (Dec. 3) and at St. Cloud State (Dec. 10).
