ETOBICOKE, Ontario — The University of Minnesota doesn't typically have many Canadians on their women's hockey roster. In fact, there aren't any on the team in 2022-23, but that will change in the upcoming years.
The Golden Gophers recently received a verbal commitment from Oshawa, Ontario, native Hannah Clark. A 5-foot-9 goaltender for the Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins, Clark posted a .955 save percentage in the 2021-22 season.
On June 15, the first day that coaches could reach out to players of Clark's age, former Minnesota assistant coach Jake Bobrowski (now the head coach at Elmira College) reached out to her to initiate the recruiting process. Clark then talked with assistant coach Natalie Darwitz, and eventually head coach Brad Frost.
The 16-year-old made her visit to campus in the fall and made her commitment announcement on Oct. 8.
"You have those schools you dream about going to, and Minnesota was one of those for me," Clark said.
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Even though there aren't any Canadians currently on the Gophers roster, the Ontario goaltender is familiar with fellow Minnesota commit Gracie Graham of Kelowna, British Columbia.
Growing up in Oshawa, a city about 45 minutes from Toronto, the goalie's college visit was her first time in the state.
"My family was pretty hockey oriented," says Clark, whose grandfather played the sport along with her father, also a goaltender.
She started playing the position around the age of 6 and has since then found success in between the pipes.
"I'm really athletic, I can make those big saves, but I'm also good positionally and getting my angles right."
Clark uses her tall 5-foot-9 frame to her advantage when minding the net along with her natural athleticism.
A standout player on her school's hockey team, the goaltender also plays basketball and competes in shotput and javelin throwing for track and field.
She also stays active in her free time when the weather is nice by rollerblading or longboarding.
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Clark will play for Etobicoke again this season, but has hopes of making the official U18 Team Canada roster that will be competing in Sweden in January for the 2023 U18 Women's World Championships.
The Oshawa native competed on the U18 roster for a three-game series against the U.S. in Calgary this summer.
The Canadians won all three games against the Americans in the series and Clark had the most playing time of any goaltender from her country while posting a .949 save percentage.
"Our team definitely clicked right away, on and off the ice. We just love spending time together and getting to play."
The U18 roster for Team Canada will be announced in late 2022. Until then, Clark will compete with the Dolphins and will hit the ice for the Golden Gophers in a couple of years.
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