Claire Thompson, who set a new Olympic points record for blueliners in Beijing, is back with Canada for her first Women's Worlds since 2023
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Matt ZAMBONIN
You don’t need an advanced university degree to recognize that Claire Thompson is a special hockey player and person.
The talented 27-year-old Toronto native set a new Olympic points record for defenders (2+11=13 in seven games) when Canada won gold in Beijing in 2022. Thompson – an academic whiz who also captained Princeton in her final NCAA season – stepped away from hockey in 2023-24 to focus on her medical studies at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Her focus, work ethic, and multi-tasking is reminiscent of Hayley Wickenheiser, the all-time Canadian hockey legend who now doubles as a Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager and an emergency room physician.
After declaring for the 2024 PWHL Draft, Thompson was selected third overall by the Minnesota Frost. She has excelled in her first PWHL season (4+14=18 in 27 games) with the defending champion Frost, whose arena – Xcel Energy Center, the home of the Minnesota Wild – will also host the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Thompson, who owns two IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship medals (2021 gold, 2023 silver), aspires to help Canada repeat as champs in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia in April. IIHF.com caught up with Thompson recently.
Where were you when you got the news that you’d made the Canadian Women’s Worlds roster?
Actually, on a plane. We were flying to Detroit to play the Takeover Tour game [versus New York on March 16], and I got the email when we were just about to take off. We knew the announcement was coming out that day, so it was nice to know just before we left!
How excited are you to be going not only to Worlds but also a first-time host country in Czechia?
Super-excited! Obviously, every World Championship is really exciting, but Czechia has done so much in women’s hockey lately, and their program has been on the rise for many years now. It’ll be exciting to see how their fan base supports them through this upcoming World Championship.
What have your Frost teammates Denisa Krizova and Klara Hymlarova told you about Ceske Budejovice?
We were actually just talking about the weather there the other week. They said it’s a super-nice city. They said they expect some pretty good crowds at their games, so we’re looking forward to that for them.
The talented 27-year-old Toronto native set a new Olympic points record for defenders (2+11=13 in seven games) when Canada won gold in Beijing in 2022. Thompson – an academic whiz who also captained Princeton in her final NCAA season – stepped away from hockey in 2023-24 to focus on her medical studies at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Her focus, work ethic, and multi-tasking is reminiscent of Hayley Wickenheiser, the all-time Canadian hockey legend who now doubles as a Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager and an emergency room physician.
After declaring for the 2024 PWHL Draft, Thompson was selected third overall by the Minnesota Frost. She has excelled in her first PWHL season (4+14=18 in 27 games) with the defending champion Frost, whose arena – Xcel Energy Center, the home of the Minnesota Wild – will also host the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Thompson, who owns two IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship medals (2021 gold, 2023 silver), aspires to help Canada repeat as champs in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia in April. IIHF.com caught up with Thompson recently.
Where were you when you got the news that you’d made the Canadian Women’s Worlds roster?
Actually, on a plane. We were flying to Detroit to play the Takeover Tour game [versus New York on March 16], and I got the email when we were just about to take off. We knew the announcement was coming out that day, so it was nice to know just before we left!
How excited are you to be going not only to Worlds but also a first-time host country in Czechia?
Super-excited! Obviously, every World Championship is really exciting, but Czechia has done so much in women’s hockey lately, and their program has been on the rise for many years now. It’ll be exciting to see how their fan base supports them through this upcoming World Championship.
What have your Frost teammates Denisa Krizova and Klara Hymlarova told you about Ceske Budejovice?
We were actually just talking about the weather there the other week. They said it’s a super-nice city. They said they expect some pretty good crowds at their games, so we’re looking forward to that for them.
Plenty of familiar faces for you on Team Canada, including your Minnesota teammate and friend Sophie Jaques. You two are vying for the points lead among PWHL defenders. What has impressed you most about how Sophie has performed this season?
Her offensive ability, with the way she’s able to generate good scoring chances from turnovers that she creates herself, has been amazing. She has a really threatening shot that produces a lot of offence that our team has capitalized on this year. And she’s also a great roommate. Super-fun to be around and easy-going.
Thinking back, having known Sophie since you were kids in minor hockey and now playing at this level, is it kind of amazing?
It definitely is. She was one of my younger sister’s best friends growing up. It’s really cool to see how her career has progressed, from minor hockey to Ohio and now to the Frost. Seeing the amazing things she’s done at every level has just been super-fun.
Also on defence, there’s been a lot of buzz about Chloe Primerano. How surprised – or not – were you to see her make this Canadian Worlds roster as an underager at the University of Minnesota?
I wasn’t that surprised at all. She kind of came on to the senior national team scene this year. She had a great September camp, and then did really well in the November Rivalry Series.
She scored the 5-4 shootout winner against the Americans in Salt Lake City. What did you think of the move she pulled off?
It was amazing – definitely a high-skill move. I think her ability to handle the pressure of that situation spoke a lot to her character.
How about Daryl Watts? Another fellow Torontonian, poised to make her senior national team debut at age 25. What can she bring to the table?
I’ve known Daryl for a long, long time. We grew up on the same street as kids. She obviously brings a lot of offence. She's put up goals at every single level she’s played. She won the Patty Kazmaier Award as a freshman [in 2018]. She won a national championship at Wisconsin [in 2021]. Then she shone with Ottawa last year and is now doing it again with Toronto. So I think she adds a dynamic scoring threat to our forward group. Really excited to see what she can do at this World Championship!
Her offensive ability, with the way she’s able to generate good scoring chances from turnovers that she creates herself, has been amazing. She has a really threatening shot that produces a lot of offence that our team has capitalized on this year. And she’s also a great roommate. Super-fun to be around and easy-going.
Thinking back, having known Sophie since you were kids in minor hockey and now playing at this level, is it kind of amazing?
It definitely is. She was one of my younger sister’s best friends growing up. It’s really cool to see how her career has progressed, from minor hockey to Ohio and now to the Frost. Seeing the amazing things she’s done at every level has just been super-fun.
Also on defence, there’s been a lot of buzz about Chloe Primerano. How surprised – or not – were you to see her make this Canadian Worlds roster as an underager at the University of Minnesota?
I wasn’t that surprised at all. She kind of came on to the senior national team scene this year. She had a great September camp, and then did really well in the November Rivalry Series.
She scored the 5-4 shootout winner against the Americans in Salt Lake City. What did you think of the move she pulled off?
It was amazing – definitely a high-skill move. I think her ability to handle the pressure of that situation spoke a lot to her character.
How about Daryl Watts? Another fellow Torontonian, poised to make her senior national team debut at age 25. What can she bring to the table?
I’ve known Daryl for a long, long time. We grew up on the same street as kids. She obviously brings a lot of offence. She's put up goals at every single level she’s played. She won the Patty Kazmaier Award as a freshman [in 2018]. She won a national championship at Wisconsin [in 2021]. Then she shone with Ottawa last year and is now doing it again with Toronto. So I think she adds a dynamic scoring threat to our forward group. Really excited to see what she can do at this World Championship!
2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship - Brampton, Ontario Game #9 - Czechia vs Canada Preliminary Round - Group A action at the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship at CAA Centre on April 7, 2023 in Brampton, Ontario.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Matt ZAMBONIN
With the Frost, you had a four-game winning streak back in December. Since then, it’s been up and down. What do you like the most about the team and where do you see the biggest needs for improvement?
I love the people we have in the locker room. A professional season is long and gruelling, but I think the way our group responds to both the highs and the lows is great. We’re working on fine-tuning little things and capitalizing on scoring chances when we get them. We’ve shown that we can be successful against everyone in this league. Hopefully once we clean up some of our habits and details, we’ll have success in this final stretch.
Minnesota coach Ken Klee played 934 NHL games and also led the U.S. national team to Women’s Worlds titles in 2015 and 2016. How has he helped you grow?
He was obviously a fantastic NHL defenceman, and he’s helped me a lot with the nuances of playing defence this season. The way he coaches our team and brings the best out of players has been amazing to see.
You made some good friends from Minnesota at Princeton. Everybody knows about the Mall of America, but what insider tips did they give you in terms of maximizing your Minnesota experience?
They just encouraged me to lean into all the “Minnesota things” they do. They embrace winter activities! So we went to the World Snow Sculpting Championship in Stillwater. We skated on some outdoor rinks and really tried to buy into the long, cold winter.
I love the people we have in the locker room. A professional season is long and gruelling, but I think the way our group responds to both the highs and the lows is great. We’re working on fine-tuning little things and capitalizing on scoring chances when we get them. We’ve shown that we can be successful against everyone in this league. Hopefully once we clean up some of our habits and details, we’ll have success in this final stretch.
Minnesota coach Ken Klee played 934 NHL games and also led the U.S. national team to Women’s Worlds titles in 2015 and 2016. How has he helped you grow?
He was obviously a fantastic NHL defenceman, and he’s helped me a lot with the nuances of playing defence this season. The way he coaches our team and brings the best out of players has been amazing to see.
You made some good friends from Minnesota at Princeton. Everybody knows about the Mall of America, but what insider tips did they give you in terms of maximizing your Minnesota experience?
They just encouraged me to lean into all the “Minnesota things” they do. They embrace winter activities! So we went to the World Snow Sculpting Championship in Stillwater. We skated on some outdoor rinks and really tried to buy into the long, cold winter.
In retrospect, how do you feel about your decision to take 2023-24 off to focus on medical studies?
I think it was the right decision for me. I’m further along in my medical career than I would be otherwise. And even though I wasn’t playing games, I was still able to improve and keep performing at a high level. I have a board exam that I’m going to try to take this summer, so I’m still studying for that most days when I have time off.
Long-term, what area of medicine do you see yourself specializing in?
I’m planning on orthopedic surgery. Orthopedic surgeons can specialize in sports medicine and treat a wide range of sports-related injuries through a surgical modality, and that is what appeals to me most.
Circling back to Women’s Worlds, it’s always an interesting tournament, especially the last one before the Olympics. What is this Canadian team’s mindset?
Our mindset is we want to win again. It’s our mindset going into every single tournament. And also, every time our group gets together, we try to use it as a touchpoint to improve as a group collectively and work on the systems we’ve been implementing throughout the year. We’re looking forward to getting back together, welcoming some new faces into our locker room, and seeing what we can do together.
I think it was the right decision for me. I’m further along in my medical career than I would be otherwise. And even though I wasn’t playing games, I was still able to improve and keep performing at a high level. I have a board exam that I’m going to try to take this summer, so I’m still studying for that most days when I have time off.
Long-term, what area of medicine do you see yourself specializing in?
I’m planning on orthopedic surgery. Orthopedic surgeons can specialize in sports medicine and treat a wide range of sports-related injuries through a surgical modality, and that is what appeals to me most.
Circling back to Women’s Worlds, it’s always an interesting tournament, especially the last one before the Olympics. What is this Canadian team’s mindset?
Our mindset is we want to win again. It’s our mindset going into every single tournament. And also, every time our group gets together, we try to use it as a touchpoint to improve as a group collectively and work on the systems we’ve been implementing throughout the year. We’re looking forward to getting back together, welcoming some new faces into our locker room, and seeing what we can do together.