2024 Top 25 Under 25: Caroline Harvey (7)

Next up for the 2024 T25U25 is number seven!

Caroline Harvey is one of the most exciting players currently on Team USA, part of a new crop of extraordinary young athletes. She’s the best defender in the NCAA, and arguably one of the best in the world. 

Her 2023-24 season was impressive. She had 35 points and 49 blocks for Wisconsin and 10 points and a +12 rating in seven games with Team USA at the IIHF World Championship, but that’s only part of the story. Focusing solely on the numbers neglects just how talented Harvey is. She’s an offensive defender, yet handles a shutdown role with ease. She’s fast, fierce, and intelligent, with a high hockey IQ. I had the pleasure of watching Caroline Harvey quite a bit at Wisconsin, and she always seems two steps ahead. Harvey suffered a knee injury in October that kept her out of the game for six weeks, but her return to the Badgers blue line and Team USA for the Rivalry Series in December was triumphant. Harvey was a major contributor down the stretch to lead Wisconsin to their second straight national championship game. She also showed out on the national team, where she was one of the best defenders at Worlds on the way to a Team USA silver medal. 

In addition, Harvey has quite the trophy case. In the 2022-23 season, she was the NCAA Rookie of the Year, a national champion, and a world champion. Even before that, she was an Olympian, winning a silver medal with Team USA in Beijing. Harvey deferred her freshman year at Wisconsin to join the national team, where she was the youngest player. It says a lot about her abilities that she was trusted on as big a stage as the Olympics at only 19 years old with limited senior experience. Harvey got a crack at the national team for the 2021 IIHF World Championship, but before that, she was playing junior hockey and U18 tournaments. She had a meteoric rise on the international stage and followed it up with outstanding performances in college.

Likewise, the future is bright for Caroline Harvey. She still has two years of eligibility in the NCAA, and she is returning to Wisconsin for her junior season in 2024-25. She’ll likely continue to be a mainstay for Team USA, bringing skill, stability, and smarts to the blue line for many years to come. When she makes the jump to professional hockey, the teams of the PWHL will probably be chomping at the bit to draft her, as adding a player of her caliber can help turn a franchise’s fortunes. I predict that Harvey will be the first overall pick of the 2026 PWHL Draft class. As a young and incredibly talented player, Harvey likely hasn’t even hit her peak yet, and I’m very excited to see how she continues to grow her game in the future. 

Too High or Too Low? Landing at number seven isn’t something to scoff at, but I think Caroline Harvey is ranked too low. I had her a few places higher on my list. Frankly, I think it’s a shame that she’s outside the top five. She is a uniquely remarkable defender who already has proven her skill, and she absolutely deserves to be higher. At only 21, Harvey still has a few years of T25U25 eligibility, so we’ll see if future installments give her a boost.