USA Hockey Announces 2025 Patty Kazmaier Finalists

The finalists for Patty Kazmaier award, the top honor for women’s hockey players in Division I of the NCAA, were announced Wednesday afternoon. All three players currently play for the No. 1 ranked Wisconsin Badgers, helping lead the team to a record of 35-1-2 (as of March 12th), a WCHA title, and a berth in the NCAA tournament, which is set to begin on Thursday. 

The first of the nominees is forward Laila Edwards. The junior from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, is currently second on the team in scoring with 65 points, including 30 goals in 38 games. She’s recorded five game-winning goals for the Badgers this season and is just the seventh Badger in history to have 30 goals in a single season. Edwards has scored at all strengths, with six power play tallies and an additional two while shorthanded. Her contributions to the program are paramount, and it is reflected in her nomination. 

The other forward nominated is current top-scorer in the NCAA, Casey O’Brien. The fifth year senior from Milton, Massachusetts, has an absurd 83 points in 38 games this season, highlighted by 58 assists. A finalist last season, O’Brien has broken the program single-season assist record in back-to-back years, and she has the second-most number of wins in the faceoff circle this season with 498. With five more points, O’Brien will become the highest single-season scorer in Wisconsin program history. Outside of her play, she has also taken just one penalty all season, a minor against Bemidji State on Feb. 22nd. Her contributions over the last five seasons have not gone unnoticed, and her nomination for another year reflects them. 

Rounding out the trio is defender Caroline Harvey from Salem, New Hampshire, who has had a historic season on the Wisconsin blueline. As a junior, Harvey heads into the national tournament with 58 points, the most in a single season for a Badger defender. She has the most points of any defender in the NCAA and is the fifth-highest scorer in the nation overall. As a co-captain, Harvey helped Wisconsin have the best penalty kill in the NCAA, and she has been instrumental as both a leader and a player over the last three seasons. Looking to lead Wisconsin to a third-straight title game, Harvey is one of the biggest reasons that seems possible for the Badgers. 

The 2024 Patty Kazmaier trophy was awarded to Ithaca forward Izzy Daniel, who now plays for the Toronto Sceptres in the PWHL. The last Wisconsin Badger to win the award was goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens in 2017, who is the starter for the Canadian National team as well as the PWHL's Montréal Victoire. 

Three of the last four winners have come out of the WCHA. This is the second time the three finalists have all come from the same school in the 28 years the award has been given out. The last time was in 2013, when Minnesota forward Amanda Kessel beat out teammates Megan Bozek and Noora Räty. One of the three finalists will become the sixth Badger all-time to win the award. 

The 2025 Patty Kazmaier winner will be announced on Saturday, March 22, at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis between the semifinal and championship rounds of the Frozen Four.