Minnesota Frost defender Claire Thompson (42) controls the puck during a PWHL hockey practice Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024 at TRIA Rink in St. Paul, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)
It didn’t take long for Claire Thompson’s Minnesota Frost teammates to conjure up a nickname for the rookie defenseman with a knack for offensive play-making and a sharp analytical mind.
“We call her, ‘The Human ChatGPT,’” Grace Zumwinkle said, before fellow Frost forward Taylor Heise chimed in.
“We had meetings last night and we’re like, ‘What’s your consensus on what happened? Give us the SparkNotes,’” Heise said, laughing. “She’s such a cognitive person. I just feel like she has a lot going on up there.”
At 26, Thompson isn’t your typical rookie in preparing to make her PWHL debut on Sunday when the defending-champion Frost open their season hosting New York. After spending last year pursuing her medical degree at NYU, the Princeton graduate traded her stethoscope for a hockey stick to resume an already successful playing career.
At Princeton, Thompson finished fifth on the Tigers career list of blue-liners with 87 points (31 goals) in 129 games, while gathering numerous conference accolades for her play and studies. Thompson turned heads at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she helped Canada win gold and finished with two goals and 11 assists to shatter the single-tournament record for points by a defenseman.
Her return to hockey coincides with the Olympic cycle, with Thompson seeking the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 Games in Italy. She was selected third overall by Minnesota in the draft in June, and has since rejoined Team Canada, picking up an assist in three games in the Rivalry Series against the U.S.
“I think always in the back of your mind there are going to be what-ifs going on, and so I was happy to put those all to rest,” Thompson said of her relatively seamless return.
“I don’t think anything’s surprised me,” she added. “It’s been a lot of fun being back on the ice. I think I miss being in a team environment every single day and collectively working toward a shared goal.”
That isn’t to suggest Thompson has put her medical studies aside entirely. She’s working on as many medical projects as she can comfortably handle in her spare time.
Thompson isn’t so much torn between medicine and hockey, but rather can’t do without both passions.
“I have stayed in very close contact with a lot of my med school classmates, and hearing about their stories. … So I definitely miss that aspect,” she said. “But while I was doing that, I missed this. So it’s great to have two different things that you enjoy so much.”
Welcome to the complex world of Claire Thompson, something her Canadian teammates have become accustomed to, and is now being introduced to a Frost team made up of mostly Americans.
Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield thought she had it tough last year juggling motherhood and hockey before encountering Thompson.
“No. You won’t find me in med school. Definitely not. I’ve been lucky to room with her this week, and it’s been fun to ask her a million questions,” she said.
Coyne Schofield was particularly intrigued by what Thompson saw in making a lengthy breakout pass to set up Sarah Nurse for a breakaway during a recent Rivalry Series game.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ And that was a moment where, obviously, we’re on different teams in that situation. And I’m like, ’Well, I can’t wait to play with her,’” she said. “It’s constant plays like that where you’re just like, ‘Holy cow.’”
Thompson joins a talented core of Frost defensemen, which includes veteran U.S. player Lee Stecklein, Natalie Buchbinder and fellow Canadian Sophie Jaques, college hockey’s 2023 player of the year.
Analytical as Thompson might be, Canadian and Toronto Sceptres coach Troy Ryan praised her fearless approach to taking calculated risks in attempting plays other defensemen might resist in fear of a turnover — and not getting down if it winds up being a mistake.
One reason Ryan believed Thompson was passed over by the Canadian national team program at the Under-18 stage was because of her gambling style. Ryan would have Thompson play no other way in recalling a conversation he had early into her national team career.
“I think she was expecting me to tell her to dial it back a bit. And I was actually, like, ‘You’ve got to go more,’” Ryan recalled. “I’m a big, big fan of hers. And I find her to be such a unique person with everything that she’s juggling. It’s incredible. And I’m jealous, to be honest.”
Thompson wants to specialize in orthopedic surgery, though she made all the rounds — pediatrics, psychiatry and neurology — as part of her clerkship last year while spending nights practicing with the NYU men’s club team.
Now Thompson’s focused on hockey — well, mostly.
“I love to be able to do both things, but unfortunately I can’t be at two places at once,” she said.
“I’m young. I’m still able to play hockey at a high level, and I know that won’t always be the case,” Thompson added. “But people have much longer careers in medicine, so I know when that time comes I have a very good other option to go to.”
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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Hockey Writer
