Wednesday saw the reveal of the three finalists for the 2026 Patty Kazmaier award, handed out annually to the top player in the NCAA. The winner will be revealed at a ceremony at the Frozen Four in University Park, Penn.
The three names are not a surprise by any means this season, as the trio are all some of the top names in Division I, and internationally as well. The finalists are forward Abbey Murphy (Minnesota), forward Tessa Janecke (Penn State), and defender Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin).
Harvey is the lone two-time finalist of the trio, following her nomination last season as a junior. If she comes away with the award, she will be the 7th winner from Wisconsin — breaking the tie the university has currently with Harvard. Murphy is the first Gopher to be named a finalist since Taylor Heise’s win in 2022. And for the first time ever Penn State has a top-three finalist in Janecke. Harvey, Janecke and Murphy were all semifinalists in 2024 and 2025.
Murphy, 23, is the second highest scorer in the NCAA this season with 64 points. Her 2.13 points per game leads every player in DI, while her 38 goals is also second-best. What stands out most is that Murphy has not played a full season, with just 30 games played out of Minnesota’s total of 38. As a member of Team USA, Murphy was away from the college landscape for well over a month, and has still produced at such a high rate to finish behind just one other skater in the NCAA scoring race.
Another thing that stands out, this time against Murphy, is her penalty minutes. Her 67 PIMs in 2025-26 is second most out of anyone in the NCAA. The graduate student has a reputation for a rougher style of play, emphasized by the high number of PIMs she records each year.
The only person Murphy is behind in trips to the box? One of the other three finalists in Janecke. Janecke’s 45 points are not the highest of her four years with the Nittany Lions. However her 1.55 points per game is the best mark from her tenure, with just 29 games played.
If there’s one thing anyone should think of when it comes to Janecke, it’s her prowess in the faceoff dot. With a 67% win percentage in the circle, and 372 total wins (out of 555 draws taken), the 21-year-old is superb in the dot. Add in her overall performance, plus how she’s transformed Penn State over her four seasons, and you have a prime candidate for the award.
Like I mentioned earlier, the 73 penalty minutes (an average of 2.52 PIMs per game) gives me pause. But overall her impact upon the game is undeniable.
The last of the three finalists is, at least in my opinion, the front runner for the award. Caroline Harvey, reigning Olympic MVP, and the top scoring defender throughout the NCAA, is the most impactful skater in the NCAA. With 61 points in just 30 games, Harvey is two points off her highest scoring season. Which was last season, where she was a runner-up for the Patty Kazmaier.
Harvey is magic on the ice. Her skill, her skating, and her ability to read a play all speak for itself. She has dominated the collegiate and international levels already. Her going four years without winning the award feels impossible. If she doesn’t win the Patty Kaz this season, I would be astounded.
The three individuals this season, and the seven other players who were semifinalists for the award, all have their own reasoning for standing out. There’s no doubt this is an insanely talented crop of athletes in the top trio. There’s no doubt their impact will be felt for a long time following their graduations this spring.
Only one can win the Patty Kaz however, and we’ll see who that is on Sat., March 21.
For more on the NCAA, be sure to stay up to date with The Ice Garden, starting with the NCAA tournament first round preview, available here.