Some of Ève Gascon’s new teammates at the University of Minnesota Duluth scrolled the internet and looked up the program’s newest goalie. The gold banner on the top of her Elite Prospects page made them curious. Her profile was verified. They all had the same thought.
“Ève, are you famous?”
Gascon was humble about her newfound popularity ever since becoming the third woman ever to play in the Québec Major Junior Hockey League in 2022. Former Bulldog Grace Sadura remembered that interaction.
“When we were coming in as freshmenm I didn’t know how popular she was,” Sadura said. “She was super humble about it.”
The interest in Gascon continues to rise. She recently earned back-to-back Goaltender of the Year honors for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Gascon was also part of the 2025-26 All-WCHA First Team. In the NCAA, she was once again a finalist for the Hockey Commissioner’s Association Goalie of the Year award, an All-USCHO First Team selection, and a Second Team 2025-26 CCM/AHCA Women’s Division I All-American last month.
A rising goalie in the WCHA
The University of Minnesota Duluth is known for outstanding goaltenders, such as Emma Söderberg and Kim Martin Hasson. The program holds the record for most winners of the WCHA’s Goaltender of the Year award, with four. Former Bulldog Söderberg won in 2021 and 2023. Gascon soon followed with two wins as well.
Gascon began collecting award from her first season in college. A WCHA All-Rookie Team selection in the 2023-24 season, she was also a semifinalist for the 2024 National Women’s Goalie of the Year award. Given the quality of goaltending in the conference, Gascon is still grateful for the recognition she receives.
“There’s so many good goaltenders in our league and it’s always an honor to be recognized by this league, especially the WCHA,” Gason said of winning Goaltender of the Year. “It’s a team award too. I couldn’t do that without the good defense that we have.”
Sadura spoke highly of her close friend. She compared her work ethic to that of Canadian hockey stars Marie Phillip-Polin and Nathan MacKinnon. Sadura credited Gascon for the season the Bulldogs were able to put together, one that had them appear in their sixth straight NCAA tournament.
“Her work ethic is unbelievable. I see her every day and I see what she does outside and away from the rink. She’s an incredibly hard worker,” Sadura said. “That shows with the season that she’s had. She’s helped us win so many games and she’s gotten us out of tough situations.”
Chasing a record
In the 2025-26 season, Gascon recorded a conference-leading 10 shutouts, a 2025-26 WCHA Statistical Goaltending Champion after she recorded a league-high .943 saves percentage in league play. One of Gascon’s biggest achievements this season was extending her career shutout record to 21 games. She ended the WCHA season recording four shutouts in her final nine games.
After her performance this season, Gascon is now just two shutouts shy of tying the UMD record. She realized she was inching closer to the record and her teammates realized too. They turned it into a joke to tease her. But even with all the jokes, the 23-year-old made sure to enjoy the sport she plays while chasing history this season.
“Sometimes I get in my head and [my teammates] are there for me to be like, ‘hey, just have fun, remember?’ That’s really helpful for me,” Gascon said. “[I] want to say that in a humble way, but I know what I can do and I know that my mindset before every game is… I know I can’t stop all the pucks [but] I can just have fun and just be ready. I’m always telling myself at the end of the day, it’s just a hockey game.”
Learning to navigate a new environment
When Gascon began her career at Duluth, she didn’t feel any pressure to perform well for the team. In her first year, she recorded a 10-9-1 record in 21 appearances. Gascon admitted she put pressure on herself that season to be the team’s starting goaltender and to record a shutout every game. Aside from the pressure Gascon was putting on herself to perform perfectly on the ice, she was struggling in school. The Québec native was still learning English—her native language is French—and she was also trying to navigate attending university. Her teammates and coaches knew of her struggles and decided to rally around her.
“It’s been helpful for me to have this kind of support from my teammates and my coaches of… being there to help me and to come back on the right track [and] not going too much in my head and putting pressure on myself,” Gascon said. “I’ve grown as a person, mentally, physically, on the ice and off the ice.”
Gaining more recognition
Though Gascon has grown a lot since her freshman year, she identified the areas she believes she still needs to work on, like trying to get faster and stronger. She is also working towards not putting pressure on herself. Although Gascon feels she needs work, her accomplishments at UMD have gained her recognition at the national level. Gascon was part of Team Canada at the 2025 Women’s World Championship, though she didn’t appear in a game. Gascon earned a spot on Canada’s roster in November for The Rivalry Series and made her senior national debut there.
Gascon’s confidence in herself has grown tremendously since her freshman year. Her teammates had a sense of ease whenever she was in net for them. Sometimes the team had too much confidence and things didn’t go as well for them, but Gascon’s presence always brought peace of mind.
“Having her back there allows us to play our game and not grip our sticks as tight,” Sadura explained. “We can play free, but also continue to play structured. Sometimes we got to be a little bit better in front of her [but] it’s great having her back there.”
Eye still on the prize
Gascon will enter her final season with UMD in the fall. After numerous accolades, her focus is still on winning a championship with the Bulldogs.
It’s something she wants for her teammates too. She added the team has been working hard every year striving for that accomplishment. However, if the team doesn’t reach that point in her final season, Gascon will still look on the bright side.
“I feel you can have that recognition as a player, but the biggest thing is ‘did you win a championship?’” Gascon said. “After my college years, if it happens, I’m gonna be really happy, and if it doesn’t, I can look back and know that I’ve had fun with my teammates too.”
