2024 Top 25 Under 25: Aerin Frankel (4)

Aerin Frankel has been at the top of the field at every level she’s played at. Two years ago, she came in fifth on our list of 25 Under 25, and in this iteration she’s back, now one spot higher as No. 4. 

It’s easy to see why she’s maintained being as high as she has. After playing one season in the PWHPA following her graduation from Northeastern, Frankel signed with PWHL Boston before last season’s draft. 

In 18 games during the regular season, the netminder finished with a .929 save percentage, a goals against average of 2.00, and was one of just three goaltenders across the league to play over 1000 minutes. Her playoff success was even better, and across eight games for Boston (including multiple OT wins against Montréal and Minnesota) she led goaltenders in minutes, saves, had an .953 SV%, and was probably the biggest reason Boston was able to make it as far as they did. 

Along with the professional stage, Frankel’s international performance has been outstanding. Especially in 2024’s World Championships, where she finished with a .917 SV% across seven games, backstopping the United States to a silver medal. This just one year removed from her gold medal winning performance with a .932 SV% at the 2023 World Championships. 

For anyone who has followed Frankel’s career, this rise to the top of professional hockey isn’t surprising. She became the fourth ever goaltender to win the Patty Kazmaier award in 2021, and then added two NCAA Goaltender of the Year awards that year and the following. Not to mention she was the first ever winner of the award. Talk about a resumé. 

As far as Northeastern goaltending goes – and trust me, there’s a reason the school is called Goaltender U – Frankel stands as one of the best to ever graduate from the Husky program. I mean, if you look at the NU program record books, there’s no career statistic that she isn’t in the top-two for. And many of those, she’s not number two. 

Whether it be college, professional, or even in her prep school days when she was saving 94% of the shots she saw, Frankel has always been a star between the pipes. She’s only gotten better, and that bodes well looking forward for both PWHL Boston and Team USA. It’s time people stop underestimating her just because she’s 5’5”, it hasn’t stopped her to this point, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop her any time soon. 

Future: 

At the very least Frankel has two years remaining on her contract with PWHL Boston, who will be looking to get back to the Walter Cup Final in 2024-25. Frankel’s dominance and ability to perform will be integral to the team’s success moving forward. Plus, she seems to have current control of the United State’s crease – Milan 2026 is in just 18 months. Maybe we’ll see her at the Olympics as a starter for the first time then. Only time will tell.

Too High/Too Low: 

Knowing the next three names on this list, it’s hard to say Frankel should be any higher than she already is. She’s proven how dominant she is, and why she’s one of the top players of the position regardless of age. I like her at four, and while personally I ranked her higher, I think the general consensus was on target here.