#13: Ève Gascon
By: Giselle Velazquez
Previous ranking: 13
2026-27 team: Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Gascon had a fantastic junior year with the Bulldogs. She finished the season with 10 shutouts, the second-most in a single season by a UMD goaltender. Boasting a 1.76 goals-against average and .943% save percentage, she earned WCHA Goaltender of the Year for the second year in a row. Gascon was named to the All-USCHO First Team and the All-WCHA First Team and was the conference goaltending champion.
Over the summer, Gascon took part in the National Women’s Development Team Summer Series. She appeared in all three games for Canada and recorded one shutout. Her international experience includes representing Canada at the Women’s World Championship and in the Rivalry Series.
Gascon started the 2026-27 NCAA season with back-to-back shutouts against Mercyhurst. These performances put her tied for the all-time career shutout record at UMD, with 23. She may break the record in the second week of the season. As long as Duluth brings the offense, Gascon will do the rest and have a great season in net.
Too high, too low? Gascon also landed at #13 last year, and I had her at #6 in my own rankings. I think she’s too low. Putting numbers like hers together in a conference like the WCHA or with a team that didn’t perform as well as they should have isn’t easy. We have to give Gascon credit for carrying UMD last season.
#12: Nicole Gosling
By: Dylan Nazareth
Previous ranking: N/A
2026-27 team: PWHL Hamilton
Gosling is coming off a banner rookie year with the Montréal Victoire, who drafted her fourth overall in 2025. The rookie defender joined a rebuilding blue line with an opportunity to claim a top role. Although Gosling’s season got off to somewhat of a slow start before the Olympic break, she made steady progress game by game.
Gosling was “a little bit devastated” after not being selected to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Coming out of the Olympic break, she was one of the best blueliners in the league. In the absence of veteran defender Erin Ambrose, who suffered an injury in Milan, Gosling elevated her game at both ends of the ice. The star from London, Ontario, finished the regular season with 3 goals and 16 assists, tying for second in points among rookies and second in defender assists league-wide. Gosling helped Montréal to its first Walter Cup and was named a finalist for Rookie of the Year.
Following her strong rookie campaign, Gosling cashed in big, signing with PWHL Hamilton in expansion and reportedly doubling her salary. In Hamilton, Gosling will continue to continue to grow her game, cementing herself as a top-pairing defender who will likely quarterback the team’s top power play unit. She boasts strong two-way skill but is still looking to find her lethal shot in the PWHL.
Additionally, Gosling can be a top candidate for Team Canada at November’s WWC, especially with Victoire coach Kori Cheverie and general manager Danièle Sauvageau now at the helm.
Gosling may be a little underrated on this list at #12. She was unranked last year, but her rapid rise is a testament to all she accomplished in the past 12 months.
#11: Joy Dunne
By: Giselle Velazquez
Previous ranking: #21
2026-27 team: Ohio State Buckeyes
Dunne finished last season with 51 points in 31 games. She led OSU in goals with 27, including three hat tricks. She helped lead the Buckeyes to the WCHA Final Faceoff title. Moreover, the Buckeyes also appeared in another NCAA championship title game, though they fell short once again. She was named to the All-WCHA First Team at the conclusion of the season.
She missed time with OSU to debut at the Olympics, where she recorded 5 points in seven games and claimed gold alongside her USA teammates. Dunne has also played in two Women’s World Championships, earning a gold and a silver.
Dunne is one of the top scorers returning to college hockey this season. She scored the game winner in overtime in OSU’s opening game of the 2026-27 NCAA season.
Dunne will have another great season with Ohio State. She’s never registered fewer than 40 points while in college. Her career high was 62 points in 2024-25. This season, she could be close to reaching that peak, but she will most likely miss time due to the WWC in November.
In our ranking, Dunne jumped 10 spots from last year. I think she’s in a great spot given all she’s accomplished at just 21 years old. Her stock will likely continue to rise after this season.
