With one of the NEPSAC's most potent offenses, Deerfield reached the Elite 8 last season, where they fell to Phillips Andover in the quarterfinals, finishing a 17-6-3 season.
It was the Big Green's best finish in a season and their first trip to the Elite 8.
Coach Brooke Fernandez knows getting back won't be easy.
"I think being aware that no game is guaranteed, and I think last year, the focus was always winning the winnable games," Fernandez said. "I think we're just going to double down on that. Ultimately, what I always say to start the season is, 'It's a new year. Everything good and everything bad is gone, so you got to prove yourselves each and every day.'
"Now that we've been on the Elite Eight side of things, we're going to have a target on our back in that way, having more to prove, not resting on the success of last year and earning every win."
What certainly helps is the core that Deerfield brings back. Eight of their top 10 scorers return after graduating five seniors.
"A lot of our offensive production came out of the underclassmen. Now that many of them have jumped into their final two years at Deerfield, there's just a level of confidence and know-how of just kind of having lived within it," Deerfield coach Brooke Fernandez said. "So, it's always fun to see the kids really step into their own as upperclassmen."
A rock in net
The Big Green already have one piece of the puzzle figured out with starting goalie Campbell Krotee (Darien, Conn.) back in the crease.
Krotee was in the unenviable position of being the only goaltender on the roster last winter after now-Middlebury freshman Lauren Sobczak underwent hip surgery before the season.
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"In October, we found out we had one goalie for the season, so I won't tell you how nervous I was about that," Fernandez said. "Campbell handled it so well and was just rock solid for us."
Krotee took the opportunity and ran with it. She faced the second-most shots (528) of any Elite 8 goaltender with a .930 save percentage and finished with a .930 save percentage.
After parlaying her season into a commitment to Holy Cross, Krotee figures to be "hugely" important to Deerfield's success once again.
"Not only just from her honest presence but also her leadership," Fernandez said. "We put her in a pretty impossible situation last year. ... That's a lot of pressure to put on one goalie. Miraculously, she made it through an entire season injury and sickness-free."
Deerfield will take some of the pressure off her this season, though, bringing in a pair of newcomers in net between junior Izzy Kirby and sophomore Ana Makrogiannis.
"I think Campbell will do a phenomenal job both leading on the ice and also kind of taking them under her wing," Fernandez said. "Our goalies have always established a strong goalie partnership. I love to see the way they work together. It's never a competitive relationship. It's always pushing each other forward and supporting each other."
A productive defense
The Big Green's top two defenders, senior Allie Corrieri (Devens, Mass.) and junior Keira Austen (Darien, Conn.), are back in the fold.
Corrieri, a Colby commit, finished last season with 21 points (four goals) and Austen, a Brown commit, had 20 (four goals).
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Fernandez expects both to continue their growth on and off the ice.
"They already had leadership roles last year, so it'll be fun to see them kind of continue that," Fernandez said. "One of the reasons they were so successful is because they're some of the hardest workers on the ice, which is a great thing for the younger players to see, not only for our team but also what that can help you achieve with your college hockey goals."
Austen enjoyed a big breakout as a sophomore, more than doubling her freshman year output (eight points). Fernandez believes she still has a lot of room to grow.
"I'm super excited for her," she said. "Sophomore year tends to kind of be a freeing year for kids because now nothing's new. They have a good sense of what's coming, and there are no surprises or kind of nerves. I think her having the confidence that she had from last season is only going to help her that much more this season when it comes to feeling confident with the puck on her stick."
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Deerfield will also add a key transfer to the mix in junior Chloe Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.). Cleaves, a Yale commit, led Greenwich Academy in scoring the last two seasons. She totaled 15 points (13 goals) last season, coming off 14 points (six goals) in 2022-23. Cleaves plays club with Mid-Fairfield.
"She's a really offensive defender, and we're excited to use her offensive drive and add that into our strong D core," Fernandez said.
Forwards ready for the next step
The key for Deerfield will be making up for the loss of Annie Dinges (Woodstock, Conn.).
Dinges, now a freshman forward at Harvard, was one of the NEPSAC's top scorers last season. She led Deerfield in goals (22) and points (37).
"We kind of talked about it together as a group and the sense of losing a huge producer for us, but if everyone gives a little bit more, you can continue that production," Fernandez said. "I think they all can because they're a little more confident. They get to have a little bit more of that pressure on them, in a good way, because I think Annie was always kind of our safety valve. So it'll be good to get them to step into new roles."
Fortunately, the Big Green return three 20-plus point-getters among last year's forwards, as well as three others who reached double digits.
Junior Sophie Frost and sophomore Olivia Austen (Darien, Conn.) will need to build off strong debut seasons. Frost finished with 10 goals and 25 points, while Austen had seven goals and 22 points.
"I think the sky's the limit for both of them," Fernandez said.
However, the biggest factors lie with a Frost and the rest of a big junior class among the forwards.
Brady Wierl (seven goals, 20 points), Ava Giroux (St. Alban's, Vt.; six goals, 17 points), Gia Thompson (six goals, 12 points) and Peyton Wierl (four goals, 12 points) are all back in the mix.
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They provided crucial depth last season, and the Big Green will rely on their production once again.
"I would also say, for many of our junior forwards, there were very few games where every line wasn't impactful, and I think that's what made us so successful," Fernandez said. "We never relied on just that one line. ... I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone kind of rises to the challenge this year."
