Caroline Harvey claims she’s lucky.
For a hockey journey that has taken her to different corners of the world and helped her win team championships and prestigious individual awards, it all started in Salem, N.H. She’s grateful for that.
“I played on many boys’ teams and girls’ teams growing up,” Harvey said. “I was super lucky to be surrounded by a lot of people who are passionate about the sport. Having many like-minded people in the same area with the same drive, super grateful for that. It helped me a lot to develop my own passion.”
No longer a little girl watching her older brother Nolan play at the rink in the early morning, Harvey is considered one of the best hockey players in the world.
While everything seems golden for her now, she was challenged as a sophomore at Wisconsin in 2023-24. Not only did the Badgers lose in the national championship, but before that, she suffered a knee injury against Bemidji State that forced her out for six weeks. She missed seven games and was forced to find a way to help her teammates from the sidelines instead of on the ice.
She gained a new perspective through that setback.
“I had to be more of a student of the game,” she said. “Teammates would ask me little things, how to help them with their game or, ‘Did you see that play?’ or ‘What should I have done there?’ It was a lot of film sessions, people bouncing ideas off me. I watched a lot of NHL games, a lot more different college men’s and women’s, breaking down teams and seeing where their weaknesses were, and using that so when I got back to the ice, I could start doing this more or take this out of my game, and that was helpful.”
Those moments helped fuel Harvey, culminating in this past winter.
In February, Harvey traveled to Milan, Italy, with the United States women’s team to compete in her second Olympic Games (she won silver with Team USA in 2022).
Harvey was part of a defense that helped maintain a shutout streak of 352 minutes and 17 seconds – including five consecutive games allowing zero goals –shattering the previous Olympic record. The United States beat Canada in overtime in the gold medal game, 2-1, for the program’s third gold medal.
NEW ENGLAND DISTRICT TRYOUTS: 12 uncommitted ’09 standouts | 11 standout ’10s | 12 standout ’11s
Harvey was named the Tournament MVP.
“The Olympic gold was so sweet,” Harvey said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunities and being a part of it all.”
There wasn’t much time to celebrate, however. Her Wisconsin team was still in the middle of its season, and Harvey rejoined the Badgers eight days after the gold medal game.
Splitting her senior year between Team USA and Wisconsin meant Harvey had to “juggle a lot” in terms of different teams and roles, not to mention her academic responsibilities. While chaotic, it taught her she was more capable than she thought.
“I realized and learned about myself, how mentally strong I am in being able to flip the mindset in a snap of your fingers because you don’t have time to think of stuff,” Harvey said. “You have to be present where your feet are and whatever team you’re on.”
Wisconsin finished the season 35-4-2. In the NCAA Tournament, they beat Quinnipiac, Penn State, and rival Ohio State to win the program’s ninth national championship, more than any school in the country; it was Harvey’s third championship, and she was named to the All-Tournament team.
Additionally, Harvey earned the highest individual honor a college ice hockey player could win when she was named the recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
Her success was not a surprise to Badgers and National Team teammate Laila Edwards, who told The Hockey News that Harvey “inspired so many people, like myself.”
It also wasn’t a surprise for Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson.
“I remember when she came in her freshman year, and we all knew she was going to be a wonderful player and have an impact on us for a long period of time,” Johnson said in an interview with The Hockey News, “but the thing that I take away is her growth off the ice and the maturity and what she is now and what she’s become, it’s all credit to her because she really works at her craft.”
The defender, however, said the award isn’t something she earned on her own.
“Those individual awards are truly a reflection of our team success and the coaches and the team behind the team that goes into winning those championships and medals,” Harvey said. “It’s all a team effort [including] the people that helped me along the way.”
Some of those people who helped her were her coaches at the North American Hockey Academy in Wellesley, Mass., where Harvey played as a senior in high school. She credited coaches Toni Ann Miano and Makenna Newkirk as being great mentors.
She also praised her skating coach, David Breen, who is the owner of Micro Ice Hockey in North Andover, Mass., and works with the Boston Bruins.
“I always visit him in the summers and work with him,” Harvey said. “He’s been along my whole journey, and I couldn’t be where I am without him and his support.”
Harvey will likely be headed to the Vancouver Goldeneyes in June’s PWHL Draft. Vancouver has the first pick, and all signs point to them taking Harvey, widely viewed as a generational prospect.
MASS. FESTIVAL: 16 uncommitted ’09 standouts | 14 standout ’10s | 13 standout '11s
With the Wisconsin chapter closed, there’s no doubt, even in the early days after her Badgers career ended, that Harvey left an incredible legacy.
“I hope people remember me as a person and captain and the positivity I bring,” Harvey said. “Of course, the success on the ice as a team is important, and what we’ve done here is amazing, but I hope people remember my presence and being.”
