Despite adding a whole team to the numbers this year (hello Delaware!), the total number of women playing NCAA Division I hockey went up by a single player this year over last. There are 1120 women rostered by NCAA DI women’s hockey programs this season. Players represent 40 US states, 11 Canadian provinces and 18 different countries – 15 in Europe and 3 in Asia.
This data was collected by individually surveying the posted rosters of each NCAA DI team.
The US is home to the majority of players in NEWHA and the WCHA, while the split between US and Canadian players is much closer to equal in the ECAC and Hockey East. American players makes up less than half the total of players in the AHA.
Minnesota leads the way with 177 players. Ontario is the top Canadian province with 200 women calling it home – both of those numbers are down from last season.
The top three states by number of skaters are Minnesota, Massachusetts (105) and New York (41). Minnesota-born players make up 16% of all NCAA players this season and are 43% of the women playing in the WCHA in 2025-26. Massachusetts-born players make up 18% of Hockey East players.
In all, women representing 40 states are currently playing NCAA DI hockey. NEWHA leads the way with 77% of their players hailing from the US, followed closely by the WCHA, with 69% of their players claiming America as their home.
A full third of the women playing DI women’s hockey this season hail from Canada – 372 of the 1120 skaters. Players from 11 of the Canadian provinces and territories are taking the ice this season. The ECAC has the most players who call Canada home with 129 – that’s 44% of the women who play for ECAC teams. The AHA matches that percentage – 74 of their 167 players hail from Canada. By percentage, they’re followed by Hockey East (34%) and then the WCHA and NEWHA (20% each).
There are 89 players from countries outside North America, up 14 from last season and 29 over the past two seasons. They make up 8% of the total players rostered this season. Eighteen countries are represented. The AHA leads the way in total number of non-North American countries represented with 11 and in total non-North American players skating with 26. The WCHA and Hockey East each have 22, there are 14 in Hockey East and five in NEWHA.