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Alex Carpenter

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Alex Carpenter
Carpenter with Team USA in 2017
Born (1994-04-13) April 13, 1994 (age 30)
North Reading, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight 154 lb (70 kg; 11 st 0 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
PWHL team
Former teams		 PWHL New York
National team  United States
Playing career 2011–present

Alexandra "Alex" Carpenter (born April 13, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey forward, alternate captain of New York of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), and member of the American national team.

Playing career

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High school

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In the fall of 2007, Carpenter joined The Governor's Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, where she played for their varsity team beginning at 13 years old. Over four years, she totaled 239 goals and 427 points in 100 games, being named team MVP in each season and captaining the team as a senior.[1][2]

NCAA

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On July 22, 2010, Carpenter committed to play college ice hockey at Boston College. After fielding calls from over 20 programs on the first day she was eligible for recruitment, she chose between Boston College and Harvard, swayed in part by her experience playing alongside BC students at the international level and her respect for Eagles coach Katie King.[3]

In the 2011–12 season, Carpenter's freshman year, she led the Eagles in scoring with 39 points, the first freshman to do so since 2006. She was named a first team Hockey East All-Star and to the conference's All-Rookie Team, as well as its rookie of the month on four separate occasions.[1]

In her sophomore season in 2012–13, Carpenter led the Eagles with 70 points, including a conference-leading 48 points in Hockey East play. She set a conference record with a 24-game point streak from October 21, 2012 to February 2, 2013, and was named player of the year for both Hockey East and New England.[1] She recorded her 100th career point against UConn on February 17, 2013.[4]

Carpenter took a leave of absence for the 2013–14 season in order to prepare for the 2014 Winter Olympics with the American national team.[1]

During her junior season, the 2014–15 season, Carpenter recorded 37 goals and 44 assists for 81 points, all of which led the NCAA. She also led the nation in goals per game (1.09), assists per game (1.19), points per game (2.19), and game winning goals (9). She recorded multiple points in a game on 25 occasions, including six points against Harvard on November 28, 2014. For her achievements, she was named Hockey East player of the year and won the Patty Kazmaier Award, becoming the first Boston College player and the first player from the Hockey East conference to claim the award.[5]

As a senior and one of three team captains in the 2015–16 season, Carpenter set program records with 43 goals, 45 assists, and 88 points in 41 games. She recorded four hat tricks, including four goals against Syracuse University on December 10, 2015, a game in which she set the program record for career goals. She was named Most Valuable Player of the Hockey East Tournament, scoring three goals and six points as Boston College claimed the conference championship. She and the Eagles' season would end in the finals of the 2016 Frozen Four, with the team having set NCAA records for assists and points in a season, with 379 and 592, respectively. She was named a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, but ultimately did not repeat as its winner.[1]

Upon her graduation in 2016, Carpenter's 133 goals, 145 assists, and 278 points were the most in Eagles history. She also set program records in power play goals (26), game-winning goals (27), and plus/minus (+180), and ranked fifth in all-time NCAA goals and points.[1]

NWHL

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Carpenter was the first player drafted in the National Women's Hockey League's (NWHL) inaugural draft in 2015, selected by the New York Riveters.[6] She returned for her senior season with Boston College and her rights were traded to the Boston Pride in April 2016.[7] During the summer of 2016, Carpenter signed with the Boston Pride for a one-year, $19,500 contract, making her the highest paid player of the 2015 NWHL draft class.[8] Playing for Team Steadman, Carpenter recorded a goal and an assist at the 2nd NWHL All-Star Game.[9] She finished the 2016–17 season as the second highest scorer in the league.[10]

Shenzhen KRS

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Following her season in the NWHL, Carpenter registered for the 2017 draft of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and was drafted in the second round, 13th overall by Shenzhen-based Kunlun Red Star WIH, one of the two Chinese expansion teams.[10][11] On January 15, 2018, after being cut from the United States Olympic team, she signed with Kunlun, swayed in part by her father Bobby Carpenter being a coach of their Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) club, HC Kunlun Red Star.[12] The following season, the two Chinese CWHL teams were merged to become the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays, and Carpenter re-signed with the team.[13] She would finish the 2018–19 season with 31 points in 28 games.[14]

With the CWHL ceasing operations after the 2018–19 season, the Vanke Rays joined the Zhenskaya Hockey League (ZhHL), the Russian women's league. Carpenter again chose to remain in China, citing the better facilities and player support provided by the team than what she had experienced in the NWHL.[15] She supported the boycott of North American leagues that had led to the formation of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and occasionally attended its meetings despite being unable to participate in its events.[14]

Carpenter served as Shenzhen's captain for the 2020–21 season, recording 29 goals and 55 points in 28 games in what would be her last season in China.[16]

Return to North America

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The 2022–23 season saw Carpenter return to North America, participating in PWHPA events for the first time with Team Scotiabank, earning PWHPA All-Star honors and a spot in the skills competition at the 2023 National Hockey League All-Star Game.[17]

On September 8, 2023, New York of the newly created Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) announced that they had signed Carpenter, along with American forward Abby Roque and Canadian defenseman Micah Zandee-Hart, to three-year contracts as part of the league's pre-draft free agency period.[18] On December 21, 2023, Carpenter and teammate Ella Shelton were named the first alternate captains in team history.[19] In 24 games in the inaugural PWHL season, she recorded eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points, good for second in the league in points and first in assists, earning a nomination for Forward of the Year.[20]

International play

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Carpenter with Team USA in 2017
Medal record
Women's ice hockey
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2014 Sochi Team
Silver medal – second place 2022 Beijing Team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Canada
Gold medal – first place 2015 Sweden
Gold medal – first place 2016 Canada
Gold medal – first place 2017 United States
Gold medal – first place 2019 Finland
Gold medal – first place 2023 Canada
Silver medal – second place 2021 Canada
Silver medal – second place 2022 Denmark
Silver medal – second place 2024 United States
World U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Sweden
Silver medal – second place 2010 United States
Silver medal – second place 2012 Czech Republic

At 15 years old, Carpenter competed in multiple international competitions representing the United States, including an under-18 exhibition series against Canada and the 2009 Czech Challenge Cup, where she finished second in scoring despite being five or more years younger than some of the other players.[21] As the youngest American at the 2010 World U18 Championship, she scored eight goals and one assist in five games, tied for second in team scoring behind Kendall Coyne.[2] She recorded a goal in the gold medal match as the Americans claimed silver, losing 5–4 in overtime to Canada.[22]

Returning for the 2011 World U18 Championship, Carpenter led the tournament with ten points on the strength of six goals, including one in the 5–2 gold medal victory over Canada. She would be named a top three player on the American team and would win the award for Best Forward at the event.[23] The following year, Carpenter captained the silver-winning American team, recorded four goals and nine points, and once again earned Best Forward honors.[24]

Making her senior tournament debut at the 2013 World Championship,[25] Carpenter and the United States won the gold medal.[26] She returned to the national team at the 2014 Olympics as one of their youngest players, scoring four goals and adding an assist in five games as the Americans claimed silver, losing 3–2 in overtime to Canada in the finals.[27]

Carpenter was named alternate captain of Team USA for the 2015 World Championship.[28] She would record two goals and an assist at the event,[29] and the Americans would claim gold.[30]

At the 2016 Women's World Championship, Carpenter scored a game-winning overtime goal to clinch a gold medal in a 1–0 victory over Canada.[31]

Despite being considered one of the best players in the world and having been an Olympian at 19 years old at the previous games, Carpenter was unexpectedly cut from the Team USA roster ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Americans claimed the gold medal in her absence.[32][33]

Carpenter returned to Team USA for the 2019 World Championship, helping the Americans to their fifth consecutive title.[15]

In the finals of the 2021 World Championship, Carpenter scored both of Team USA's two goals as the Americans fell in overtime to Canada, 3–2.[34]

On January 2, 2022, Carpenter was named to Team USA's roster to represent the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[35]

Carpenter represented the United States at the 2024 World Championship, where she tied for the tournament lead in scoring with six goals and four assists in seven games and won a silver medal. She was subsequently named Best Forward and named to the All-Star team.[36]

Personal life

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Carpenter is the oldest daughter of former NHL player Bobby Carpenter, who played 18 seasons with five different teams and won three stanley cups with the New Jersey Devils, one as a player and two as a coach. Her younger brother Robert, nicknamed "Bobo", also played college hockey for the Eagles.[1][2]

A lifelong baseball and softball player, Carpenter was the first girl to play in the Morristown, New Jersey Little League in 25 years (performing as a pitcher, catcher, and shortstop) and was the first girl to play as a 10-year-old.[37] She played softball in high school, earning all-league honors in all four years and serving as team captain as a senior.[1]

Carpenter is an out member of the LGBTQ community.[38][39] She became engaged to girlfriend Steph Klein, an assistant equipment manager with the Toronto Marlies, in January 2022.[40]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 Boston College HE 35 21 18 39 8 — — — — —
2012–13 Boston College HE 37 32 38 70 10 — — — — —
2014–15 Boston College HE 37 37 44 81 13 — — — — —
2015–16 Boston College HE 41 43 45 88 6 — — — — —
2016–17 Boston Pride NWHL 17 9 20 29 0 2 3 3 6 0
2017–18 Kunlun Red Star CWHL 13 5 7 12 0 4 1 0 1 0
2018–19 Shenzhen KRS CWHL 28 17 14 31 0 — — — — —
2019–20 Shenzhen KRS ZhHL 27 21 32 53 6 5 3 4 7 0
2020–21 Shenzhen KRS ZhHL 28 29 26 55 6 2 1 0 1 0
2022–23 Team Scotiabank PWHPA 20 6 5 11 2 — — — — —
2023–24 New York PWHL 24 8 15 23 0 — — — — —
PWHL totals 24 8 15 23 0 — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2010 United States U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 8 1 9 0
2011 United States U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 6 4 10 0
2012 United States U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 4 5 9 2
2013 United States WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 1 2 3 0
2014 United States OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 4 1 5 2
2015 United States WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 2 1 3 0
2016 United States WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 1 2 3 0
2017 United States WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 1 0 1 2
2019 United States WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 2 5 7 0
2021 United States WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 5 0 5 0
2022 United States OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 4 3 7 0
2022 United States WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 2 7 9 0
2023 United States WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 2 7 9 2
2024 United States WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 6 4 10 2
Junior totals 15 18 10 28 2
Senior totals 67 30 32 62 8

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
College
Hockey East First Team All-Star 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 [1]
Hockey East All-Rookie Team 2012
Second Team AHCA All-American 2013
New England Player of the Year 2013, 2015
Hockey East Player of the Year 2013, 2015
Hockey East Scoring Champion 2013, 2015 [41]
Patty Kazmaier Award 2015 [1]
First Team AHCA All-American 2015, 2016
Hockey East Three Stars Award 2015
Hockey East All-Tournament Team 2016
Hockey East Tournament MVP 2016
NWHL
All-Star Game 2017 [42]
CWHL
All-Star Game 2019 [43]
ZhHL
Most Valuable Player 2020 [44]
PWHL
First Team All-Star 2024 [45]
International
World U18 Championship – Best Forward 2011, 2012 [46][47]
World Championship – Best Forward 2024 [36]
World Championship – Media All-Star Team 2024

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Alex Carpenter - Women's Hockey". Boston College Athletics. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Pierce, Jessi (September 2010). "Alex Carpenter: Young Carpenter Is Building Quite a Career". USA Hockey Magazine. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  3. ^ Kipouras, Bill (July 22, 2010). "It's Boston College! Peabody's Alex Carpenter makes her decision". Peabody/Lynnfield Weekly News. Archived from the original on July 28, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Souris, Pete (March 8, 2013). "BC's Alex Carpenter Named Athletic Republic Player of the Year". Hockey East. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  5. ^ "Alex Carpenter Wins 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award". The USA Hockey Foundation. March 21, 2015. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "Alex Carpenter Becomes 1st NWHL Draft Pick". Double G Sports. June 23, 2015. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  7. ^ Vaughan, Nathan (April 29, 2016). "What the Alex Carpenter deal means for the Pride". Stanley Cup of Chowder. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  8. ^ "Prospects to Pros: Signing the 2015 NWHL Draft Picks". National Women's Hockey League. August 12, 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  9. ^ Rao, Nicole (February 13, 2017). "NWHL Stars Shine Bright in Pittsburgh". National Women's Hockey League. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Bevis, Hannah (August 2, 2017). "Alex Carpenter registers for the CWHL Draft". The Ice Garden. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  11. ^ "2017 CWHL Draft Tracker". Canadian Women's Hockey League. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Kunlun Adds 2017 Draft Pick, Alex Carpenter". Canadian Women's Hockey League (Press release). January 15, 2018. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  13. ^ Schram, Carol (February 7, 2020). "A Hockey Globetrotter Finds Her Showcase at Home". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Ingemi, Marisa (November 7, 2019). "Alex Carpenter, from Boston College and Boston Pride to China". Boston Herald. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "USA Hockey snub leads Alex Carpenter on Chinese adventure". Associated Press. November 21, 2019. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  16. ^ "Alex Carpenter". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  17. ^ Cornetta (January 27, 2023). "Hockey star Alex Carpenter never stopped going, and her game is better than ever". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  18. ^ "Alex Carpenter, Abby Roque, Micah Zandee-Hart Sign Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) Contracts With New York". Professional Women's Hockey League (Press release). September 8, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  19. ^ @PWHL_NewYork (December 21, 2023). "Meet the first-ever Captains of PWHL New York! 🫡 We are proud to announce defender Micah Zandee-Hart as our Captain and forward Alex Carpenter and defender Ella Shelton as our Alternate Captains!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ Kennedy, Ian (May 16, 2024). "Spooner, Carpenter, Poulin Named Finalists For PWHL's Forward of the Year". The Hockey News. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Kipouras, Bill (September 3, 2009). "Carpenter shines in international hockey competition". The Salem News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  22. ^ "U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team Captures Silver Medal with 5-4 OT Loss to Canada at IIHF World Women's U18 Championship". USA Hockey. April 3, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  23. ^ "Team USA Defeats Canada, 5-2, for Third Gold Medal in Four Years". USA Hockey. January 8, 2011.
  24. ^ "U18 Women Fall to Canada in Gold-Medal Game". USA Hockey. January 7, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  25. ^ Staffieri, Mark (April 4, 2013). "Alex Carpenter Represents Youth Movement for US Women's Hockey Team". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  26. ^ "2013 - IIHF Women's World Championship". USA Hockey. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  27. ^ Oslin, Reid (March 13, 2014). "Alex Carpenter Home from the Olympic Arena". Boston College. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  28. ^ "BC forward Carpenter wins Patty Kazmier Award | NCAA.com". National Collegiate Athletic Association. March 22, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  29. ^ "Player Statistics by Team" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  30. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (April 4, 2015). "Living the American dream". www.worldwomen2015.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  31. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (April 4, 2016). "Pure gold for America". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  32. ^ Wyshynsky, Greg (December 21, 2017). "Report: Surprise cuts by U.S. women's hockey". ESPN. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  33. ^ Schram, Carol (January 29, 2021). "USA's Alex Carpenter And Megan Bozek Chase Another Title In Russia's Women's Hockey League". Forbes. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  34. ^ Zaccardi, Nick (January 24, 2022). "Cut four years ago, Alex Carpenter, Megan Bozek battled back to make Olympic team". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  35. ^ "U.S. women with 13 returnees". IIHF. January 2, 2022. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  36. ^ a b Podnieks, Andrew (April 14, 2024). "Edwards named MVP". IIHF.com. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  37. ^ "It's Governor's for prospect Alex Carpenter". The Daily News of Newburyport. May 4, 2007. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  38. ^ "At least 36 out LGBTQ athletes in Beijing Winter Olympics". Outsports. February 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  39. ^ Lim, Solby (February 17, 2022). "Every Medaling Women's Ice Hockey Team At The Olympics Has Out LGBTQ Representation". GLAAD. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  40. ^ Buzinski, Jim (February 3, 2022). "Out athlete Alex Carpenter's 2 goals spark U.S. women in win". Outsports. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  41. ^ "Hockey East Scoring Champions - Hockey East Association". Hockey East. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  42. ^ "NWHL Stars Shine Bright in Pittsburgh". NWHL. February 13, 2017. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  43. ^ "CWHL Announces Final Round of All-Star Players". CWHL. December 7, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  44. ^ "Alex Carpenter". PWHL Minnesota. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  45. ^ Kennedy, Ian (June 11, 2024). "PWHL Hands Out Year End Awards, Spooner Named MVP". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  46. ^ "IIHF World Womens U18 Championship – Best Players Selected by the Directorate" (PDF). IIHF. January 8, 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  47. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). IIHF. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Patty Kazmaier Award
2015–16 		Succeeded by
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