Ava Boutilier (born November 16, 1999) is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender, currently playing for the New Hampshire Wildcats in the NCAA.

Ava Boutilier
Born (1999-11-16) November 16, 1999 (age 24)
Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
Height 165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Position Goaltender
NCAA team New Hampshire Wildcats
Playing career 2017–present

Career

edit

Boutilier originally began playing hockey as a defender in the Charlottetown Minor Hockey Association, but quickly got asked to switch to goaltender after her team's goalie got injured.[1] At the bantam AAA level, she played on the Charlottetown Abbies boys' team, winning a provincial title in 2014 and being named Hockey PEI Female Player of the Year in 2014.[2] In 2015, she was named one of the top-six Canadian goalies under the age of 18.[3]

In 2017, she moved to the United States to attend the University of New Hampshire, serving as the starting goaltender for the university's women's ice hockey programme.[4][5] She was forced to miss most of the 2018–19 season after suffering a shoulder injury.[6] She finished the 2019–20 season with the third highest save percentage of all Hockey East goalies, being named Hockey East Defender of the Week four times.[7] She was named Wildcats captain ahead of the 2020–21 season.[8][9]

Personal life

edit

At the University of New Hampshire, she served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2020–21, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023. She previously graduated from Colonel Gray High School in Charlottetown. She currently attends Queen's University School of Medicine pursuing her MD. [10]

References

edit
  1. ^ Malloy, Jason. "Charlottetown native Ava Boutilier fell into hockey and loved it". The Chronicle Herald.
  2. ^ "Ava Boutilier".
  3. ^ "Ava Boutilier, P.E.I. teen goalie, named to top 6 in Canada". CBC News. July 17, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  4. ^ Malloy, Jason. "Charlottetown goalie Ava Boutilier verbally commits to New Hampshire". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "Student athletes feeling uncertain about leaving P.E.I. to head back to U.S." CBC News. July 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  6. ^ Malloy, Jason. "Ava Boutilier shining in return to ice after shoulder surgery cost her the 2018-19 season". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Crimmins, Sean (March 24, 2020). "Women's hockey player of the year: Ava Boutilier". The New Hampshire.
  8. ^ Malloy, Jason. "Goalie Ava Boutilier voted captain by her University of New Hampshire teammates". Cape Breton Post.
  9. ^ "P.E.I. hockey player encourages others to 'take a knee' against racial injustice". CBC News. January 2, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  10. ^ "Ava Boutilier - 2020-21 - Women's Ice Hockey". University of New Hampshire Athletics.
edit