Claire Butorac (born September 24, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey forward for PWHL Minnesota of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She played college ice hockey at Minnesota State.
| Claire Butorac | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Butorac with PWHL Minnesota in 2024 | |||
| Born |
September 24, 1999 Coon Rapids, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| PWHL team | PWHL Minnesota | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
Early life
editButorac played soccer while growing up. She attended Andover High School in Andover, Minnesota where she was a four-time letter winner in ice hockey and three-time letter winner in lacrosse.[1][2] She was named a Minnesota Ms. Hockey Award semifinalist in 2018.[3]
College career
editButroac began her collegiate career for Minnesota State during the 2018–19 season. During her freshman year, she appeared in all 35 games and recorded two goals and three assists. During the 2019–20 season in her sophomore year, she appeared in all 37 games and recorded eight goals and four assists. She led the team with a 17.4 shot percentage and tied for the team lead with eight goals. During 2020–21 season in her junior year, she appeared in all 20 games and recorded one goal and four assists in a season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2021–22 season in her senior year, she recorded three goals and eight assists in 25 games. During 2022–23 season in her graduate year, she recorded seven goals and 16 assists in 36 games.[1]
Professional career
editOn May 14, 2023, Butroac signed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).[4] The PHF ceased operations on June 29, 2023, as a result she never played a game for the Whitecaps.[5]
On November 30, 2023, Butorac signed a one-year contract with PWHL Minnesota.[6][7] During the 2023–24 season, she recorded one goal and two assists in 21 regular season games. Due to an injury to Taylor Heise, Butorac played on the first line along with Kendall Coyne Schofield and Kelly Pannek in February 2024.[8] During the Walter Cup playoffs she recorded one goal and two assists in ten games and helped Minnesota win the inaugural Walter Cup.[9][10] During game four of the semifinals against PWHL Toronto, she scored the game-winning goal in double-overtime to force a decisive game five.[11][12]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2018–19 | Minnesota State University | WCHA | 35 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Minnesota State University | WCHA | 37 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Minnesota State University | WCHA | 20 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Minnesota State University | WCHA | 25 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Minnesota State University | WCHA | 36 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | PWHL Minnesota | PWHL | 21 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| PWHL totals | 21 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||||
References
edit- ^ a b "Claire Butorac". msumavericks.com. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Buelow, Kole (March 16, 2023). "Senior spotlight: Claire Butorac". The Reporter. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "2018 Top Ten Ms Hockey Semifinalists Announced". mghca.com. February 1, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Kennedy, Ian (May 14, 2023). "Whitecaps Sign Minnesota State Captain Claire Butorac". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Salvian, Hailey (June 30, 2023). "What we know about the PHF shutdown, and more on the new pro women's hockey league". The Athletic. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Signing Summary (Live Tracker)". ThePWHL.com. Professional Women's Hockey League. December 17, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Shircliff, Elaine (November 25, 2023). "2023 PWHL Minnesota Player Signing Tracker". fullpresshockey.com. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Wauthy, Alex (February 17, 2024). "Jaques Looking Comfortable, Butorac Steps Up For Minnesota". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Blount, Rachel (May 29, 2024). "PWHL Minnesota lifts Walter Cup as league's first champion with Game 5 win over Boston". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Salvian, Hailey (May 29, 2024). "PWHL Minnesota wins first-ever Walter Cup championship". The Athletic. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Wauthy, Alex (May 16, 2024). "Double OT Goal For Minnesota Forces Deciding Game Five". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "Butorac's goal in second overtime gives Minnesota win over Toronto to force Game 5". TSN.ca. TSN. May 16, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com