The Ohio State Buckeyes will watch three veteran defenders turn pro, but the program has found a pair of recruits through the NCAA transfer portal who both bring U-18 national team experience to OSU's blueline.
The Ohio State Buckeyes got back to the NCAA national championship final, but for the second straight season they couldn't get it done. Next year, the Buckeyes are returning yet another very strong roster for 2026-27, one that will be an early favorite to return to the NCAA Frozen Four.
If there's one area however, that the Buckeyes could look at with concern, it was their blueline which is losing Emma Peschel, Sara Swiderski, and Brooke Disher who are all set to turn pro with PWHL hopes next season.
Ohio State addressed a significant portion of that loss in the opening days of the NCAA's transfer period. Ohio State announced the commitments of players Ellah Hause and Sydney Sawyer, a pair of defenders with U-18 national team experience.
Hause, 20, recently finished her junior season at St. Thomas recording a career best 16 points in 36 games. The Forest Lake, Minnesota product represented USA at the U-18 World Championships in 2023 while she was playing for Hill Murray School.
Sawyer, 18, recently finished her rookie NCAA season at Colgate. Sawyer won gold with Canada at the 2025 U-18 World Championships scoring eight points in six games. This season she recoded four assists in 36 games with Colgate.
The veteran duo will join Ohio State's existing blueline group of returnees including a top pairing in Mira Jungaker and Jenna Raunio, as well as Maria Roth, Leah Wicks, and Grace McCoshen.
Ohio State is also anxiously awaiting the arrival of incoming recruit Kate Viel. Viel was a backbone of Canada's U-18 national team winning gold in 2025 and silver this season in 2026. At the club level, Viel plays junior hockey for the Nepean Wildcats of the OWHL.