Selma Luggin could be the next big name in international women's hockey between the pipes. She's been spectacular for Austria.
At the 2023 World Championships in Brampton, Ontario, young goaltenders stole the show. Emma Soderberg (Sweden), Sandra Abstreiter (Germany), Andrea Brandli (Switzerland), and Blanka Skodova (Czechia) all started for their nations and made an impact.
In other international divisions, it's much of the same with netminders like Ena Nystrom (Norway), Pia Dukaric (Slovenia), and Tia Chan (China) have all made an impact in IIHF competition.
Now, it's time to add Selma Luggin to that list. Austria's netminder has been spectacular at the 2023 D1A World Championships in Szenzhen, China, and were it not for an injury last season, might already be a netminder the world is talking about.
Luggin, 20, is a big netminder at five-foot-ten, but also has athleticism that allows her to quickly span the crease. The key to Luggin's game however, is her calm demeanour in the crease, rebound control, and ability to track pucks.
She opened the 2023 D1A World Championship lifting Austria to 4-0 and 1-0 shutouts, stopping all 59 shots she faced.
Luggin was the 2020 Best Goalie at the D1B World Championships, and in 2021-2022 led the EWHL playing against older pros with a 1.17 GAA and.952 save percentage.
Last season, a injury shortened campaign, Luggin was spectacular for Djurgardens in the SDHL posting a 1.61 GAA and .932 save percentage in eight regular season games before also appearing in five postseason contests. This season, she'll play for Linkoping in the SDHL.