A Non-Traditional Path to the PWHL has Paid Off for Izzy Daniel
Toronto Sceptres rookie forward Izzy Daniel has had a great start to her season, with one goal in three games and already being ranked among the top PWHL rookies.
This accomplishment means something different to Daniel, whose career timeline looked different than many of the top players coming into the PWHL.
“I started playing hockey when I was a little older than most people," Daniel said.
Daniel began playing ice hockey at eight years old. She was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the sport was not common in her family.
“My dad actually put me in ‘mini mites’, which is for five year olds, with my brother, who was five at the time,” she said.
Daniel said no one else in her family had played hockey prior to her and her brother starting. She liked the sport, but said it was a “weird start." Despite this as she grew up and kept playing, and soon she began to like the game.
She didn’t expect her hockey career to go anywhere or think of going to camps as a goal for herself. Daniel didn’t play for a U-18 national team or attend any training camps. However in 2019 when she committed to Cornell University to play ice hockey, her mindset started to change.
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“As I got older, when I wasn't making those teams or wasn't getting invited, I [decided I] wanted to prove them wrong,” she said.
Daniel did prove them wrong. Over four seasons at Cornell she scored 51 goals, had 107 assists and played 125 games. She was named the NCAA's top player last season winning the Patty Kazmaier Award.
She said her time at Cornell was the ‘best decision she made’. Daniel credits her ability to move to the next level to her coach, Doug Derraugh, and the rest of the coaching staff as well.
“They instilled a lot of confidence in me, especially my senior year, that maybe I could make it up the next level,” she said.
The 23-year-old was selected by the Toronto Sceptres in the third round of the 2024 PWHL Draft. She was pick number 18, and the team signed her to a two year contract.
Daniel played all three games for the Sceptres, and has adjusted to the new level of play.
She said, “On the ice, everyone's just so good, right? You can't get away with holding the puck too long, or can't skate yourself out of certain situations,” she continued, “also just in practice, getting a go against some of the best players in the world is honestly amazing”.
