Minnesota-Duluth is a program with a long history of winning, and a growing list of professional and international alumni. This year, the team again boasts an impressive group of players players like Eve Gascon, Caitlin Kraemer, Thea Johansson, Tova Henderson, and captain MaryKate O'Brien. O'Brien, is coming off a summer representing USA's Collegiate Select team in a three-game series win over Canada's national development team, is honored to be wearing the "C" for the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs this season. "I'm just so grateful and so excited to be here and to be in a leadership position for this great program is an honor," said O'Brien. Last season Nina Jobst-Smith (Vancouver) and Clara Van Wieren (Toronto) who will play in the PWHL this season shared the captaincy. The season before that it was Ottawa Charge forward Mannon McMahon, preceded by Gabbie Hughes (Ottawa Charge) and Ashton Bell (PWHL Vancouver) drawing a long line of leaders during O'Brien's tenure at Minnesota-Duluth. "Just so grateful to be back, I've been able to play with and learn from so many great leaders during my time here whether it was coaching staff, other captains, upperclassman," said O'Brien. MaryKate O'Brien discusses the opportunity to serve as Minnesota-Duluth's captain "To be able to take pieces from the great leaders in my life, and to be able to kind of touch my teammates in that way with bringing my own flare to it has been a great opportunity. Entering the third year of the PWHL's existence, Minnesota-Duluth already has 20 alumni in or entering the league. It's an accomplished group including Walter Cup champions Maddie Rooney and Michela Cava, and past and present national team standouts such as Katerina Mrazova, Bell, Jocelyne Larocque, and Hughes. Last year, Minnesota-Duluth added another group through the 2025 PWHL Draft including Nina Jobst-Smith, Olivia Mobley, Olivia Wallin, Clara Van Wieren, and Hanna Baskin. O'Brien, nicknamed "MK," will look to join this legacy as the fifth year forward, who hails from Wilbraham, Massachusetts is a prospect for the stacked 2026 PWHL Draft. Watching her offensive totals grow in each season of her NCAA career, O'Brien is poised for a big season ahead.
