The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey program signed eight players to its 2026-27 freshman class, announced officially Monday by the Bulldog coaching staff. The class includes three Minnesotans in Alaina and Brooke Gnetz, as well as Lizzy Callahan, two Canadians – Marilou Grenier and Renee Lapointe, two natives of Finland in Tuuli Tallinen and Paulina Salonen and Sweden product Edit Danielsson.
"We are incredibly excited about our 2026 recruiting class," said head coach Laura Schuler about her first full recruiting class as UMD's head coach. "We've always prided ourselves on bringing in the best of the best from around the world, and this group reflects that standard. With three Americans, three Europeans, and two Canadians – including players with international U18 World Championship and senior national team experience – this class brings a high level of talent, maturity, and competitive pedigree to our program."
Hailing from Woodbury, Minn. Alaina Gnetz, a 5-foot-5 forward, was named to the U.S. U-18 Women's National Team set to compete in January in the U-18 IIHF Women's World Championship. Gnetz also represented Team USA in the 2025 Under-18 Series vs. Canada where she had a goal and an assist in three games. A 16/17 USA Hockey National Development Camp invitee in July, Gnetz skated for Woodbury High School the last three seasons and compiling 133 points (80g, 53a) over 80 games. This season, Gnetz joined Centennial High School, where she has already collected five points (3g, 2a) in her first three skates. Last season, Gnetz was named to the Minnesota Star Tribune's All-Minnesota Team.
Brooke Gnetz, a 5-foot-5 defenseman, was also invited to the 16/17 USA Hockey National Development Camp in July and is multi- year USA Development Camp invitee. In her three previous season with Woodbury High School, Brooke accrued 64 points on 17 goals and 47 assists from the blueline. Together, Brooke and Alaina will become UMD's first ever pair of sisters in program history.
Grenier, a 5-foot-7 goaltender from Quebec City, Quebec backstopped Canada to a U-18 Women's World Championship gold medal this past January. Grenier went 4-0 for Canada, and had a 1.00 goals against average to pair with a .936 saves percentage. Grenier was also a bronze medalist with the Canadian women's team at the U18 World Championship in 2024 and silver medalist with the Quebec women's team at the U18 National Championship in November 2023. About to start her second season with the Cégep Limoilou Titans, Grenier was undefeated in the regular season in 15 games for the Titans last season with a 1.67 GAA and .940 saves percentage. In the postseason, she went 5-1-0 with a .949 saves percentage and a 1.17 GAA.
Lapointe, a 5-foot-7 defenseman who will be just 17 years old when she arrives in Duluth next year and arguably the youngest player to wear a Bulldog jersey, is currently playing for the Durham West Junior Lightning of the Ontario Women's Hockey League's Under-22 Elite division where she is in her third season. Currently, she has 14 points (8g, 6a) and a +22 plus/minus rating from the backline in 14 games, and in the 2024-25 season alone, she skated in 67 games and logged 15 goals and 26 assists for 38 points. Lapointe is the daughter of Nathalie Rivard, who won three IIHF Women's World Championship gold medals in the 1990s with Canada and was a national team teammate of UMD head coach Laura Schuler.
Tallinen, a 5-foot-10 defenseman from Kouvola, Finland competed early this month with the Finnish National Team in the Euro Women's Hockey Tour. A three-time member of the U-18 Finnish Women's World Championship Team, Tallinen had five assists in her last U-18 Worlds action in 2024. Currently playing for HPK of the Auroraliiga, Tallinen has seven assists through her first 13 games and is +1.
Salonen, a 5-foot-3 center skated for Team Finland in the Women's Euro Hockey Tour over both the 2024-25 season and 2023-24 and currently in her third season playing for HIFK in the Auroraliiga with 28 points (13g, 15a) in 16 games. Salonen accumulated 34 points in 32 games last season with HIFK (16g, 18a) after compiling 34 (20g, 14) in 30 games in 2023-24.
Danielsson, from Vaxjo, Sweden, is a 5-foot-6 left winger who has skated for Sweden in the past U-18 Women's World Championships. In the 2025 Worlds, Danielsson scored four goals and added two assists for six points in six games. Currently, Danielsson skates for the Frölunda HC where she is teammates with former Bulldog Paula Bergstrom and has five points (2g, 3a) through 16 games. Danielsson was teammates in 2024-25 with both Bergstrom and former Bulldog multiple-year captain Sydney Brodt over their SDHL title winning season. Over that season, Danielsson had15 points (7g, 8a) in 32 games.
Callahan is a 5-foot-9 forward from Eden Prairie, Minn. who currently plays for Mound Westonka High, where she has five goals and two assists for seven points in her first three games this season. As a junior, Callahan recorded 37 points (23g, 14a) in just 27 games, and over her high school career, she has tallied 48 goals and 45 assists for 93 points.
