Arguably the most sought after recruit as a prep, University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey freshman phenom Caitlin Kraemer has officially lived up to the hype as the nation's best rookie. 


Kraemer was named the HCA 2025 Julie Chu Rookie of the Year on Thursday, becoming the first-ever Bulldog to pocket the honor and branding her the best rookie in all of NCAA Division I hockey. The Waterloo, Ontario native led all freshman nationally with 18 goals, two shorthanded tallies -- both rookie-highs in the NCAA, and was second with seven power play goals and four game-winning goals. In all, Kraemer had 13 assists to pair with her 18 goals for 31 points, tying her for the 16th most by a freshman in UMD program history. The center also becomes just the 13th rookie to log 18 or more goals, and is the first freshman since Gabbie Hughes in 2018-19 to clear the 30 point in her first collegiate season as a Bulldog.


Kraemer was third in scoring for UMD this season, and was named UMD's third-ever Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie the Year two weeks ago after posting the ninth-most goals in the WCHA this season. Kraemer ranked third in the WCHA for power play goals and fifth in the NCAA. Three times the WCHA's Rookie of the Month (February, November, September), the rookie center was the WCHA Rookie of the Week a whopping four times. Eight times this season, Kraemer rung up two or more points in a game, including two assists in her first NCAA Tournament game one week ago and her first collegiate hat trick on Nov. 30 against Vermont.


"We are incredibly proud of Caitlin for being named the National Rookie of the Year," said UMD head coach Laura Schuler. "It is an incredible honor that truly reflects her hard work, dedication, and natural talent. Caitlin is not only a standout player but also a student of the game, constantly pushing herself to learn and grow. Her speed, power, skill, and deep understanding of the game set her apart as one of the best in NCAA hockey. Off the ice, Caitlin is an amazing teammate—funny, caring, and always easy to connect with. Our team loves her, and her positive energy and leadership truly make her a joy to be around. This recognition is just the beginning for Caitlin, and we can't wait to see what she accomplishes next!"


Kraemer, who at the time, left Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team its all-time leading scorer, compiled 37 goals in 32 games played for a total of 53 points as a U-18 national team member. She helped Canada's U-18 squads to a bronze medal in the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where she scored a tournament-high 10 goals for a second-consecutive season after leading the tournament in scoring and Canada to a gold medal in the 2023 U18 Canada IIHF World Championship.


The Julie Chu Rookie of the Year is chosen by a vote of the NCAA Division 1 schools' assistant coaches, with one vote per staff. The award is named after the former Harvard University, Bulldog NCAA title winning assistant coach and U.S. Olympic standout, who recorded 93 points as a freshman during the 2003-04 season, en route to a career in which she set an NCAA record with 284 career points. The names on the ballot are each conference's Rookie of the Year. The runner-up for this year's award was University of Connecticut's Claire Murdoch, a freshman forward from Toronto, Ontario.


Winners of the Women's College Hockey Rookie of the Year Award
(Year-Recipient-Institution)

2014 Dani Cameranesi University of Minnesota
2015 Annie Pankowski University of Wisconsin
2016 Sarah Potomak University of Minnesota
2017 Jaycee Gebhard Robert Morris University
2018 Daryl Watts Boston College
2019 Sarah Fillier Princeton University
2020 Hannah Bilka Boston College
2021 Kiara Zanon Penn State University
2022 Peyton Hemp University of Minnesota
2023 Tessa Janecke Penn State University
2024 Joy Dunne Ohio State University
2025 Caitlin Kraemer University of Minnesota Duluth