Two-time All-American University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey defenseman Jocelyne Larocque was named to her fourth Canadian Olympic Team Friday, the eighth player in Bulldog history to be named to four different Olympic Teams, and just the second-ever UMD player to wear the Olympic Maple Leaf in four different Olympics.

 

Currently a captain for the Ottawa Charge of the PWHL, the native of Ste. Anne, Manitoba owns one of the most storied careers in program history. Still UMD's all-time scoring defenseman with 105 points over 127 games, Larocque's 56 career assists is also a Bulldog record from the blueline.  The offensive defenseman recorded 26 points as a rookie in 2007-08, including 22 assists, and was a big part of UMD's 2008 NCAA title 4-0 shutout win over the University of Wisconsin at the DECC. The Bulldogs were also 2008 WCHA Tournament and Regular Season champions, and Larocque was named an 2007-08 All-WCHA Third Team selection, as well as a 2007-08 All-WCHA Rookie Team member. 

Larocque rolled up 2009 All-American First Team honors – the first defenseman in UMD history to earn a first team nod –  after her 37 points (and UMD single season defenseman mark for 33 assists). A 2008-09 All-WCHA First Team selection, Larocque helped UMD back to its third-straight NCAA Frozen Four after she was named to the 2009 WCHA All-Tournament Team. 

But Larocque's most impressive season of her career earned her no accolades – in fact the then junior in 2009-10 only skated in 19 games for the Bulldogs and wasn't eligible for any postseason awards. The reason? Larocque was centralized with the Canadian Olympic Team into December, and after the defenseman was the last player cut from the team, Larocque rejoined the Bulldogs mid season, forfeiting a redshirt that would have allowed her another full season of collegiate eligibility. The result was better than any individual award Larcoque could have won – UMD made its fourth-straight Frozen Four and won its second NCAA title in two years, defeating Cornell University in triple-overtime at Ridder Arena on March 21, 2010.

The following season Larocque earned 2011 First Team All-American status, and was the first defenseman in UMD history to be named the 2011 WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. Not only was Larocque named the league's best defenseman, she was named the 2011 WCHA Student Athlete of the Year, as well as an All-WCHA First Team selection.

The former UMD captain has made the Canada's Olympic Team – four times as of Friday –  including two Olympic gold medals in 2014 and 2002 and a silver in 2018. Larocque has been a part of 11 Canadian IIHF World Championship teams, including three gold medals (2012, 2021 and 2022), and was drafted No. 2 overall in the first-ever PWHL draft by Toronto in 2023.



Another four-time Canadian Olympian -- UMD's other four-time Canadian Olympian -- and four-time Olympic gold medalist will serve as an assistant coach for the Canadian Olympic Team.

A native of Montreal, Ouellette was already an Olympic gold medalist for Canada when she joined the UMD program in the fall of 2002. A top-3 Patty Kazmaier finalist in 2005 after being named a top-10 finalist in 2004, Ouellette was a two-time First Team All-American in both 2004 and 2005. After helping lead UMD to a national title in the 2003 NCAA championship double-overtime thriller, Ouellete was named the NCAA Frozen Four's Most Valuable Player after recording the first goal in the championship game and then putting up a goal and two assists in the Bulldogs 5-2 semifinal win over Dartmouth.

The program's third all-time leading scorer despite playing in just 97 games, Ouellete scored 92 goals and dished out 137 assists for 229 points in her three-year career -- an impressive 2.36 points per game average over the course of her time in Duluth. Ouellette remains UMD's second all-time assist leader, while still ranked fifth in goals. A three-time All-WCHA selection, Ouellette was a two-time First Team selection (2002-03, 2004-05 and a Second Team selection in 2003-04. Even more impressive, while Ouellette was brilliant on the ice, she held herself to the same standards in the classroom and was named the WCHA's Student Athlete of the Year in 2004-06.



The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Milan and Cortina, Italy from February 6-22, marking the first time two cities will co-host the Winter Games. Events will be spread across northern Italy, with Milan focusing on ice sports like figure skating and hockey, and Cortina and nearby valleys hosting mountain events.