USA Hockey Magazine

U S A H O C K E Y N E W S , P E O P L E & P R O G R A M S APRIL 2026 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 5 amazing human being and an amazing player," Harvey said. Harvey finished fourth in the nation with 64 points, a total that far surpassed every other defender—the next closest blueliner recorded 39 points. She tallied 48 assists this season, second behind teammate Lacey Eden, who played eight more games than Harvey. A stalwart on Wisconsin's special teams, Harvey led the Badgers to the top power play in the country and the second-best penalty kill. Despite all her accomplishments, par- ticularly in the past few months, if you asked Harvey, she'd be able to name several aspects of her game she's currently working on and even more that she wants to work on in the future. "I have a mindset of just never being com- placent," she said. "I'm always striving every single day—whether it's practice, workout, extra conditioning in the shooting room with my teammates —to just try to get that little bit better. To fine tune the game and fine tune my craft." That attention to detail and willingness to constantly work on her game makes Harvey one of the best to ever play her position. Wisconsin assistant coach Dan Koch said Harvey's commitment to putting in extra work before and after practices takes a lot of mental energy, but she handles the balance well. "She's out on the rink in the mornings before practice, working on just the basic, simple stuff," Koch said. "She's the best skat- er in the country, probably one of the fastest players in the country, and that's because she'll spend 20-30 minutes just working on those skill things." This year Harvey and teammate Kirsten Simms have worked with each other to improve their skating. Harvey said she has improved her lateral movement thanks to Simms' knowledge of edge work. And Simms has worked to be more explosive and take better first strides thanks to work with Harvey. Despite being in the same class, Simms said she's always looked up to Harvey, who acted like a veteran from the moment she stepped on campus in Madison. "I want to be on the ice with her all the time, doing extra work, doing extra skills," Simms said. "Those are habits she's had since before she was in high school. You don't find that very often, and that's how you become great. That's how she has become great. And she only continues to get bet- ter. She never lets her foot off the gas. She always wants to learn new things and con- tinue to grow in her game." Johnson said that of all the ways Harvey has worked and trained and improved, the one thing he's most impressed with and proud of is how she has developed and matured as a person. That's important to Harvey, who said after the national championship game that she hopes her legacy with fans goes beyond wins and losses. "It's not about what you do on the ice. It's the person you are and how you carry your- self, so I hope I've touched people in that aspect and people remember me for that," Harvey said. P PHOTOS BY Getty Images; University of Wisconsin VIDEO: Wisconsin wins 2026 National Title VIDEO: 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Show It's not about what you do on the ice. It's the person you are and how you carry yourself, so I hope I've touched people in that aspect and people remember me for that." Laila Edwards and Caroline Harvey helped the U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team win gold in Milan.

• Cover