Czech Republic's Kristyna Kaltounkova #8 prepares for a faceoff against team Switzerland in preliminary round action at the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship at Ice Rink Vlado Dzurilla - Hall 2 on December 26, 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Chris Tanouye
It’s been a busy, yet rewarding, start to spring for Kristýna Kaltounková.
The 22-year-old forward was named among the top 10 finalists for the prestigious 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. The award has been presented annually by the USA Hockey Foundation since 1998 to the top player in NCAA Division 1 women’s hockey.
Kaltounková, known as Kalty to teammates, is the first nominee ever from Czechia.
“It is such a great honor to be the first player from Czech to be named to the top 10 Patty Kazmaier list,” says Kaltounková from Colgate University in New York, where she is completing her fifth season in the hockey program. “However, it is also about the Czech players who came before me, who I have looked up to as I move through my hockey career. I am very grateful to have my name on the list alongside some of the current best women’s hockey NCAA athletes.”
On 12 March, the NCAA announced the top three finalists (Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, Casey O’Brien) and, though Kaltounková wasn’t among the three, her accomplishment to crack the top 10 is a big deal.
The Kazmaier top-10 honour may be just the start of what could be a whirlwind couple of weeks for Kaltounková. Her Colgate Raiders are set to face the Minnesota Gophers on March 15 in an NCAA regional final, with the winner moving onto the 2025 Women’s Frozen Four in Minneapolis. It is at that tournament, on March 22, when the Kazmaier winner will be announced.
Kaltounková would love nothing more than to be in Minneapolis at that time as a competitor, which would mean her Colgate team is still in the running for a national college title.
She credits her teammates and Colgate family for pushing her to continuous improvement during her college career.
“Throughout my five years at Colgate, I have constantly focused on improving my overall skill set and fine tuning my game. Whether it is my shot, speed or faceoffs, I have tried to improve these details in my game to help me perform better,” she says. “I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of this without my family, my teammates, and my coaches. Everyone’s unconditional support and the help and guidance from those around me make this journey so amazing. I am very grateful for the recognition and I always aim to represent my country and the Colgate program in the best way possible.”
And, yet, there is more that Kaltounková is playing for this spring. She is currently in a battle to make Czechia’s national women’s team that will compete at the 2025 IIHF World Women’s Championship from April 9-20. She is trying to return to the team after two years off the roster. And what a time it would be to crack that squad as Czechia will be the host team at this year’s worlds, as Czechia will take centre stage as a first-time host of the best women’s hockey tournament of the year.
Since 1990, seven nations (Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States) have hosted women’s worlds and Czechia will become the eighth in April. If the country’s history with men’s worlds is any indication (tournament records were set when Czechia played host to men’s worlds in 2004, 2015 and 2024), then the hockey world is in for a treat with packed arenas and passionate fans for the women’s event to be held in Ceske Budejovice.
Kaltounková is hoping this is a March to remember, from the Patty Kazmaier nod to competing for a national title and, of course, representing her country on the international stage.
Here is a list of the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award finalists, with school and home country:
The 22-year-old forward was named among the top 10 finalists for the prestigious 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. The award has been presented annually by the USA Hockey Foundation since 1998 to the top player in NCAA Division 1 women’s hockey.
Kaltounková, known as Kalty to teammates, is the first nominee ever from Czechia.
“It is such a great honor to be the first player from Czech to be named to the top 10 Patty Kazmaier list,” says Kaltounková from Colgate University in New York, where she is completing her fifth season in the hockey program. “However, it is also about the Czech players who came before me, who I have looked up to as I move through my hockey career. I am very grateful to have my name on the list alongside some of the current best women’s hockey NCAA athletes.”
On 12 March, the NCAA announced the top three finalists (Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, Casey O’Brien) and, though Kaltounková wasn’t among the three, her accomplishment to crack the top 10 is a big deal.
The Kazmaier top-10 honour may be just the start of what could be a whirlwind couple of weeks for Kaltounková. Her Colgate Raiders are set to face the Minnesota Gophers on March 15 in an NCAA regional final, with the winner moving onto the 2025 Women’s Frozen Four in Minneapolis. It is at that tournament, on March 22, when the Kazmaier winner will be announced.
Kaltounková would love nothing more than to be in Minneapolis at that time as a competitor, which would mean her Colgate team is still in the running for a national college title.
She credits her teammates and Colgate family for pushing her to continuous improvement during her college career.
“Throughout my five years at Colgate, I have constantly focused on improving my overall skill set and fine tuning my game. Whether it is my shot, speed or faceoffs, I have tried to improve these details in my game to help me perform better,” she says. “I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of this without my family, my teammates, and my coaches. Everyone’s unconditional support and the help and guidance from those around me make this journey so amazing. I am very grateful for the recognition and I always aim to represent my country and the Colgate program in the best way possible.”
And, yet, there is more that Kaltounková is playing for this spring. She is currently in a battle to make Czechia’s national women’s team that will compete at the 2025 IIHF World Women’s Championship from April 9-20. She is trying to return to the team after two years off the roster. And what a time it would be to crack that squad as Czechia will be the host team at this year’s worlds, as Czechia will take centre stage as a first-time host of the best women’s hockey tournament of the year.
Since 1990, seven nations (Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States) have hosted women’s worlds and Czechia will become the eighth in April. If the country’s history with men’s worlds is any indication (tournament records were set when Czechia played host to men’s worlds in 2004, 2015 and 2024), then the hockey world is in for a treat with packed arenas and passionate fans for the women’s event to be held in Ceske Budejovice.
Kaltounková is hoping this is a March to remember, from the Patty Kazmaier nod to competing for a national title and, of course, representing her country on the international stage.
Here is a list of the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award finalists, with school and home country:
- Joy Dunne, Ohio State University (United States)
- Laila Edwards, University of Wisconsin (United States)
- Caroline Harvey, University of Wisconsin (United States)
- Tessa Janecke, Penn State University (United States)
- Kristýna Kaltounková, Colgate University (Czechia)
- Abbey Murphy, University of Minnesota (United States)
- Casey O’Brien, University of Wisconsin (United States)
- Kirsten Simms, University of Wisconsin (United States)
- Haley Winn, Clarkson University (United States)
- Issy Wunder, Princeton University (Canada)