Hockey people like to talk about 200 foot players. They want forwards who hustle back on defense and blueliners that get involved on offense. But rarely do we come across a player that is as effective on one end of the ice as the other. Offensive-minded defenders tend to get caught up and beat in transition. Stay-at-home defenders are not known for their wicked wrister from the faceoff dot.
When Nadine Muzerall recruited Sophie Jaques to Ohio State, the expectation was not that she would light the lamp. She was meant to stop pucks from reaching her own net. A smart and skilled defender, Jaques was brough to Columbus to be strong and steady in front of the goaltender. In her three previous seasons as a Buckeye, she scored just 16 goals and put up 49 points combined.
That’s what makes what Jaques has accomplished this season so unbelievably impressive and it’s why we have named her our 2022 Player of the Year.
The Toronto, Ontario native ended the season tied for third-most points in the country, with 59, and third-most assists, with 38. She was second in the nation with 11 power play goals and had 11 more points than the next closest defender. She led the Buckeyes to a national championship while leading the team in points and assists, as well as shots on goal (211) and blocks (44).
It was a true breakout season in which Jaques made a massive impact on the team’s offense while still anchoring the defense.
By the time Ohio State played in the national championship game in mid-March, there was no one in women’s DI college hockey that didn’t know what she was capable of. Yet somehow, even in the title game; even after scoring twice from virtually the same position to tie and then win the WCHA tournament championship game and then scoring again from that position in the Buckeyes’ NCAA quarterfinal win over Quinnipiac; even then, if you watch the national championship game (in which the Buckeyes played an opponent well familiar with their style play) you’ll see Jaques sneaking up to the top of the right faceoff circle over and over again.
The move didn’t pay off directly in the Frozen Four – meaning Jaques didn’t tally any points. But that versatility in Jaques’ game means that in addition to providing seemingly effortless shut-down defense and unleashing a powerful shot from the point, Jaques consistently shrinks the zone, putting more pressure on the opponents’ defense while allowing the Buckeyes to execute quick passes and sharp shots from close range. It also puts Jaques in a position to get rebounds or clear attempts right to her stick. And then she just doesn’t miss.
Time and time again, Jaques starts her teams’ zone entry at the blue line before quietly floating closer and closer until she’s occupying space that’s nearly always left open, between the opponents surrounding the goal mouth and the ones patrolling the point. That opponent video study would show that she does this over and over and over again and Jaques still found open space in the National Championship game is a testament to her vision on the ice.
It’s that ability to be the most recognizable threat on the ice and still take her opponents by surprise that makes Jaques special.
“When she’s on the ice, we score,” Muzerall told USA Hockey. “When she’s on the ice, the other team does not score.”
Generally when defenders get awarded, it’s because of the numbers they put up on offense, which seems counterintuitive. And Jaques did have the best offensive year from a blueliner in more than 15 years. But she is also an incredible defender who never seems to get flustered or make the wrong play. She’s calm and clinical, shutting down passing lanes, bodying opponents off the puck and ensuring that teams don’t get multiple opportunities in the Buckeye defensive zone.
That cool collectedness has come in handy on the other end of the ice, as well. Coming up big in the clutch, Jaques had five game-winning goals and scored the tying and winning goals in the 3-2 overtime victory over Minnesota in the WCHA championship game.
She was named WCHA Defender of the Year after winning four of the league’s five Defender of the Month awards and eight Defender of the Week nods throughout the 2021-22 conference campaign. She was the third Ohio State player to be named an AHCA First Team All-American and the first to named a Patty Kazmaier Award top-3 Finalist.
Jaques scored the most single-season points by a Buckeye defender in program history and is tied for the most points in a single season by any Ohio State player. Her season point total is the second-most recorded in 20 years by a true defender in Division I women’s collegiate hockey.
“When we want the puck on somebody’s stick in moments like that, it’s Sophie Jaques. We’ve designed our power play around her,” Muzerall said. “Usually, that comes from your forwards, not from your defenders.”
Breakout does not begin to describe the magnitude of impact Jaques’ transition to offensive powerhouse in addition to stalwart defender had on her team. She had a season unlike any other.
For all those reasons and more, we congratulate Ohio State senior defender Sophie Jaques on being named USCHO’s Player of the Year.
