The WCHA has unveiled the recipients of the league’s major individual award winners for the 2024-25 season ahead of crowning the postseason champion this weekend at the 2025 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff.
2024-25 WCHA Individual Award Winners
Coach of the Year – Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
Player of the Year – Casey O’Brien, Wisconsin
Outstanding Student-Athlete Award – Clara Van Wieren, Minnesota Duluth
Rookie of the Year – Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth
Goaltender of the Year – Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth
Forward of the Year – Casey O’Brien, Wisconsin
Defender of the Year – Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
2024-25 WCHA Player of the Year & Forward of the Year
Casey O’Brien, F, Fifth Yr., Wisconsin
Overall Statistics: 36 games, 24 goals, 55 assists, 79 points, 4 PPG, 2 SHG, 4 GWG
League Statistics: 28 games, 17 goals, 35 assists, 52 points, 3 PPG, 1 SHG, 2 GWG
Highlights: Along with winning both the WCHA Player and Forward of the Year honors, Wisconsin’s Casey O’Brien was named the WCHA Scoring Champion after leading the league with 52 points in conference contests. The Wisconsin forward was named the HCA National Co-Player of the Month, along with teammate Caroline Harvey, for her efforts in September and October. O’Brien was named the WCHA Forward of the Month in both September and October and earned three WCHA Forward of the Week honors during the season. This marks the second straight season that Wisconsin has won both the Player and Forward of the Year honors after Kirsten Simms won both awards last season. Among her other accomplishments this season, O’Brien also became the Wisconsin program-record holder in career points on March 1 against Bemidji State as she finished the game with 265 career points, surpassing Hilary Knight’s (2007-12) previous record of 262 career points.
2024-25 WCHA Defender of the Year
Caroline Harvey, D, Jr, Wisconsin
Overall Statistics: 36 games, 15 goals, 40 assists, 55 points, 6 PPG, 1 GWG, 47 BLK
League Statistics: 28 games, 10 goals, 26 assists, 36 points, 4 PPG, 1 GWG, 38 BLK
Highlights: For the second straight season, Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey was named the WCHA Defender of the Year. Harvey led all WCHA defenders in league play in total points with 36 and ranked seventh among all skaters. The Wisconsin blueliner was named the WCHA Defender of the Week six times during the season, the most of any league defender. Harvey also claimed three WCHA Forward of the Month honors and was named the HCA Co-Player of the Month, along with O’Brien, for her performance during September and October.
2024-25 WCHA Goaltender of the Year
Ève Gascon, G, So., Minnesota Duluth
Overall Statistics: 27 games, 1623:16 minutes, 1.85 GAA, 826 saves, .943 save %, 14 wins, 4 shutouts
League Statistics: 21 games, 1266:12 minutes, 1.90 GAA, 666 saves, .943 save %, 9 wins, 3 shutouts
Highlights: After being named the All-WCHA First Team goaltender, Minnesota Duluth’s Ève Gascon was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Year. Gascon was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Week three times this season and earned the WCHA Goaltender of the Month honor in September and December. The sophomore netminder was also named a semifinalist for the Women’s Hockey Goalie of the Year Award, which was created in 2021 to recognize the top female goalie in NCAA Division I hockey.
2024-25 WCHA Rookie of the Year
Caitlin Kraemer, F, Minnesota Duluth
Overall Statistics: 36 games, 18 goals, 11 assists, 29 points, 7 PPG, 2 SHG, 4 GWG
League Statistics: 28 games, 11 goals, 6 assists, 17 points, 5 PPG, 1 SHG, 3 GWG
Highlights: Minnesota Duluth’s Caitlin Kraemer was named the 2024-25 WCHA Rookie of the Year. The Waterloo, Ontario native claimed the most WCHA Forward of the Month Honors (3) and WCHA Defender of the Week awards (4) of any rookie in the league this season. The rookie forward totaled 17 points in 28 league games with her 11 goals and six assists. During league games, Kraemer recorded three game-winning goals, marking the most of any Bulldog. Kraemer was also a member of this year’s WCHA All-Rookie Team.
2024-25 WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year
Clara Van Wieren, F, Gr., Minnesota Duluth (Okemos, Mich.)
Overall Statistics: 36 games, 16 goals, 21 assists, 37 points, 2 PPG, 5 GWG
League Statistics: 28 games, 9 goals, 16 assists, 25 points, 2 PPG, 2 GWG
Highlights: For the second straight season, Minnesota Duluth’s Clara Van Wieren was named the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year. The Bulldog forward is now a graduate student in the Master of Professionals Studies Program at Minnesota Duluth. Van Wieren has maintained a 4.00 GPA over her entire collegiate career in the classroom and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in both Political Science and Philosophy. On the ice, Van Wieren recorded 25 points in league games for the Bulldogs, which ranked second on the team as she earned All-WCHA Third Team honors. The Okemos, Michigan native is the Co-President of the Bulldog Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and co-president of UMD’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, was named a 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Nominee, and has been a part of several other organizations off the ice.
2024-25 WCHA Coach of the Year
Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
Overall Record: 33-1-2
WCHA Record: 25-1-2
Highlights: Johnson, the winningest coach in Division I women’s hockey history, coached the Badgers to their 10th regular season title in program history as Wisconsin posted a 25-1-2 record in league play and currently hold a 33-1-2 record leading into the Final Faceoff weekend. The Badgers have now held the top spot in the USCHO.com poll for the past 21 straight weeks as Johnson has claimed his 10th WCHA Coach of the Year honor in league history.
