PWHL rookie Claire Thompson trades stethoscope for hockey stick to resume career

It didn't take long for Claire Thompson's Minnesota Frost teammates to conjure up a nickname for the rookie defenceman with a knack for offensive playmaking and a sharp analytical mind.

"We call her, 'The Human ChatGPT,"' Grace Zumwinkle said, before fellow Frost forward Taylor Heise chimed in.

"We had meetings last night and we're like, 'What's your consensus on what happened? Give us the SparkNotes,"' Heise said, laughing. "She's such a cognitive person. I just feel like she has a lot going on up there."

At 26, Thompson isn't your typical rookie in preparing to make her PWHL debut on Sunday when the defending-champion Frost open their season hosting New York. After spending last year pursuing her medical degree at NYU, the Princeton graduate traded her stethoscope for a hockey stick to resume an already successful playing career.

At Princeton in Newark, N.J., Thompson was fifth on the Tigers career list of blue liners with 87 points (31 goals) in 129 games, while gathering numerous conference accolades for her play and studies. Thompson turned heads at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she helped Canada win gold and finished with two goals and 11 assists to shatter the single-tournament record for points by a defenceman.

Her return to hockey coincides with the Olympic cycle, with Thompson seeking the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 Games in Italy. She was selected third overall by Minnesota in the draft in June, and has since rejoined Team Canada, picking up an assist in three games in the Rivalry Series against the U.S.

"I think always in the back of your mind there are going to be what-ifs going on, and so I was happy to put those all to rest," the Toronto native said of her relatively seamless return.

"I