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Kelsey Koelzer ’17

Kelsey Koelzer '17

Kelsey Koelzer has had a passion for hockey since the age of 4. She was involved in local youth organizations near Philadelphia, first playing boy’s hockey with the Warwick Wildcats, followed by girls’ hockey with the Lady Patriots and New Jersey Rockets.

At Princeton, she was a varsity Division 1 hockey player while earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology. Captain her senior year, she was Princeton’s first-ever women’s hockey first team All-American, two-time Patty Kazmaier Top-10 finalist, 2015-2016 Ivy League Player of the Year, and four-time All-Academic Award winner.

Kelsey became the first African-American hockey player drafted first overall in any North American professional hockey league. As a defender for the Metropolitan Riveters, she became an Isobel Cup Champion in 2018 and earned the National Women’s Hockey League All Star game most valuable player.

She began her corporate career in executive recruiting. She will be Arcadia University’s first head women’s ice hockey coach and plans to build a Division 3 program at Arcadia with the first official season of play in 2021-2022.

Events

Sports and Racial Discourse in America Today

Saturday, October 5

What role does professional sport play in racial discourse, and what responsibility do athletes and spectators have in this discussion? How did being an athlete at Princeton help the panelists Thrive and shape who they are today?

Moderator:
Craig Robinson ’83, Vice President of Player Development, New York Knicks and General Manager, Westchester Knicks

Panelists:
David L. Foster ’01, Deputy General Counsel, National Basketball Players Association
Brook F.P. Gardiner ’99, Vice President, Labor Relations NBC Universal Media LLC
Kelsey Koelzer ’17, Head Women’s Ice Hockey Coach, Arcadia University
Maya Lawrence ’02, Product Marketing Manager, Smart AdServer