Skylar Fontaine (born June 8, 1998) is an American ice hockey defender. She has played with the ZSC Lions Frauen of the Swiss Women's League (SWHL A/PFWL) since 2022.[1]

Skylar Fontaine
Born (1998-06-08) June 8, 1998 (age 26)
East Greenwich, Rhode Island, US
Height 163 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
SWHL A team
Former teams
ZSC Lions Frauen
Northeastern Huskies
Playing career 2017–present

Playing career

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Fontaine began skating at the age of two.[2] She played three seasons with the boys' ice hockey team of East Greenwich High School in the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, during which she ranked among the Avengers' leading scorers.[3][4] In her senior year of high school, she played with Belle Tire U19 in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL).

Fontaine committed to playing with the Northeastern Huskies women's ice hockey program as a high school sophomore and she joined the team as an incoming freshman in 2017.[5] She scored 14 points in 38 games in her as an NCAA Division I rookie in the 2017–18 season, winning a Hockey East (HEA/WHEA) championship with the Huskies. She then improved to 36 points in 38 games in her second collegiate year, being named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team for the first time. In the 2019–20 season, she notched 42 points in 38 games, leading all Hockey East defenders in scoring and ranking second in the entire NCAA Division I.[6] That year, she was named Hockey East Defender of the Year, the first Northeastern player to ever win that award.[7]

Style of play

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Fontaine has been described as an offensive defender, with strong skating skills and good instincts.[8][9]

Personal life

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Fontaine graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a minor in health science. She was named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team in both 2018–19 and 2021–22.[10]

Her elder sister, Alex Tancrell-Fontaine (born 1992), played NCAA ice hockey with the Garnet Chargers of Union College from 2011 to 2015. Her younger brother, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (born 2000), played college ice hockey with the Northeastern Huskies (2020–2024) and Ohio State Buckeyes (2024–25) men's programs. He was drafted 202nd overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.[11][12][13]

Awards and honors

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Award Year
Switzerland
Women's League Champion 2022–23
2023–24
Women's League Best Defender 2022–23[14]
Swiss Women's Hockey Cup [de] Champion 2022–23
College
AHCA All-American Second Team 2018–19
2019–20
Hockey East All-Star First Team 2018–19
2019–20
2020–21
2021–22
All-USCHO Second Team 2018–19
2019–20
Hockey East All-Tournament Team 2019
2020
2021
2022
Hockey East Best Defenseman 2019–20
2020–21[15]
2021–22
NEWHA Division I All-Star 2019–20
2021–22
AHCA All-American First Team 2020–21[16]
2021–22
Patty Kazmaier Award, Top-10 Finalist[17] 2020–21
2021–22
All-USCHO First Team 2020–21
2021–22
NCAA All-Tournament team 2021
2022

References

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  1. ^ "Fontaine Signs with ZSC Lions Frauen". Northeastern Huskies Athletics. June 8, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Geoghegan, William (January 8, 2015). "Sky's the limit for EG's Fontaine". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  3. ^ Koch, Bill (January 8, 2015). "Points leader on EG boys hockey team is a girl with dreams of big future". The Providence Journal. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Mastracchio, Bruce (December 1, 2017). "EG Athletes Who Have Gone on to College Sports, Dec. 2017 Edition". East Greenwich News.
  5. ^ Divver, Mark (September 6, 2014). "Local hockey notes: East Greenwich's Fontaine, 16, commits to Northeastern". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  6. ^ Puzzanghera, Mike (January 24, 2019). "Hobson and Fontaine: Women's hockey duo drives defense". The Huntington News. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Conroy, Steve (December 10, 2020). "Sky's the limit for NU's Skylar Fontaine". Boston Herald. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Fascetta, Spencer (May 28, 2020). "(A WAY Too Early) 2021 NWHL Draft Preview". Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  9. ^ Fundaro, Gabriella (August 5, 2020). "2020 Top 25 Under 25 | Honorable Mentions 2: Alexie Guay, Skylar Fontaine, Lindsay Browning". The Ice Garden. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  10. ^ "2021-22 Women's Ice Hockey Roster: 22 Skylar Fontaine". Northeastern University Athletics. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "Skylar Fontaine". USA Hockey. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  12. ^ Sinclair, Jack (December 9, 2020). "Classes, Practice, and Getting Drafted in a Pandemic". WRBB. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "Player Profile: Gunnarwolfe Fontaine". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "ZSC's Sinja Leemann elected as MVP of the Women's League". Swiss Hockey News. February 25, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  15. ^ "Hockey East Names Women's Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team: Five Other Award Winners Announced for 2020-21 Season". Hockey East (Press release). February 26, 2021. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "Five Hockey East Players Players Named CCM/AHCA Women's All-Americans - NCAA #1 seed Northeastern boasts four players on the two teams". Hockey East (Press release). March 19, 2021. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award – All-Time Roster" (PDF). The USA Hockey Foundation. 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
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