Boston College Women's Hockey Forward Named Hockey East Co-Rookie of the Year

Ava Thomas shared the award with Northeastern's Stryker Zablocki after standout freshman seasons.

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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Boston College forward Ava Thomas was named Hockey East Co-Rookie of the Year after an impressive debut season. Thomas led the conference in assists and finished second in goals and points, while also ranking among the nation's top freshmen in several offensive categories. She shared the award with Northeastern's Stryker Zablocki, who won the conference scoring title.

Why it matters

The Hockey East Rookie of the Year award is a prestigious honor that recognizes the top first-year players in the conference. Thomas and Zablocki's selections highlight the depth of young talent in women's college hockey, with both players emerging as stars in their inaugural seasons.

The details

Across 24 conference games, Thomas led Hockey East with 19 assists and finished second with 14 goals and 33 points. She also had a league-high 5 game-winning goals, including an overtime winner against top-5 Northeastern. Nationally, Thomas finished in the top 10 in scoring with 46 points, the third-most of any freshman. Zablocki won the conference's scoring title with 17 goals and 34 points, the first time a freshman has led Hockey East in scoring since 2017-18.

  • Thomas was named Hockey East Rookie of the Month for February after posting 9 points and a nation-high 76 shots.
  • Previously, Thomas won the Rookie of the Month award in January and was the Player of the Month for October.

The players

Ava Thomas

A standout freshman forward for the Boston College women's hockey team who was named Hockey East Co-Rookie of the Year.

Stryker Zablocki

A freshman forward for the Northeastern women's hockey team who shared the Hockey East Co-Rookie of the Year award with Thomas after winning the conference scoring title.

Daryl Watts

A former Boston College forward who won the Patty Kazmaier award in 2017-18 after leading the NCAA in scoring.

Tia Chan

The Connecticut women's hockey goaltender who was a finalist for the Cammi Granato Award as the Hockey East Player of the Year.

Alina Mueller

The Northeastern women's hockey player who shared the Cammi Granato Award in 2020-21 before winning a medal for the United States at the 2026 Olympics.

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The takeaway

The selections of Thomas and Zablocki as Hockey East Co-Rookies of the Year highlight the influx of young talent in women's college hockey, with both players emerging as stars in their inaugural seasons and positioning themselves as future leaders in the sport.