Kelsey Koelzer


Kelsey Koelzer is an American ice hockey defender with the PWHPA. She was drafted 1st overall by the Metropolitan Riveters in the 2016 NWHL Draft, the first black player to be the first overall pick in a professional North American hockey league draft. She also serves as the head coach for Arcadia University, the first black head coach in NCAA hockey history.

Playing career

Across 128 games with Princeton, Koelzer scored 100 points, being named a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist in 2016 and 2017. She was named ECAC Hockey Best Defender of the Year in 2016. She was the first-eve Princeton’s women’s hockey first team All-American.
The New York Riveters selected her 1st overall in the 2016 NWHL Draft, the first black player to be the first overall pick in a professional North American hockey league draft.
She signed her first professional contract at the end of the 2016-17 NWHL regular season, and would make her first NWHL appearance in the Riveters' loss to the Buffalo Beauts in the semi-finals. She would go on to play two full seasons with the club, winning the Isobel Cup in 2018. She was named to Team Leveille for the 2018 NWHL All-Star Game, where she would be awarded All-Star Game MVP.
In May 2019, she joined the PWHPA. She would appear for Team Decker in the Dream Gap Tour exhibition in Philadelphia.

Executive career

In September 2019, she was hired by Arcadia University as head coach for the new women's hockey programme. She is the first black head coach in NCAA hockey history.
She is also a member of the NHL and NHLPA Female Hockey Advisory Committee. Along with Melissa Parnagian, she campaigned for the introduction of the Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act.

Personal life

Koelzer has a degree in psychology.

Career Statistics