Kirsten Simms

Kirsten Simms (born August 31, 2004) is an American ice hockey player who is a forward for the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). She previously played at the University of Wisconsin of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team. She was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2025 NCAA tournament after scoring two dramatic goals—a game-tying penalty shot with 18 seconds remaining in regulation and the overtime winner—to lead Wisconsin to their eighth national championship.

At Wisconsin, Simms was a three-time NCAA national champion (2023, 2025, 2026) and has established herself as one of the most prolific scorers in the nation. She was named WCHA Player of the Year and Forward of the Year, earned First-Team All-American honors, and was a Top-3 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Through three collegiate seasons, Simms has recorded 139 points in 117 games, averaging 1.19 points per game.

Internationally, Simms has represented the United States at two IIHF World Women's U18 Championships, winning gold in 2020 and silver in 2022 as alternate captain.

Playing career College Simms began her collegiate career for the University of Wisconsin during the 2022–23 season. She scored the game-winning goal against Ohio State during the National Championship game at the 2023 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament, helping Wisconsin win their seventh National Championship. She was subsequently named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Following the season she was named to the USCHO All-Rookie Team and WCHA All-Rookie Team.

During the 2023–24 season, in her sophomore year, she led the nation in scoring with 36 goals and 39 assists in 36 games for 71 points. Her 1.97 points per game led the NCAA, and ranked top-ten in program history. She led Wisconsin with nine game-winning goals, which ranked second in the NCAA. Following an outstanding season, she was named to the All-WCHA first team, and named WCHA Forward of the Year and Player of the Year. She was also named a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.

During the 2024–25 season, in her junior year, she recorded 25 goals and 47 assists in 41 games. During the championship game of the 2025 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament, against Ohio State, she scored the game-tying goal on a penalty shot with 18 seconds left in the game to force overtime. She then scored the game-winning goal, helping Wisconsin win their eighth national championship. She was subsequently named tournament Most Outstanding Player and named to the NCAA All-Tournament team.

Professional On June 17, 2026, Simms was drafted eighth overall by the Toronto Sceptres in the 2026 PHWL draft.

International play Junior Simms represented the United States at the 2020 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, where she recorded two assists in five games as Team USA won a gold medal. She served as alternate captain and recorded five assists in five games, helping the United States win a silver medal. She was placed on an "all-rookie line" alongside Wisconsin teammate Laila Edwards and Ohio State's Joy Dunne. In the final game of the preliminary round on April 8, 2024, Simms scored her first senior-level international goal—a dramatic overtime winner against Canada to give the United States a 1–0 victory and clinch the Group A title. "Obviously, a super surreal moment," Simms said after the game. "It still doesn't feel like it happened."

Simms returned to the World Championship at the 2025 tournament in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, where she recorded two assists in four games as the United States won a gold medal. The Americans defeated Canada 4–3 in overtime in the gold medal game, with Tessa Janecke scoring the game-winning goal.

On December 11, 2025, Simms scored a goal in a 10–4 United States victory over Canada in Edmonton, Alberta, in the third game of the 2025 Rivalry Series. The game marked the first time the Canadian women's national ice hockey team had allowed 10 goals in a loss to the United States. On February 10, Simms scored a goal in a 5-0 win versus Canada, marking the first time that Canada have been shutout in women's ice hockey at the Olympic Games.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2022–23 University of Wisconsin WCHA 41 16 16 32 25 — — — — — 2023–24 University of Wisconsin WCHA 39 33 42 75 24 — — — — — 2024–25 University of Wisconsin WCHA 41 25 47 72 18 — — — — — 2025–26 University of Wisconsin WCHA 31 26 33 59 18 — — — — —NCAA totals 152 100 138 238 85 — — — — —

International

Awards and honors Honors Year College USCHO All-Rookie Team 2023 All-WCHA First Team 2024 WCHA Player of the Year 2024 WCHA Forward of the Year 2024 CCM/AHCA First Team All-American 2024 NCAA All-Tournament Team 2024 All-WCHA First Team 2025 NCAA All-Tournament Team 2025 All-WCHA Second Team 2026 NCAA All-Tournament Team 2026