Columnist image

| Archive

Emma Maltais
Position: Forward 
Hometown: Burlington, Ont.
Age: 21

Emma Maltais is one of eight players who is set to make her world championship debut for Canada, and she’s one of just three on the roster currently in the NCAA.

“Watching Emma at practice, she’s just a ball of energy,” head coach Troy Ryan told TSN last month. “One of the things we’re trying to do is play the game a little faster and the way she forechecks is the way we would like our entire team to forecheck. She’s hungry on pucks. She doesn’t mind playing physical and she’s been a great addition to our program.”

Maltais started skating when she was just two and began playing hockey a couple of years later. She said she always wanted to keep up with her brother, Matthew.

Maltais played for her hometown Burlington Barracudas, winning a bronze medal at the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association provincials (Novice A) in 2008.

She later joined the Oakville Hornets, winning gold at the OWHA provincials (intermediate AA) and bronze at the Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) championship in 2015. She won another silver and gold with Oakville at the OWHA provincials in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

She was named captain of the Hornets for the 2016-17 season and led the PWHL in scoring with 56 points in 34 games, helping the team capture the PWHL championship. She is Oakville’s all-time leading scorer with 56 goals and 150 points in 105 games.

Maltais also competed for Ontario Red at both the 2015 and 2016 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, taking home gold in both tournaments. In 2016, she was also named Top Forward after finishing with 10 points in five games.

She first represented Canada at the under-18 level, winning back-to-back silver medals at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, she was tied for the team lead with six points in five games.

Maltais began her collegiate career with Ohio State in 2017, leading the Buckeyes in scoring in her rookie season with 40 points in 37 games and helping the team reach the Frozen Four. She was named WCHA Rookie of the Year and was also part of the WCHA First All-Star team.

She continued her stellar offensive output as a sophomore, once again leading Ohio State in scoring with 43 points in 35 games and earning WCHA First All-Star team honours, as well as being named to the WCHA All-Academic team.

As a junior, she set a new program single-season record with 59 points, also breaking the school record for most assists in a season with 40. She was a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given annually to the best collegiate player in women’s hockey, and also earned All-American honours.

Maltais captained the Buckeyes in a pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, finishing with 16 points in 20 games. She currently has the fourth-most points in school history with 158.

She spent time with Canada’s development team, finishing fifth at the 2018 Nations Cup, before making her debut with the senior team in a two-game series against the United States in 2019.

Earlier this year, Maltais was named to the Olympic centralization roster in preparation for the 2022 Beijing Games.

“It’s really a remarkable experience,” she said. “We get to look up to all the older girls, a lot of which are our role models growing up. Just being here in general is such an honour, and then getting the opportunity to learn from them is something you can’t even explain.”