Press Release

Manness and Svensson Share Julie Chu Rookie of the Year Award

Clarkson and Ohio State Forwards Each Reached the 50-Point Mark

Thursday, March 19, 2026

For the first time in the 13-year history of the award, two players will share this year’s Julie Chu Rookie of the Year Award, sponsored by the Hockey Commissioners Association. Clarkson University’s Sara Manness (Winnipeg, MB) and Ohio State University’s Hilda Svensson (Oskarshamn, Sweden) compiled outstanding numbers in their inaugural college seasons and Svensson, preparing for this weekend’s NCAA National Collegiate Ice Hockey Championships at Penn State, is still playing.

Sara Manness became the second first-year player to win the ECAC Player of the Year Award when ECAC Hockey head coaches honored her this season. Manness, was a force in her first season as a Golden Knight. She tallied 21 goals and 31 assists (leading the ECAC) for 52 points, as well as tallying four power play goals and her first career hat trick.

During the year, Manness enjoyed a 15-game point-scoring streak (17 goals, 13 assists) and also became the first Clarkson player in program history to score a goal in 10 consecutive games in the course of one season, separating herself from Loren Gabel’s nine-game run during the 2017-18 season.

Manness was also named the ECAC Forward of the Year and the ECAC Rookie of the Year, as well as being named as an ECAC First Team All Star. Manness led the Knights in points (52), goals (21) and assists (31). Her point totals were tops in the ECAC and 5th in the nation. Sara was named the ECAC Rookie of the Month twice and was twice named the HCA National Rookie of the Month.

Hilda Svensson was the 2025-26 WCHA Rookie of the Year, Ohio State’s second conference rookie of the year honoree in three years and fifth in program history. Svensson is the Buckeyes’ leading scorer with 50 points in 31 games played (18-32-50) . She finished the conference regular season tied for second on the team with 31 points and was third in the league with 22 assists in 20 games. She can add to those totals as the top seeded Buckeyes (35-4-0) play Northeastern University in an NCAA semifinal at Penn State on Friday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Svensson, an All-WCHA Third Team and WCHA All-Rookie Team honoree, missed eight games of the WCHA regular season to play for Team Sweden at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. She played in seven games, recording a team-high seven points and six assists in her Olympic debut to help the team to its first Olympic semifinal appearance since 2014.

The Julie Chu Rookie of the Year is chosen by a vote of the NCAA Division 1 schools’ assistant coaches, with one vote per staff. The award is named after the former Harvard University and U.S. Olympic standout who recorded 93 points as a freshman during the 2003-04 season, en route to a career in which she set an NCAA record with 284 career points. The names on the ballot are each conference’s Rookie of the Year.