Issy Wunder on the Privilege of Pressure, the Neuroscience of Leadership, and Defining a New Era in Women’s Hockey
From her mother’s backyard rink in Toronto to leading the way at Princeton, the top-ranked Canadian prospect reflects on the visibility and mindset driving her journey to the 2026 PWHL Draft.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Issy Wunder’s hockey journey started as it does for many Canadians on the outdoor rink, set up by her mother, in her backyard. And while it wasn’t all about that particular winter sport right from the start, it didn’t take long before that became her sole focus.
“Growing up, I played a bunch of different sports, so it wasn’t necessarily from day one ‘hockey, hockey, hockey,’” said Issy. “We had a backyard rink at our house in the city that my mom would put up each year. As the years went on and I got closer to high school age, it became more ‘let’s train on the outdoor rink instead of just go out her and have fun.”
My full conversation with Issy Wunder is available on YouTube.
That training and dedication to the sport led her to a junior career spent in the Greater Toronto Area, allowing her to stay close to home and her support system, which Issy says was very important.
“I’m lucky that I grew up in such a hockey haven, and I think there’s a huge community that it takes behind the scenes to go from a five year old who starts playing hockey to somebody who commits to college. I’m just really grateful that I had the people there who were allowing me to pursue my goals.”
As she grew and developed through the sport during her junior career, much of which was spent with the Toronto Aeros of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League, so did her confidence and the results. In her final season with Toronto, Issy scored 16 regular-season goals and amassed 37 points before leaving to play her final season with the Durham West Jr Lightning, a team she would captain. “We really were a family,” Issy recalls of that Durham team. “I could not think of a better group of girls to spend my final year with or a better way to cap it off.”
Her on-ice success never took away from the importance of academics, especially as she looked towards a collegiate career. While there were options, Princeton offered the strong academic program that was important to both Issy and her family.
“That was obviously an appeal of Princeton. But then the campus is the most beautiful campus I’ve ever been to. When me and my mom first visited, we both sort of had a feeling.”
After looking at other programs, including literature, science, math, and social sciences, Issy found psychology and neuroscience particularly interesting, and both helped shape how she viewed the game of hockey and how she dealt with the stress of its ups and downs.
“When you think of psychology, it’s been super helpful in fostering my relationships,” said Issy. “Learning about how the brain works is such a valuable thing because you’re learning about yourself. Sometimes, I’ll catch myself feeling a certain way or feeling stressed, and then pausing and realizing that everything’s going to be okay. Being able to sort of pause and reflect is something that I’ve really tried to do when I’m thinking about hockey and relationships.”
Over her 129 games with the Tigers, Issy put up a staggering 146 points and received countless accolades, including being named the 2025 ECAC Forward of the Year and the 2025 Ivy League Player of the Year. While those awards are meaningful to Issy, it’s the lessons that she learned from the leaders who came before her, including Mia Coene, Sarah Fillier, and Mariah Keopple and the standard they set, and the way she learned to navigate the ebbs and flows of a collegiate career that has her maintaining that she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
“Every single experience in your life plays a role in your future,” Issy said. “Sometimes I am overwhelmed but in those moments, being able to take a step back and realize how fortunate am I that I’m stressed with school because I care about what I’m learning. How fortunate am I that I’m stressed about hockey. Trying to reframe things in that way because then everything that happens to you, whether it’s good, whether it’s bad, whether it’s neutral, is able to be a learning experience.”
As Issy Wunder prepares to close one chapter of her journey, which began on backyard rinks her mom set up for her, and embark on a new one in the PWHL, she’s most proud of choosing Princeton for the impact that it has had on her, both on and off the ice. And it’s that growth and development that will lead her into what will undoubtedly be an exciting professional career she’s waited so long for.
My full conversation with Issy Wunder is available on YouTube.