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Jaques, who is Black, earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in engineering during her time in Columbus—no small feat while balancing the demands of elite athletics, and she was named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year in 2022, an award that celebrates academic and athletic excellence among student-athletes of color.”
Jaques was the 10th pick in the inaugural PWHL draft in 2023, going to a Boston team and market that was excited to have her and recognized the significance of her career. Alas, after just seven games with the Fleet, Jaques was sent to Minnesota as the centerpiece of the first trade in PWHL history.
“I just got a phone call from the Boston GM. Not much notice,” Jaques recalled. “I found out on a Sunday evening, and my flight left Monday morning.”
It was a sudden shift, but quick turnarounds like that come with the territory in professional sports. It could have rattled just about any player, but Jaques landed on her feet thanks to a familiar face. “One reason I was able to adjust pretty quickly is because [Minnesota] had Liz Schepers from Ohio State on the team,” Jaques explained. “She had space for me to live in her home, so I didn’t have to stay in a hotel. That made it really easy for me, and meant I didn’t have too much to worry about off the ice. On-ice came natural and was pretty easy.”
Jaques played 15 regular-season games for Minnesota last season, notching two goals and eight assists, and hitting her stride along with her teammates right when it mattered most.
After qualifying for the playoffs as the fourth and final seed on the last day of the regular season (sound familiar?), Minnesota hit its stride at just the right time. “We had some highs and lows and were just able to have success when it counted,” recalled Jaques of a run that saw Minnesota overcome a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five first round series against Toronto before beating Boston in another five-game series in the PWHL Finals to capture the first-ever Walter Cup.
The team celebrated its win that late-May night and again at various times throughout last offseason, but one of the sweetest moments came recently, when last year’s champions were each presented with an official Championship ring.
