We’ve finally reached the last of the report cards for the defensive core on PWHL Minnesota, and that means it’s Sophie Jaques’s turn. She didn’t start the season on the roster for PWHL Minnesota, but she joined them just over a month into the season, and it was meant to be. She recorded an assist in her first appearance for PWHL Minnesota and didn’t look back.
She played a pivotal role in both the regular season and the postseason, and they wouldn’t have been as successful without her. Since PWHL Minnesota won it all, we’ll be taking a look at Jaques’s regular season performance and then her postseason performance to come up with an overall grade. We’ll start with her regular season, which started when she joined PWHL Minnesota and her offensive abilities started as well.
Jaques Is a Scoring Defender
Like her teammates around her, she’s a heads-up defender who isn’t afraid to use her physical skills and scoring talents. She kept her opponents to the outside and put her stick in passing lanes to prevent any scoring on her goaltenders Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley. It wasn’t just the passing lanes where her stickwork was strong; it was also great in her board battles.
After watching Jaques all season, everyone knows what a strong defender she is, but they also got to see her use her offensive skills. She was never afraid to step up and take a shot when on the point or carry the puck into the zone and try to get a closer shot. She played in 15 games during the regular season for PWHL Minnesota, and in those games, she scored two goals and assisted on eight others for 10 points.
She also had an impressive 59 shots on goal throughout the season which put her third on the roster for most shots taken. The rest of the roster could really follow her example and take shots every chance they have. However, while her offense was strong, her defense matched, and she had a great all-around season.
After looking over her regular season performance, she earned an A+. She did everything she could at both ends of the ice to give PWHL Minnesota every chance they could to win every game they were in.
Jaques Kept Up All-Around Play
In the postseason, Jaques found another level to her game, and she was able to keep up offensively and defensively. She spent a lot of time on ice and used every second she had. She continued her strong defensive play but also jumped into the offensive zone more in the postseason. She played in all 10 games, and she tallied two goals and recorded three assists for five points.
She also kept taking shots on goal, and surprisingly, she didn’t score more points than five since she had 28 shots. Jaques didn’t back down on her physical game either and used it to her advantage as she battled for the puck throughout the postseason. Apart from her offensive and defensive game, she kept herself limited to one penalty despite her physical play. She was able to keep herself on the ice as much as possible to help her team succeed.
Related: PWHL Minnesota Report Card 2023-24: Maggie Flaherty
When watching the postseason unfold, it seemed like Jaques was out there for every key play, and with all of her contributions, she earned an A+. While the team found a way to step up and win, not every player found another level like Jaques did, except Taylor Heise, and that’s how she earned this grade for the postseason as well.
Jaques Earned Her Grade
Looking at her contributions for both the regular season and postseason, which earned her an A+, she clearly earned an A+ as her overall grade. She was one of the few players who produced at each end of the ice and made a big difference in her team’s play. She’ll be back for another season, and hopefully, she can continue to produce as she did last season and help her team win the Walter Cup back-to-back.
