Best hockey player from each state
Hawaii – Jessica Koizumi
While Hawaii has not had any men play professional hockey, they can say they’ve had one female professional player. Yes, Hawaai’s only professional hockey player is a woman. And her name is Jessica Koizumi.
Born in Honolulu, her family moved to California where she got noticed by several colleges. Koizumi chose to go to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She ranks seventh on her alma mater’s scoring list and as a senior captain, led her team to a national title with an unforgettable two goal performance.
Immediately after graduating, USA hockey took interest in her after a successful under 22 career. Koizumi began playing for them internationally and helped them win the 2008 IIHF Women’s Championship. Her love for hockey transfers off the ice as she also represented America in roller hockey.
Since 2010, Koizumi has been an assistant coach for Yale’s women’s team. She played several years in the CWHL, accumulating 77 points in 89 games. Koizumi also played for the Connecticut Whales in the NWHL’s debut season in 2015-16. She is well known for scoring the league’s first ever goal. Koizumi continues to serve the game in various ways, including coaching and assisting kids with learning roller hockey.