Aerin Frankel
Aerin Jordan Frankel is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women's Hockey League and member of the United States women's national ice hockey team. She is a two-time IIHF Women's World Championship gold medalist and silver medalist, having served as Team USA's primary goaltender at three consecutive World Championships. Frankel became the first U.S. women's goaltender to start five consecutive games at an Olympics or World Championship in 26 years during the 2023 tournament.
In college hockey, Frankel was one of the most decorated goaltenders in NCAA history. She won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2021 as the top player in women's college hockey, the Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year award in 2021, and was the inaugural recipient of the WHCA National Goalie of the Year award in 2021, winning it again in 2022. At Northeastern University, she set program records for save percentage, goals-against average, wins, and shutouts, and led the Huskies to the 2021 NCAA championship game.
Professionally, Frankel has established herself as one of the PWHL's premier goaltenders. In the inaugural PWHL season, she led the Boston Fleet to the Walter Cup Finals, setting playoff records with 57 saves in a triple-overtime victory and leading all goaltenders with a.953 save percentage across eight playoff games. She was named a PWHL Second Team All-Star in 2024 and was a finalist for PWHL Goaltender of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. On January 31, 2025, she became the first goaltender in PWHL history to record 1,000 saves.
Boston fans and media have nicknamed her the "Green Monster" after the iconic left field wall at Fenway Park.
Early life
Born and raised in Briarcliff Manor, New York, Aerin is the daughter of Deborah and Peter Frankel and has an older brother, Jake. The Frankel family is Jewish. Growing up, Frankel enjoyed playing knee hockey with her brother and cousins. Her mother brought her to the ice at age four, where she learned to skate. "I think I fell in love with it through learning I had a lot of fun just skating around without the hockey aspect, and I was like, 'Oh, hey, I can play a sport with this,'" Frankel recalled. She initially began as a player but transitioned to goaltender at age nine after realizing she wouldn't have to leave the ice if she played in goal. "So then I tried out for goalie and loved it," she said.From elementary school through high school, Frankel competed on boys' club teams, as was common for girls seeking to play at a high level. She also participated in other sports during the off-season—soccer in elementary school, softball in middle school, and lacrosse in high school—but remained focused primarily on hockey. "I never really focused on bettering myself in any sport other than hockey," she said. She initially attended Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York, before transferring to Shattuck-Saint Mary's preparatory school in Faribault, Minnesota, as a sophomore. The transition to boarding school proved difficult initially. "At first I was a little bit homesick," Frankel said. "I missed being home with my family, having my mom cook and clean for me, it was a different lifestyle for sure, learning to do things for myself." At Shattuck-Saint Mary's, Frankel excelled in the school's elite hockey program, winning three national titles. She posted 106 wins during her time at Shattuck, finishing with a 1.10 goals against average, a.945 save percentage, and 39 shutouts. She graduated from Shattuck-Saint Mary's with high honors.
Playing career
Collegiate
In 2017, Frankel began attending Northeastern University, serving as the starting goaltender for the Huskies. Despite being undersized at 5 feet 5 inches—a factor that dissuaded many recruiters—Frankel was recruited by Northeastern head coach Dave Flint based on the recommendation of her coach at Shattuck-Saint Mary's. "Coach Flint saw potential in me, and that's something that made me feel wanted here," Frankel said. "I didn't want to go somewhere where they didn't really care if I came or not. I wanted to go where I was wanted."Frankel posted a 10–8–2 record with a 1.92 goals against average in 22 games. She posted a.934 save percentage in her rookie collegiate year, leading all NCAA rookies. She made 30 saves against UConn on March 4, 2018, to backstop the Huskies to their first Hockey East title in program history. Frankel was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week and Hockey East Rookie of the Month in February 2018, and was honored as Northeastern's Top Female Newcomer at the university's "Top Dog" Awards. In her sophomore season, Frankel posted a 21–4–3 record with a 1.81 GAA and a.932 SV% in 29 starts. She opened the season with a 28-save shutout in a 5–0 victory at Boston University on October 5, 2018, becoming the first Northeastern goaltender to shutout the Terriers since Florence Schelling in 2011. Northeastern won its second consecutive Hockey East Championship, with Frankel recording 62 total saves while allowing only four goals in the semifinals and finals to win Hockey East Tournament MVP for the second consecutive season. She was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Month in October 2018 and Hockey East Player of the Month the same month. In the 2019–20 season, Frankel set Northeastern records for GAA, SV%, shutouts, and wins, her.958 SV% leading the NCAA. She was named a top-10 finalist for the 2020 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as well as the Beanpot's best goaltender, and was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Year for the second consecutive year.
As a senior and alternate captain in 2020–21, Frankel led Northeastern to a 22–2–1 record, the program's first No. 1 national ranking, its fourth consecutive Hockey East championship, and its first Frozen Four appearance. She set an NCAA record with a.969 save percentage and led the nation in every major goaltending category, including a 0.81 GAA, 20 wins,.891 winning percentage, and nine shutouts. She recorded five consecutive shutouts during the season and finished with 27 career shutouts, breaking the Northeastern school record. In the NCAA Tournament, Frankel made 81 saves across three games, including 35 saves in the national championship game against Wisconsin, which Northeastern lost 2–1 in overtime. On March 27, 2021, Frankel was named the recipient of the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey, becoming the fourth goaltender in history to win the award and the third Northeastern player to earn the honor, joining Kendall Coyne Schofield and Brooke Whitney. She also became the inaugural winner of the WHCA National Goalie of the Year Award by unanimous vote and was later named the Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year. Head coach Dave Flint said of Frankel: "She put up numbers this season that may never be touched and she was a huge part of our run this season to the national championship game." Frankel attributed her success to her team, saying "My individual accolades wouldn't have been possible without how great our team was this year and how well we handled the adversity that was thrown our way."
Frankel returned for a fifth season as a graduate student in 2021–22, taking advantage of the NCAA's COVID-19 eligibility relief. She posted another dominant season with a 1.06 GAA and.956 SV%, leading the nation among goaltenders who appeared in at least 20 games. She recorded an NCAA-leading 25 wins and a career-best 11 shutouts on the season. Her 25-win season vaulted her into first place in the NCAA record book for career wins in women's hockey with 103. Frankel helped Northeastern reach the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year, making a 48-save performance in a double-overtime victory against Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals. She became the back-to-back winner of the WHCA National Goalie of the Year Award, making her the only player to receive the award in its first two years of existence.
Frankel concluded her collegiate career holding Northeastern program records in games played, minutes played, GAA, save percentage, shutouts, and wins. She was a three-time Hockey East Goaltender of the Year, Hockey East co-Player of the Year alongside Alina Müller in 2021, and was named Hockey East Player of the Week nine times and Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week 12 times. Coach Flint called her "one of, if not the, most competitive goalies I have coached," adding that "everybody told her she's too small. She's proven a lot of people wrong."
Professional
PWHPA (2022–23)
Following her graduate year at Northeastern, Frankel joined the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association for the 2022–23 season, playing for Team Adidas. The PWHPA was founded in May 2019 by over 200 players following the dissolution of the Canadian Women's Hockey League, with the goal of establishing a unified, financially sustainable professional women's hockey league in North America. PWHPA members boycotted existing leagues—including the NWHL—citing concerns over inadequate salaries, lack of health insurance, and insufficient financial stability. The PWHPA organized four region-agnostic teams—Team Adidas, Team Harvey's, Team Scotiabank, and Team Sonnet—that competed in showcase events across North America as part of the Dream Gap Tour. Team Adidas featured Kendall Coyne Schofield, Sarah Nurse, and Amanda Kessel.Frankel made her professional hockey debut on October 16, 2022, in Montreal during the season-opening showcase. Frankel entered the season as "a highly touted prospect" with "dazzling speed" across the crease, projected to be "a star for the USA." While Team Adidas lost 5–0 to Team Scotiabank in her debut, "the highly anticipated rookie looked stronger than the scoreline showed," as she faced heavy traffic and appeared to improve throughout the game. On December 10, 2022, Frankel earned player of the game honors after posting a shutout in Team Adidas' 4–0 victory over Team Sonnet at the all-star weekend event in Ottawa. In her first professional campaign, Frankel posted a stellar.937 save percentage. The PWHPA's efforts culminated in 2022 when the organization partnered with Mark Walter and Billie Jean King, leading to the formation of the Professional Women's Hockey League in 2023. Upon signing with the PWHL in September 2023, Frankel reflected on her time in Boston, saying, "Boston is my home and the city that I love. Having the opportunity to play here professionally in front of the greatest sports fans is a dream come true. I am honored and extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent Boston in the PWHL."