Danielle Serdachny
Danielle Serdachny is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Seattle Torrent of the Professional Women's Hockey League and member of Canada women's national ice hockey team. She was drafted second overall by PWHL Ottawa in the 2024 PWHL draft.
Serdachny played five seasons of college ice hockey at Colgate University from 2019 to 2024, where she became one of the most decorated players in program history. She was a two-time ECAC Hockey Player of the Year, a two-time AHCA First-Team All-American, and a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in 2023. She finished her collegiate career as Colgate's all-time leading scorer with 213 points and helped the Raiders win four consecutive ECAC Tournament Championships.
Internationally, Serdachny has represented Canada at three IIHF World Women's Championships, winning gold in 2024, silver in 2023 and 2025, and gold at the 2019 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship. She scored the game-winning overtime goal in the gold medal game of the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship against the United States.
Early life
Born in Edmonton, Alberta to and Debra and Steven Serdachny, Danielle was raised in a hockey-centric household, began skating at age two, and started playing organized hockey at age four. Her father, Steve, worked as a skating and skills coach for the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers for twelve seasons, making hockey a prominent part of her childhood. She has three siblings: older sister Brooke, younger sister Jordan, and brother Noah, all of whom are hockey players. Her brother Noah played college hockey at Colorado College. Reflecting on her upbringing, Serdachny stated, "Having a dad who works in the hockey industry, you're kind of born to be a hockey player. He's had a huge influence on my career as well as my mom." Her father noted that while his profession as an NHL skating and skills coach exposed all his children to the game continuously, it was ultimately Danielle's dedication and passion that drove her success: "It's been a dream of hers since she's been a little girl, that she wanted to be on Team Canada and represent her country...Hockey's more than a game to her. It's a passion and such a big part of her life."During her minor hockey career, Serdachny excelled with several teams including the Southside Athletic Club, Maple Leaf Athletic Club, and the Edmonton Pandas, posting 57 goals and 142 points in 110 minor hockey games. She later attended the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia, where she played two seasons in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. During her first season with Pursuit of Excellence, she recorded 16 goals and 30 assists, and in her final season, she posted 24 goals and 34 assists in 28 games, tallying 104 career points on 40 goals and 64 assists in 49 games for the program. She won consecutive CSSHL Female Prep Division Championships and was named league MVP in the CSSHL.
Playing career
Collegiate
Serdachny played five seasons for the Colgate Raiders from 2019–20 to 2023–24, appearing in 162 career games and recording 71 goals and 142 assists for 213 points. She finished her career as Colgate's all-time leader in career points and single-season assists. Serdachny earned All-ECAC honors in each of her five seasons at Colgate, becoming a three-time All-ECAC First Team selection, two-time ECAC Hockey Player of the Year, and the league's All-Rookie Team member in her first season.Serdachny began her collegiate hockey career for Colgate during the 2019–20 season. She made her debut for the Raiders on September 21, 2019, in a game against Holy Cross Crusaders where she recorded two goals. She became the first Raider in the past decade to score multiple goals in her first collegiate game. She was named the ECAC Rookie of the Week for the week ending February 10, 2020. She finished the season with 10 goals, 22 assists, one power play goal, one short-handed goal, two game-winning goals, and 69 shots on goal in 38 games. She tied a program record for assists in a season by a freshman. Following an outstanding season she was named to the ECAC All-Rookie team and Colgate women's hockey Rookie of the Year.
During the 2020–21 season, she recorded nine goals, three game-winning goals, three power-play goals, 12 assists and a team-leading 21 points in 23 games. She led the team with six multi-point performances, and led all ECAC players in scoring with 13 points. She was named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Week for the week ending January 11, 2021, after she recorded three goals and one assist during the weekend. She was named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Week for the week ending March 1, 2021, her second Player of the Week honor. Following an outstanding season she was named first-team All-ECAC, ECAC Player of the Year, and ECAC Best Forward. She became the first Player of the Year recipient in Colgate program history. She was also named a First-Team All-USCHO and CCM/AHCA First-Team All-American. She became the first All-American for Colgate in the Division I history, and the first player to earn All-American honors since Heather Murphy won consecutive AWHCA Division III All-America First-Team honors in 2000 and 2001.
On July 14, 2021, Serdachny was named a captain for the 2021–22 season. During her junior year, she recorded 16 goals and 38 assists in 39 games, including three power-play goals, 15 multi-point games, and three game-winning goals. She recorded 28 points in league play, scoring nine goals and 19 assists. She led the ECAC in assists and was tied for the league lead in points. Her 38 assists broke the program record for most assists in a single season, a record she would later surpass. She also had nine multi-assist games and tied the team record for most assists in a game with six against RIT on September 25. Serdachny was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Week twice during the season, earning Player of the Month honors for October. Following the season she was named second-team All-ECAC. Colgate won the ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship, defeating Yale 2–1 in overtime in the championship game.
During the 2022–23 season, in her senior year, she led the league in points with 25 goals and 45 assists in 39 games. She also led the NCAA in points per game with 1.79, tied for third in the NCAA in game winning goals with six, tied for fourth in the NCAA in goals, and led the ECAC in goals. She posted a five-point performance against RIT on October 14 and had 18 multi-point games during the season. Her 45 assists broke her own single-season program record set the previous year, and her 70 points shattered the program record for single-season points, which had previously stood at 55. She also led the NCAA in points per game with 1.79, tied for third in the NCAA in game-winning goals with six, and tied for fourth in the NCAA in goals. On February 11, 2023, in a game against Brown and Yale, Serdachny broke the program record for career points, surpassing the previous mark of 163. She finished the regular season with 172 career points. Serdachny was named ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week three times during the season and earned ECAC Hockey Forward of the Month honors in October 2023. She was also named HCA Player of the Month in October 2023. Following an outstanding season, she was named the ECAC Player of the Year and ECAC Forward of the Year for the second time in her career, becoming a two-time conference Player of the Year.ref name="uscho-2023"/> She was selected to the All-ECAC First Team, named to the ECAC Hockey All-Tournament Team, and earned CCM/AHCA First-Team All-American and All-USCHO First Team honors. She was also named the winner of the inaugural Wayne Dean Sportsmanship Award for her leadership on and off the ice. Following an outstanding season, she was named the ECAC Player of the Year and ECAC Forward of the Year, and a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Colgate won its third consecutive ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship with an 8–2 victory over Clarkson in the championship game, with Serdachny recording three points. The Raiders finished the season with a 32-5-2 record.
During the 2023–24 season, in her fifth and final season at Colgate, she appeared in 40 games and recorded 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points. In November, she recorded a four-point night against Harvard and became the first player in program history to record 200 career points. She was tied for third in the NCAA with 61 points and tied for second with 39 assists. Serdachny was named ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week for the fourth time in her career on January 30, 2024. She was selected to the All-ECAC First Team for the third time, earning CCM/AHCA Second Team All-American and All-USCHO Second Team honors. For the second consecutive year, she was named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, marking the third time in program history a Colgate player received the honor. Colgate won its fourth consecutive ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship with a home shutout victory against Clarkson on March 9, 2024, becoming only the second team in league history to claim four consecutive league championships and the first in nearly 30 years. The Raiders earned a No. 3 seed in the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Hockey Tournament.
Professional
PWHL Ottawa (2024–25)
On June 10, 2024, Serdachny was drafted second overall by PWHL Ottawa in the 2024 PWHL draft. On August 20, 2024, she signed a three-year contract with Ottawa through the 2026–27 season. General Manager Mike Hirshfeld stated that the organization was "thrilled to add Danielle as a core piece" and praised her "complete 200-foot hockey game and the skill and goal-scoring she will bring to our lineup."Serdachny made her professional debut on November 30, 2024, in the season-opening game against the Montreal Victoire at Place Bell. She scored her first professional goal in her debut, with her parents in attendance, though Ottawa lost 4–3 in a shootout. During the 2024–25 season, she recorded two goals and six assists in 30 regular season games, tying for the team lead in rookie scoring. She also recorded 90 faceoff wins during the regular season. Ottawa qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and Serdachny recorded her first career playoff point in Game 1 of the semifinals against Montreal at Place Bell, the same building where she had scored her first professional goal. She appeared in all eight playoff games and recorded two assists as Ottawa advanced to the Walter Cup Finals, where they ultimately lost to the Minnesota Frost in four games. She recorded an assist in Game 4 of the Finals, her first point since Game 1 of the semifinals.