Canadian Olympic Soccer Player Jordyn Huitema Was Torn Between Hockey And Soccer

For youth that are mutli-sport athletes at an elite level, there comes a time when choices must be made. For Jordyn Huitema, 23, that decision came several years ago now when she found herself torn between hockey and soccer.

Only months after, Huitema made her debut for Canada's national team at age 15, becoming the third youngest player in Canadian national team history to appear with the senior team.

"I’d say when I hit about 14 or 15 was when I had to choose between hockey and soccer," Huitema told the Toronto Sun in 2019 . "I was kind of torn on both, I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go, I loved them both. I think around that time, I was called into my first senior (national team) camp. That’s kind of the moment I knew this is where my path is trying to take me right now. I’ve always loved both, I’m very happy that I made the decision I made, obviously.”

As she told Sportsnet of soccer , "I fell in love with the environment, fell in love with the players, everything about it. I realized that’s really where I wanted to be. This is the environment I wanted to live in for the rest of my life. That’s when I started diving head first into soccer.”

Now Huitema is set to play in her second Olympic Games for Canada having won gold in 2020.

Choosing to bypass university, Huitema signed her first professional contract with Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, and in 2022 transferred to the NWSL where she currently plays for the Seattle Reign.

Not only did Jordyn Huitema play hockey herself, but she also part of a hockey playing family, particularly her 6-foot-7 older brother Trent Huitema. Trent Huitema played in the BCHL with the the Surrey Eagles, in the SJHL with the Humboldt Broncos, and a handful of games in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs.

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