Some hockey players eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. Madeline Wethington, the newest member of PWHL Ottawa, does all those things and more—much more.
“I've had two dreams my entire life,” said Wethington. “My first dream has been playing in the Olympics for the United States. And the second is to go to medical school and become a physician. And I've literally had those dreams since I was probably five years old.”
At the 2024 PWHL Draft, Wethington promoted her chances of going to the Olympics with Team USA when she was selected by PWHL Ottawa in the 7th round of the draft, held in Wethington’s home state of Minnesota.
“I was anxiously waiting in the seat which is not the funnest thing to do,” said Wethington. “So that was definitely difficult, but also very exciting once I finally got called. And I just had a feeling I was going to Ottawa.”
One reason she felt it was destiny to play for Ottawa was that she has always wanted to become a doctor like her grandfather, and he began his medical career in the Canadian capital.
“My grandfather went to the University of Ottawa for medical school. So I was talking to my dad and my dad was saying, ‘this might be meant to be--for you to go to Ottawa.’ When I got drafted to Ottawa, the next day my dad was finding letters his grandfather wrote about his time in Ottawa.”
Wethington says her grandfather, who has now passed away, “inspired my decision to go into medicine.”
Right after being drafted, Wethington fired off applications to 20 medical schools.
Wethington played a starring role at the University of Minnesota as an excellent two-way defender.
Following her exit from collegiate sports in a wild four overtime game in the NCAA quarterfinals, Wethington knew she wanted to continue playing after her college career.
“I played in the four overtime game against Clarkson in the NCAA quarterfinals, and when they scored, I just felt like I immediately felt a sense of, okay, this isn't over,” she said. “I just have so much more to give. I've a lot more in my ceiling in terms of a hockey player. And I just felt like I was doing a disservice to myself, if I didn't give it a chance.”
The 5-foot-10 Wethington describes her game succinctly, “I have a really good hockey IQ, I'm competitive, I don't like to lose at all. I'm going to battle super hard."
Wethington comes from a hockey family. Her two aunts were hockey legends Winny Brodt-Brown and Chelsey Brodt-Rosenthal who both played at the University of Minnesota. Meanwhile, her sister Audrey played with her at the University of Minnesota. Madeline Wethington played 172 games for Minnesota scoring 100 points over five seasons. Prior to joining Minnesota she won three gold medals with Team USA at the U-18 World Championships, and was named Minnesota's 2019 Ms. Hockey.
Madeline and Audrey, who are just a year apart in age, have been tied at the hip throughout their lives, taking the same classes, working in the same research lab, and playing on the same hockey team every season except one.
“Audrey has been my best friend since she was born, honestly,” said Wethington. “We're honestly around each other 24/7. So, when one of us isn't with each other, people are like, ‘Oh, where's Madeline?’ or ‘Where's Audrey?’”
Audrey Wethington will be entering her senior year at the University of Minnesota in the Fall.
Nevertheless, Madeline is excited to head to Ottawa. She is looking forward to returning to her hometown rink, the Xcel Energy Centre, on the opposition side.
“It will be honestly very strange because I've always been a Minnesota sports fan,” said Wethington. “I do really want to beat them and shush their crowd and make the Xcel Energy Centre completely silent.”
Wethington is also excited to come to Ottawa also because it is a bilingual city. She was in French immersion until grade five and continued taking French classes through high school.
“I'm excited to get back into my French skills and continue to learn. I downloaded Duolingo to continue,“ said Wethington. “I'm at a pretty high level right now. I can fully understand it, read it, and listen to it. But it's more the speaking aspect that is harder for me.”
She also hopes to turn her interest in medicine to community service.
“I asked PWHL Ottawa after I was drafted how much engagement the team gets with the community? Community outreach is super important for me," Wethington said. "I am looking into volunteering at Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.”
But Wethington knows her first task in Ottawa will be to battle it out for a final spot on the blueline.
“There's a large depth of D which is great. I think defence wins championships. Every defender wants to play big minutes. Savannah Harmon wants to play big minutes, Jincy Roese wants to play big minutes. Everyone wants to play big minutes. It's going to be a matter of who comes to training camp the most prepared and ready to go.”
“I want to be a part of this. I want to have this experience and say I played in the PWHL and was a professional hockey player. And my grandkids can say their grandma played in the PWHL.”
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