| Tessa Janecke | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (2004-05-12)May 12, 2004 (age 21) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NCAA team | Penn State | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||
Tessa Janecke (born May 12, 2004) is an Americancollege ice hockey player forPenn State and a member of theUnited States women's national ice hockey team. A two-time world champion with Team USA, she scored the overtime game-winning goal in the2025 World Championship gold medal game against Canada. At the collegiate level, she is Penn State's all-time leading scorer, a two-time conference player of the year, back-to-backPatty Kazmaier Award top-ten finalist, and theHCA National Rookie of the Year in 2023.
Janecke attendedOrangeville High School remotely while she attended North American Hockey Academy. During her senior season, she captained the Winter Hawks and recorded 46 goals and 76 assists in 78 games. She lettered in ice hockey and softball for four years. In December 2018, she verbally committed toPenn State University.[1] She was named a three-time First Team-All State honoree as a softball player in high school. She was named the 2021 Softball Player of the Year by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) after she helped lead Orangeville to a third-place finish in the Class 1A state softball tournament.[2][3]
Janecke began hercollegiate career forPenn State during the2022–23 season.[2] She made her debut on September 22, 2022, in a game againstWisconsin, where she scored two goals and one assist.[4] During September and October, she recorded nine goals and five assists for 14 points. She also recorded four multi-point games, including two multi-goal games. She was subsequently named theCollege Hockey America (CHA) Rookie of the Month for October, her first monthly honor.[5] She was named the Hockey Commissioners Association Women's National Rookie of the Month in December 2022, after she recorded three goals and six assists for nine points during the month. She became the third Nittany Lion player ever to win a national Player of the Month award.[6] She led the team in points for February, scoring five goals and seven assists for 12 points. She also recorded four multi-point games in the six games played in the month. She was subsequently named the CHA Forward of the Month and Rookie of the Month.[7]
On February 25, 2023, during the CHA semifinals, Janecke recorded her first careerhat-trick in a game againstLindenwood. This was the second hat-trick in program history scored during the postseason.[8] With the win, Penn State advanced to their first CHA Championship game in program history.[9] During the championship game againstMercyhurst, Janekce assisted on the game-winning overtime goal, to help Penn State win their first CHA tournament championship and advance to theNCAA women's ice hockey tournament for the first time in program history.[10] During her freshman year she recorded 22 goals and 25 assists in 38 games.[11] She set the single-season program records for freshman points, assists and goals. Her 47 points tied for first among freshmen, while her 22 goals ranked second in the nation.[12] Following an outstanding season she was named to the USCHO All-Rookie Team, USCHO Co-Rookie of the Year, CHA Rookie of the Year andHCA National Rookie of the Year.[13][14][15]
During the2023–24 season, in her sophomore year, she recorded 17 goals and 36 assists in 37 games. She led the nation in faceoff wins with 607. After scoring a goal on February 23, 2024, during the second game of the CHA tournament semifinals, she reached the 100 points milestone. In just 74 games played, she became the fastest player in program history to reach the milestone.[16][17] She was named CHA Forward of the Week four times and CHA Forward of the Month three times. Following the season she was named first-team All-CHA, CHA Player of the Year and CHA Forward of the Year.[18] She was also named a top-ten finalist for thePatty Kazmaier Award.[19]
During the2024–25 season, in her junior year, she recorded 24 goals and 29 assists in 38 games. On January 25, 2025, in a game against Lindenwood, she recorded a goal to become Penn State's all-time leading scorer, male or female, with 141 points.[20][21] She recorded 28 points in conference play, and was named the AHA scoring champion. She led the AHA in points, points per game, goals, goals per game, shots (205), shots per game (5.69) and plus/minus (+36). She also ranked second in assists, assists per game, and power play goals and tied for third in short-handed goals. Following the season she was named first-team All-AHA, AHA Player of the Year and AHA Forward of the Year.[22] She was also named a top-ten finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award for the second consecutive year.[23]
Janecke represented theUnited States at the2022 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship where she recorded three goals and three assists in five games and won a silver medal.[24][25]
On April 1, 2023, she was named to the roster for theUnited States at the2023 IIHF Women's World Championship, where she made her senior national team debut. During the tournament she recorded three goals and three assists in seven games and won a gold medal.[26] On March 31, 2024, she was again named to the United States roster for the2024 IIHF Women's World Championship. During the tournament she recorded one goal and three assists in seven games and won a silver medal.[27][28]
On March 5, 2025, she was again selected to represent the United States at the2025 IIHF Women's World Championship.[29] During the tournament she recorded three goals and three assists in seven games and won a gold medal. She scored the game-winning overtime goal in the gold medal game againstCanada.[30][31]
On December 11, 2025, Janecke scored a goal in a 10-4 victory versus Canada. Held in Edmonton, Alberta, this was the third game of the 2025 Rivalry Series, marking the first time that theCanadian women's national ice hockey team allowed 10 goals in a loss to the United States.[32]
On January 2, 2026, she was named to team USA's roster to compete at the2026 Winter Olympics.[33] Janecke was one of four Nittany Lions participating in women's ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, includingMatilde Fantin, skating for Team Italy, plus Jessica Adolfsson and Nicole Hall, both members of Team Sweden.[34]
In the first game for the US at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Janecke recorded a pair of assists,[35] including the assist onJoy Dunne's first Olympic goal, as the US bested Czechia by a 5-1 score.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2022–23 | Penn State University | CHA | 38 | 22 | 25 | 47 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Penn State University | CHA | 37 | 17 | 36 | 53 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Penn State University | AHA | 38 | 24 | 29 | 53 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA totals | 113 | 63 | 90 | 153 | 151 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | United States | U18 |  | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2023 | United States | WC |  | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2024 | United States | WC | | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2025 | United States | WC | | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||||
| Senior totals | 21 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Honors | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| USCHO All-Rookie Team | 2023 | [36] |
| USCHO Co-Rookie of the Year | 2023 | |
| CHA Rookie of the Year | 2023 | [37] |
| HCA National Rookie of the Year | 2023 | [38] |
| First Team All-CHA | 2024 | [39] |
| CHA Player of the Year | 2024 | |
| CHA Forward of the Year | 2024 | |
| CCM/AHCA Second Team All-American | 2024 | [40] |
| First Team All-AHA | 2025 | [41] |
| AHA Player of the Year | 2025 | |
| AHA Forward of the Year | 2025 | |
