Casey O’Brien, Kirsten Simms and Izzy Daniel named top-three finalists for Patty Kazmaier Award

Three of the country’s best hockey players have been selected as finalists for the most prestigious individual accolade in women’s collegiate hockey.

On Wednesday, the USA Hockey Foundation revealed that University of Wisconsin stars Casey O’Brien and Kirsten Simms and Cornell’s Izzy Daniel are the top three 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award finalists.

Simms was one of the most dominant players in college hockey this season. The sophomore led the NCAA with 71 points, earning the WCHA Player of the Year and Forward of the Year awards. Simms averaged just under two points a game, and led the Buckeyes to the conference championship when they took down no. 1 Ohio State in the title game this past weekend.

O’Brien was another big-time player on a stacked Badgers team that has aspirations of winning its second consecutive national championship. The senior forward was second to Simms with 69 points, leading the country with 47 assists. The Milton, Massachusetts native, like Simms, earned First Team All-WCHA honors.

It is the first time that one school has had multiple finalists for the Patty Kaz since Minnesota had all three finalists in 2013.

Daniel might be the odd one out, but she is no one to snuff at. The Minneapolis native has grown from a supporting character on a dominant Big Red team in 2020, to becoming one of the most dominant threats in the ECAC. The senior was named conference forward and player of the year, and was third in the NCAA in points per game behind the two Badgers (1.72).

This is the first time since 2004, and the fifth time in the award’s history, that the final three players are American.

The winner of the Patty Kaz will be announced on Saturday, March 23. The ceremony will be broadcast live on NHL Network at 12:30 p.m. ET during Women’s Frozen Four weekend.

The NCAA Women’s Hockey Tournament gets underway on Thursday. Check out my full tournament preview on Daily Faceoff.