This May, Natálie Mlýnková ’24, playing for the Montreal Victoire of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, helped bring that team their first Walter Cup—the PWHL version of the NHL’s Stanley Cup. In October, Mlýnková brought the cup to Burlington, where stu-dents, faculty, staff, and local fans had a chance to see the trophy up close. Helping to win the Walter Cup is just the latest chapter of success on the ice for Mlýnková. As a Catamount hockey player, she helped lead the team to the Hockey East semifinals in back-to-back seasons with program-record 22-win campaigns. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, skating for Czechia, she became the first UVM skater to score a goal in the women’s tournament. She’s currently Czechia’s all-time leading scorer at the Olympics, with four goals. She won back-to-back bronze medals at the 2022 and 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championships.
“Obviously, it’s a huge accomplishment,” Mlýnková said of the PWHL title. “A lot of people behind it that supported me and helped me to develop, especially here at UVM. I’m really grateful for having that opportunity and just having the community behind me.”
This December, Mlýnková is moving on to the San Jose PWHL team, where she’ll join her old teammate, Evelyne Blais Savoie ’25.