Britta Curl-Salemme Bio
Britta Curl-Salemme (née Curl; born March 20, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey forward who most recently played for the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and is a member of the United States women’s national ice hockey team. A left-shooting forward listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 170 pounds, she is recognized for her physical style, scoring touch, and championship resume at every level she has played. In 2026, she signed a three-year contract with PWHL Detroit.
Early Life and Background
Britta Curl-Salemme was born on March 20, 2000, in Bismarck, North Dakota, to Bill and Gretchen Curl. She was raised alongside two brothers, Byrne and Cullen, and a younger sister, Brenna, in a Catholic household shaped by a strong athletic routine. Her mother worked as a physician, while her father retired early to help raise the four children. The family built a backyard ice rink each winter, where Britta began skating at age three and often chased her older brother around the ice during pickup games.
She credits her three siblings with creating a competitive family dynamic that sharpened her playing style from a young age. Britta Curl-Salemme played boys’ youth hockey until eighth grade, when she joined the Bismarck Blizzard, the co-op girls’ hockey team representing Bismarck’s high schools. She attended St. Mary’s Central High School, a private Catholic school in her hometown, where she also competed in soccer, track and field, and briefly served as a kicker for the football team.
Path to Hockey
During five seasons with the Bismarck Blizzard, Britta Curl-Salemme recorded 189 goals and 116 assists, leading the program to four consecutive state championships from 2015 to 2018 and serving as captain for three of those title-winning teams. She was the leading scorer in North Dakota during her sophomore and junior seasons, and was named state tournament MVP in 2018 after scoring twice in a 3-0 championship win over Fargo North-South. Her dominance at the high school level positioned her as one of the top collegiate recruits in the country.
In 2018, she joined the University of Wisconsin, where she would develop into a national champion and program legend. Britta Curl-Salemme quickly announced herself at the college level, tying a career high with three points in a single game as a freshman and finishing her rookie year with 22 goals and 11 assists. She became the seventh Badgers freshman to reach the 20-goal mark, helping Wisconsin capture the 2019 national championship in her first season.
Britta Curl-Salemme Career
Early Career (2018–2021)
Britta Curl-Salemme spent five seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, becoming one of the most decorated players in program history. As a sophomore in 2019–20 she recorded 16 goals and nine assists in 36 games before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. She was named an alternate captain for 2020–21 and helped the Badgers repeat as national champions, contributing seven goals and ten assists in 21 games during the shortened junior campaign.
She was also selected for her first senior national team that spring, representing the United States at the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Calgary and earning a silver medal. After the season, she spent a year away from Wisconsin in the U.S. residency program preparing for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where she was eventually called up as a replacement player but was unable to travel after testing positive for COVID-19.
Wisconsin Captaincy and Record Books (2022–2024)
Britta Curl-Salemme served as captain during her final two collegiate seasons, leading the Badgers to another national championship in 2023 with 19 goals and 23 assists in 41 games. She ranked second on the team in points and led Wisconsin in goals, tying for the team lead in game-winning and power-play goals. In her senior year, she posted a career-high 62 points on 22 goals and 40 assists, setting a school record by scoring in 11 consecutive games between September and November 2023.
She closed her college career as Wisconsin’s all-time leader in games played with 181, ranking seventh in program history in goals, 14th in assists, and ninth in points with 179. Across five seasons, she helped the Badgers reach four national finals and win three national championships. Her leadership and consistency cemented her legacy as one of the greatest Badgers in program history.
Minnesota Frost Era (2024–2026)
On June 10, 2024, Britta Curl-Salemme was selected in the second round, ninth overall, by PWHL Minnesota in the 2024 PWHL Draft, and signed a two-year contract on June 21, 2024. The franchise was later rebranded as the Minnesota Frost. In her rookie season she scored her first two PWHL goals on December 7, 2024, against the Toronto Sceptres, finishing the regular year with nine goals, six assists, and 15 points in 28 games while leading the team with 24 penalty minutes.
Her most dramatic moment came during Game 2 of the 2025 PWHL Finals against the Ottawa Charge, when she scored the game-tying goal with 16 seconds left in regulation and added the overtime winner at 16:24 to even the series. She helped the Frost capture their second consecutive Walter Cup that spring. On October 6, 2025, she signed a two-year extension with Minnesota through 2027–28, and during the 2025–26 regular season she recorded 11 goals and 18 assists in 30 games, setting a new single-season league record for assists with 18.
Driving Style and Strengths
Britta Curl-Salemme is best known for her physical, hard-nosed approach combined with a reliable scoring touch and strong special-teams play. She plays with an edge that has occasionally drawn league discipline, including multiple suspensions during her rookie year, yet she is equally effective on the power play and in late-game situations. Her composure in hostile environments, highlighted by her performance in Ottawa during the 2025 Finals, has earned praise from coaches and teammates alike.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among her most memorable achievements are her overtime winner in the 2025 PWHL Finals, her single-season PWHL assist record set in 2025–26, and her three NCAA national championships with Wisconsin. Internationally, she has represented the United States at two Olympic Games and multiple World Championships, contributing key goals on some of the sport’s biggest stages.
Britta Curl-Salemme Career Wins
Across her career, Britta Curl-Salemme has accumulated an impressive championship resume at every level of the sport. She has won three NCAA national championships with the University of Wisconsin, two IIHF Women’s World Championship gold medals, one Olympic gold medal, and two Walter Cup championships with the Minnesota Frost.
NCAA Highlights
Britta Curl-Salemme helped Wisconsin win national championships in 2019, 2021, and 2023, appearing in four championship finals across her five college seasons. She set a program record for consecutive games with a goal scored during her senior year and finished as Wisconsin’s all-time leader in games played. Her individual accolades include multiple WCHA weekly honors during her freshman season.
Other Wins & Performances
In high school, she led the Bismarck Blizzard to four consecutive North Dakota state championships from 2015 to 2018, serving as captain for three of those title-winning teams. Internationally, she captured a gold medal at the 2018 IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship in Russia, scoring twice in the gold medal game against Sweden.
Britta Curl-Salemme Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Britta Curl-Salemme was raised in a tight-knit Catholic family in Bismarck, North Dakota, by her parents Bill and Gretchen Curl. Her father built a backyard ice rink each winter that became the foundation of her hockey development, and her mother worked as a physician. She has two brothers, Byrne and Cullen, and a younger sister, Brenna, who currently plays hockey for the Maine Black Bears.
Personal Life
Britta Curl-Salemme married former Wisconsin Badgers wrestler Andrew Salemme on September 7, 2024. She is a practicing Catholic and remains closely connected to her family, who continue to play a central role in her athletic journey. Her siblings’ ongoing involvement in sports, particularly her sister Brenna’s collegiate career, reflects the family’s deeply rooted athletic tradition.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 calendar year was a defining period for Britta Curl-Salemme, marked by both regular-season productivity and postseason heroics. During the 2024–25 PWHL regular season, she finished with 15 points in 28 games and ranked among the league’s top rookies. She elevated her game when it mattered most, scoring the game-tying and overtime-winning goals in Game 2 of the 2025 Walter Cup Finals to help Minnesota capture its second consecutive championship.
On the international stage, she helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship in the Czechia. Her momentum carried into the 2025–26 PWHL season, where she set a new single-season league record with 18 assists and ranked third in league scoring with 29 points in 30 games. She also signed a two-year contract extension with the Frost on October 6, 2025, underscoring her value as a cornerstone of the franchise.
Looking ahead, Britta Curl-Salemme was named to the United States roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, where she continued to contribute on the sport’s biggest stage. Her blend of physicality, scoring touch, and late-game poise made her one of the most impactful players of the year. With a long-term future in Detroit secured and a growing international résumé, she entered the next phase of her career as one of the most prominent American forwards in women’s hockey.
