Kelly Pannek Bio
Kelly Maureen Pannek is an American professional ice hockey player who plays forward for the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). Born on December 29, 1995, in Plymouth, Minnesota, she is recognized as one of the top playmakers in women’s hockey, with a career built on vision, skating, and leadership. An alternate captain for Minnesota, Pannek has won back-to-back Walter Cup championships with the Frost in 2024 and 2025 and has earned three Olympic medals with the United States.
Internationally, Pannek has represented the United States since 2017, capturing gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics, silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and gold again at the 2026 Winter Olympics. She has also won four gold medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championship and has been a regular contributor on the U.S. national team throughout her professional career.
Early Life and Background
Kelly Maureen Pannek was born on December 29, 1995, in Plymouth, Minnesota, to parents Molly and Todd Pannek. She grew up in Plymouth alongside two older sisters, Allie and Amy, and a younger brother, Billy. Pannek has often credited her multi-sport upbringing as essential to her athletic development, recalling a childhood spent playing baseball, basketball, and outdoor games with neighborhood kids before specializing in hockey.
Pannek attended Benilde-St. Margaret’s, a Catholic school in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, where she was a dual-sport varsity athlete for four years. In hockey, she led the Red Knights in scoring as a freshman and, as a sophomore in 2012, set a Minnesota state record for the fastest natural hat trick, scoring three consecutive goals in 22 seconds. She was a four-time Star Tribune all-metro honoree and a finalist for the Minnesota Ms. Hockey Award in 2014.
In soccer, Pannek was a six-time varsity letter winner who played midfielder and scored 99 career points. She led the Red Knights to back-to-back Minnesota state soccer championships in 2012 and 2013 and was named 2013 Minnesota Ms. Soccer. Despite drawing Division I interest in both sports, she chose to focus solely on hockey at the University of Minnesota. Pannek was also a National Honor Society member and a high honor roll student.
Path to Hockey
Pannek’s path to elite hockey began with a record-setting high school career at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, where her scoring touch and hockey sense quickly marked her as a top prospect. Her 22-second natural hat trick made statewide headlines and underlined a finishing instinct that translated seamlessly to higher levels. By the end of her senior year, she was regarded as one of the most decorated high school hockey players in Minnesota.
That reputation earned her a roster spot with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, where she would spend four seasons developing into one of the nation’s premier forwards. The decision to focus on hockey allowed her to channel her athletic versatility into a single craft, and her college production quickly validated the choice. She emerged as a faceoff specialist, a creative passer, and a trusted leader before her senior year was even complete.
Kelly Pannek Career
Early Career (2014–2018)
Pannek played four seasons for the University of Minnesota between 2014 and 2019, recording 186 points (72 goals, 114 assists) in 157 games. As a freshman in 2014–15, she led all NCAA rookies with 44 points and earned All-USCHO Rookie Team and WCHA All-Rookie Team honors while helping the Golden Gophers win the 2015 NCAA national championship. Her sophomore season brought a career-high 49 points and six game-winning goals.
During her junior year in 2016–17, Pannek recorded 62 points in 39 games, was named a First-Team All-American by the AHCA, and was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. She then took a redshirt year in 2017–18 to train with the U.S. Women’s National Team ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics, where she won Olympic gold. Returning as team captain in 2018–19, she finished her collegiate career ranked sixth all-time among Golden Gophers with 114 assists and tenth with 186 career points.
PWHPA Years (2019–2023)
Although drafted fourth overall by the Minnesota Whitecaps in the 2018 NWHL Draft, Pannek opted not to sign with the team and instead joined the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) in 2019, advocating for a sustainable professional league. The PWHPA had been founded by over 200 players following the dissolution of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, with the goal of creating a unified, financially stable home for the world’s best women’s players.
From 2020 to 2023, Pannek competed with the PWHPA’s Minnesota regional hub during the Dream Gap Tour, emerging as a leading scorer for Team Adidas (Minnesota) and later Team Harvey’s. She played alongside stars like Kendall Coyne Schofield, Hilary Knight, Hannah Brandt, and Lee Stecklein in showcases held across North America. The PWHPA’s efforts culminated in 2023 with the launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Minnesota Frost Era (2023–Present)
On September 20, 2023, the PWHL announced that Pannek, alongside Kendall Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein, had signed three-year contracts with the Minnesota franchise, making them the team’s first three signings in PWHL history. Named an alternate captain, Pannek recorded four goals and 12 assists in 19 regular season games during the inaugural 2023–24 campaign, helping the Frost rally past Toronto in the semifinals.
In the 2024 Walter Cup Finals against Boston, Minnesota clinched the inaugural PWHL championship with a 3–0 Game 5 road victory on May 29, 2024. Pannek finished the playoffs with two goals and three assists in 10 games, contributing key moments including an assist on Sydney Brodt’s first career PWHL goal in a 4–1 home win. The following season, she added three goals and 11 assists in 30 regular season games and helped the Frost capture a second consecutive Walter Cup with a 3–1 series win over the Ottawa Charge.
Driving Style and Strengths
Pannek is known for her elite playmaking, hockey IQ, and faceoff proficiency, traits that have made her a fixture on the Frost’s top line. Her ability to read the ice and deliver timely stretch passes was central to her iconic assist on the game-tying goal in the 2018 Olympic gold medal game. She pairs those creative instincts with strong two-way responsibility and a leadership presence that has grown with each championship run.
Notable Events and Milestones
Pannek’s most memorable moment came in the 2018 Olympic gold medal game, when her stretch pass to Monique Lamoureux-Morando with 6:21 remaining tied Canada 2–2 and set up the U.S. shootout win. She has also etched her name in Walter Cup history, scoring the go-ahead goal in Minnesota’s 2025 series-clinching Game 4 against Ottawa. In November 2025, she helped the Frost spoil Seattle’s home debut in front of a record 16,014 fans.
Kelly Pannek Career Wins
Kelly Maureen Pannek has assembled an impressive list of team championships across collegiate, professional, and international play, including two NCAA titles, two Walter Cup championships, three Olympic medals, and four IIHF World Championship golds. Her trophy case reflects both consistent team success and a knack for delivering in the biggest moments.
NCAA and PWHL Highlights
Pannek won back-to-back NCAA national championships with the University of Minnesota in 2015 and 2016, serving as a key contributor on both title teams. She then added Walter Cup championships in 2024 and 2025 with the Minnesota Frost, becoming one of the league’s earliest cornerstones. Across her PWHL career, she has been a steady postseason performer, ranking among the team’s most reliable playoff contributors.
International Achievements
On the international stage, Pannek has helped the United States capture Olympic gold in 2018 and 2026, Olympic silver in 2022, and IIHF World Championship gold in 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2025. She also won gold at the 2017 and 2018 Four Nations Cup tournaments and has been a regular participant in the Rivalry Series against Canada since 2019.
Kelly Pannek Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kelly Maureen Pannek was raised in Plymouth, Minnesota, by her parents Molly and Todd Pannek, alongside her two older sisters, Allie and Amy, and her younger brother, Billy. Her parents and siblings have been credited with fostering a household that valued athletics, teamwork, and outdoor play, all of which shaped her development as a multi-sport athlete.
Personal Life
Outside of her playing career, Pannek graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in finance and a minor in supply chain management from the Carlson School of Management. She has also returned to her high school alma mater, Benilde-St. Margaret’s, to serve as co-head coach of the girls hockey program, passing on lessons from her championship journey to the next generation.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 calendar year has been a defining one for Kelly Maureen Pannek, bookended by championship success and individual excellence. In April 2025, she helped the Frost capture their second consecutive Walter Cup, scoring the go-ahead goal in Game 4 of the Finals against Ottawa. She then traveled to the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship in the Czech Republic, where she finished fourth in tournament scoring with seven points in seven games as the United States won gold.
Entering her third PWHL season as an alternate captain, Pannek opened the 2025–26 campaign in outstanding form, recording eight points in her first six games to tie for the league scoring lead. On November 28, 2025, she scored twice in a 3–0 road win over the Seattle Torrent, spoiling Seattle’s home debut in front of a record-breaking crowd of 16,014 fans. Through the early season, her shot rate and primary-assist totals climbed sharply from a year ago, signaling a more aggressive offensive role.
Between PWHL games, Pannek represented the United States in the 2025–26 Rivalry Series, scoring three goals and one assist in four games and ranking fifth in series scoring. Her two-goal performance in a historic 10–4 win over Canada on December 11, 2025, marked the first time the Canadian women had ever allowed 10 goals in a loss to the U.S. With the 2026 Winter Olympics on the horizon, Pannek has positioned herself as a central figure in both Minnesota’s title defense and Team USA’s gold-medal pursuit.
