University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Ink Allard, Schalin to 2026–27 Roster
4/21/2026 12:18:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota head women's hockey coach Greg "Boom" May has announced the addition of transfer forwards Ashley Allard and Julia Schalin to the Gophers' roster ahead of the 2026–27 season.
Allard joins Minnesota following a standout three-year career with the Huskies, while Schalin arrives after two highly productive seasons at Mercyhurst. Both bring proven offensive production and championship experience to the Maroon and Gold.
Ashley Allard | Forward | Junior
Allard skated in 37 games during the 2025–26 season, posting career highs with 10 goals, 18 assists, and 28 points. She ranked fourth on the team in scoring and finished second with a +21 rating, helping UConn to the 2025–26 Hockey East Championship. In the title game, Allard assisted on the double-overtime game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Northeastern.
As a sophomore in 2024–25, Allard earned Hockey East Third Team All-Star honors after appearing in all 36 games. She led the team with 19 assists and totaled 26 points (7g-19a), while posting a +12 rating. A strong presence at the faceoff dot, she recorded a .605 faceoff percentage (352-for-582) and tallied two game-winning goals. Her 0.53 assists per game ranked second in Hockey East. The Huskies finished as the regular season Champions of Hockey East with 58 points.
During her freshman campaign in 2023–24, Allard appeared in all 38 games, registering six goals and 10 assists. She recorded a +18 rating and earned Hockey East All-Academic honors. Allard was part of a UConn team that claimed both the Hockey East regular season and tournament championships, finishing with a program best 25 wins.
"Ashley is a strong center with great size, who can skate with the top players in the country, and has been consistently strong on faceoffs," said May. "She has steadily increased her offensive numbers every year. Ashley brings three years of experience to us from a winning program where she played in two NCAA tournaments and won either a regular season conference or playoff championship in each of her three years."
Julia Schalin | Forward | Sophomore
Schalin brings international experience and dynamic scoring ability to Minnesota after two seasons at Mercyhurst. As a sophomore in 2025–26, she appeared in 33 games, tallying nine goals and 22 assists for 31 points, ranking third on the team in scoring. She added four power-play goals and earned AHA Forward of the Week honors twice during the season.
Schalin also competed on the international stage, representing Finland at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, where she recorded an assist against Czechia.
In her freshman season (2024–25), Schalin played in 37 games and led all AHA rookies in scoring with 32 points (14g-18a). She ranked second on the team in goals, assists, and total points, earning AHA Rookie of the Year honors.
Prior to her collegiate career, Schalin competed for Kiekko Espoo in Finland, where she won two national championships. She represented Finland at the IIHF U18 Women's World Championships in 2022 and 2023, earning a bronze medal in 2022, and later skated for the Finnish senior national team at the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship.
"Julia brings invaluable international experience to our group, having most recently participated in the Olympics with Team Finland," said May. "She is a dynamic 200-foot player who competes with and without the puck in all three zones. Julia has had over 60 points across her first two years in college hockey and we only expect that to continue to grow here at Minnesota."