VIVA LAS VEGAS: Issy Wunder fires a shot during her career with the Princeton University women’s hockey team. Wunder, who was named the Ivy League Player of the Year in her senior campaign this past winter, ended up totaling 146 points on 70 goals and 76 assists in her time with the Tigers. Wunder is heading to the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) this fall after being picked 13th overall by Las Vegas in the second round of the league’s draft this June. (Photo by Steven Wojtowicz)
By Bill Alden
As Issy Wunder concentrated on becoming a go-to scorer for the Princeton University women’s hockey team over the last four years, she had another goal in the back of her mind.
With the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) getting off the ground, star forward Wunder set her sights on someday playing at the pro level.
“A couple of years ago when the league was first announced, it was definitely on my radar from the start,” said Wunder, noting that former Tiger teammates like Maggie Connors and Sarah Fillier went on to play in the league. “Those are some of my best friends so when you see them having this incredible experience playing professional hockey, it is such a dream. It is really, really exciting the way the league is growing. Obviously my focus was on Princeton but I was striving and hoping to play in the league.”
Wunder, who ended up tallying 146 points on 70 goals and 76 assists to graduate as the 12th leading scorer in program history, had her dream come true as she was picked 13th overall by Las Vegas in the second round of the PWHL draft this June.
“I was at the draft actually,” said the 5’11 Wunder, who hails from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “My parents were there and my brother was there. It was in Detroit so it was a drive down,” said Wunder, who was one of the three Princeton players selected in the draft as her classmates Jane Kuehl and Emerson O’Leary were both picked by Toronto. “It was such a special night to be able to share it with my family. When you are drafted you are walking down to the stage by yourself but I wouldn’t be there without the support of my entire family.”
Looking back on her senior season, Wunder is leaving Princeton with special memories.
“I honestly think it was just a lot of fun,” said Wunder, reflecting on a 2025-26 campaign that saw the Tigers go 23-11 and tie for the ECAC Hockey regular season championship on the way to make their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2019. “Obviously winning games makes hockey a lot more fun. The camaraderie and the culture we had in the room just made it extremely fun to show up to the rink each day. You are going to win some and you are going to lose some, but when you genuinely love the people you are with each day it makes the season a lot more enjoyable.”
Wunder had a lot of fun playing on a line last winter with classmate Emerson O’Leary and sophomore Mackenzie Alexander.
“Playing with them the last two years, we definitely developed a chemistry,” said Wunder, who tallied 27 goals and 16 assists last season and was named the Ivy League Player of the Year and was a first-team All-ECAC Hockey selection. “They both just think the game so well. They are fast, they are skilled, they have good hockey IQ. When you spend two years playing with people you start learning their habits. What really helps us is that we were all comfortable in our roles on the line. All of us did different things out there. We weren’t trying to be people who we were not and I think that really led to a lot of success, just appreciating what the other girls had to offer.”
Wunder looked to offer a target in the crease for O’Leary and Alexander.
“I tried to just get open and find space — they are both such good distributors,” said Wunder. “It was just trying to find space, find seams, getting behind the defense or sometimes getting lost in the zone.”
As Wunder went through her career, she focused on being more of a force all over the ice.
“Something that I worked on a lot over the four years was confidence and playing off the puck,” said Wunder. “It is hard to make the transition, you are not always going to be as impactful as you were playing in juniors and high school right away. It takes time. I was fortunate to be surrounded by amazing teammates. They really want to push you and let you reach your potential at that level. I am really happy with the way that I was able to improve from year to year. Playing off the puck is something that Cara (former Princeton head coach Cara Morey) was really on me in the first couple of years to be strong on my feet and being good defensively.”
For Wunder, ending her college career by playing in the NCAA tournament was a good way to go out.
“It was such a cool opportunity — back-to-back two weekends, straight from Lake Placid and the ECAC tournament to Penn State,” said Wunder of the run which saw the Tigers fall 4-1 to Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA tourney. “It is something we aspire to each year. Specifically for it to be our senior season to know that we are going out on a high note and reaching that level for the program is really important. They have a really strong returning core coming back next season. Once you have been there, it makes it a lot easier in the coming years to know that you can get that.”
Wunder experienced another high note in her final campaign as she received the ECAC Hockey’s Mandi Schwartz Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
“It is such a big honor; I feel grateful that my name was in the conversation,” said Wunder, who is the first Tiger to win the honor. “When you read the bios of girls who have won it in years past and knowing about Mandi’s story herself, just to have your name associated with them like that it is a huge honor. It is also a testament to the league carrying on her legacy and inspiring girls to be that person. That is something the award really focuses on and something for everybody in the league, no matter what school you go to, to try and emulate.”
Off the ice, Wunder was inspired to make the most of her Princeton experience.
“I think it is indescribable how much I have grown as a person,” said Wunder, a psychology major with a minor in neuroscience who has a 3.92 GPA and was the team’s lead ambassador for the Let Her Play campaign last year. She has served as a volunteer for Reading for the Tigers, coaching Barbies at Baker, and has served as a mentor for young hockey players in Toronto. “Waking up each day on the Princeton campus, I think it really is one of the special places in the world. To be surrounded by world class athletes, world class professors and such smart students, it is impossible not to grow in an environment like that. No matter who you are, whether you are an athlete or not, everyone is shooting for the stars waking up each day and trying to get one percent better each day. For sure, that has made me a more well-rounded person.”
In shooting for the PWHL, Wunder sensed that she was going to get a chance to play in the league.
“My biggest takeaway from the pre-draft process was just trying to soak it all in,” said Wunder. “It was a new experience for me and my parents. I had some amazing agents who were really helpful from start to finish. It really let me not be too worried about it. In a situation like that, I was just hoping to hear my name called, I wasn’t super concerned about where. When it happened and to go to Vegas of all the cities, it doesn’t get cooler than that.”
Getting advice from her former teammates helped Wunder get through the process.
“I have tried to be a sponge with them since the first day I met them,” said Wunder. “When you have teammates like that to look up to and they are sharing their experiences, it is invaluable. In the lead up to the draft, just talking to them, people who have been through it themselves, it is lot easier to have faith in their advice and know what they are saying is true and actually believe it. I am super, super grateful that I have had then to lean on for questions, whether they are big or small.”
Seeing her classmates Kuehl and O’Leary also getting picked was a big plus for Wunder.
“I couldn’t be happier, I couldn’t be prouder,” said Wunder. “The fact that they are both going to Toronto, my hometown, I am super excited for them. Nobody is a bigger fan of the city of Toronto than me. I think that they are going to have an awesome time getting to go there and live there. They are both such superstars in their own ways.”
In aftermath of the draft, Wunder has been putting in a lot of time on her game as she prepares to make the jump to the pro level.
“I am super excited for the summer — it is a much longer offseason,” said Wunder. “We don’t start playing until November. It is trying to maximize my time in the gym and maximize my time off the ice. The pro game is definitely going to be a step up in the speed and physicality. The stronger and faster I can get basically will hopefully help. It is a combination of different groups I am skating with. I am working with a trainer — I think it is my sixth summer with him. I feel pretty comfortable with where I am at. I am excited because there is definitely a lot of room to grow. With four months as a runway, I really, really want to get down to the specifics of some of my weaker points and improve those for the pro level.”
Looking ahead to her rookie campaign, Wunder is determined to do wherever the squad needs from her.
“I am taking it day by day,” said Wunder. “I want to have an open mind and come to training camp as the best version of myself and help the team however I can, on and off the ice.”
With Las Vegas coming into the PWHL as an expansion franchise, Wunder is relishing the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the organization.
“It is cool, not everyone gets that kind of experience being able to build a culture and build an environment from the ground up,” said Wunder. “I am really excited and everything that I have heard about Vegas and what they are getting started. It is going to be a really professional environment. They are laying the foundation for the players to succeed. It is super exciting starting from scratch and being part of an inaugural season.”