OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, WORLD CHAMPION

PWHL TORONTO #6

Olympic Gold Medalist, World Champion and PHF Champion Kali Flanagan fell in love with hockey at a young age and never looked back.  Born and raised in Burlington, MA (just outside of Boston), Kali first started skating (in figure skates) shortly after she learned to walk.  When she was six years old, she decided that she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father- who played collegiate hockey at RPI- and switched to hockey.  The moment she put on hockey skates and first held a stick in her hand, Kali knew that she had found her passion.  

Kali grew up playing on local all-boys’ teams and spent almost her entire childhood until high school playing for the Northern Cyclones organization (coached by her dad, Bill).  As an 8th grader, Kali was pushed up to the Varsity High School team- the first all-women’s team she had ever played on.  It wasn’t until she watched women’s hockey at the 2010 Olympic Games that she truly realized that she could chase her dreams to the Olympic level.  From that moment, her sights were set on making an Olympic team.

As Kali entered high school the following term, she chose to attend the National Sports Academy School in Lake Placid, NY where she could focus on both academics and training for elite hockey.  She returned home to Burlington for her final year of high school playing for her high school team.  Though Kali did not make a single U18 National Team, she was determined to stop at nothing until she reached her goals.

Following high school, Kali accepted a full-scholarship to Boston College (BC) where she really began to shine on the ice.  Team USA took notice of her skills and invited her to national team training camps after her first semester at BC, and she was named to her first US National Team in 2015- at the U22 level.  At BC, Kali helped her team to two undefeated regular seasons, two Hockey East Championship titles, two Beanpot Championship titles, and a run to the final game of the Frozen Four National Championship, before being named Captain her senior year.

Kali was named to her first Senior US National Team for the 2017 World Championships.  In a span of just over two years, Kali helped the US Women’s National Team dominate the sport, winning two Four-Nations Cup Championships (2017, 2018), 2017 World Championships (first-ever gold medal won on home soil at a World Championships) and reaching the pinnacle of ice hockey, capturing the 2018 Olympic Gold medal in PyeongChang, South Korea with Team USA.

Following the 2018 Olympics, Kali graduated from BC in May 2019 majoring in Psychology.  After graduating from college, Kali continued to play for Team USA. In 2021, Kali joined the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) - the only professional women’s hockey league in North America- playing for the Boston Pride. While in her first season with the Pride (2021-2022) Kali was named an All-Star and helped lead the Pride to a season-winning Isobel Cup Championship title, leading the league in points during the playoffs tournament.  During her second year with the Pride, Kali was again named a PHF All-Star and helped lead her team to a regular-season champions finish.

In July of 2023 the Professional Women’s Hockey League was announced. The inaugural PWHL draft was held on September 18th, 2024 and Kali was drafted to Toronto in the sixth round going 35th overall. The PWHL season kicked off in January of 2024 and the league boasts an enormous amount of visibility and record breaking crowds including an arena full of 19,285 fans at Scotiabank arena vs. PWHL Montreal.