Ava Rinker
American ice hockey player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ava Rinker (born November 25, 2002) is an American ice hockey defenceman currently as a reserve player for the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She played college ice hockey for the UConn Huskies. She was selected 30th overall by the Minnesota Frost in the 2025 PWHL Draft.
| Ava Rinker | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
November 25, 2002 Elverson, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| PWHL team | Minnesota Frost | ||
| Playing career | 2025–present | ||
Early life
Rinker is from Elverson, Pennsylvania. Her interest in hockey was piqued by watching a Hershey Bears game, after which she started playing street hockey with her brother. She soon was playing mites with boys.[1]
Rinker played in the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers girls' hockey program before enrolling at UConn.[2] She played for the Jr. Flyers for six years, served as a two-time captain, and was their first Division I recruit and first PWHL draftee.[1]
Playing career
College
Rinker appeared in all 144 games across four seasons at UConn. As a senior assistant captain in 2024–25, she posted career highs with 20 points (3 goals, 17 assists) in 36 games and was named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team. She also earned Hockey East Defender of the Month (February).[3][4][5]
Professional
On June 24, 2025, Rinker was drafted in the fourth round, 30th overall, by the Minnesota Frost.[6] Following pre-season training camp, she was announced as a reserve player for the Frost prior to the 2025–26 season.[7]
Personal life
Rinker's brother, AJ, uses a wheelchair and plays for the Flyers' PowerPlay team, a power wheelchair floor hockey team.[1]
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2021–22 | UConn | Hockey East | 35 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | UConn | Hockey East | 35 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | UConn | Hockey East | 38 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | UConn | Hockey East | 36 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA totals | 144 | 8 | 37 | 45 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honours
| Honour | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| Hockey East First All-Star Team | 2025 | [10] |